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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-07-15 Public Arts PACKET PUBLIC ARTCOMMISSION - REGULAR MEETING July 15, 2022 AGENDA CALL TO ORDER 8:30 a.m. via Zoom APPROVAL OF MINUTES Public Arts Commission regular meeting of June 17, 2022 ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA PUBLIC FORUM LIAISON REPORTS Council Liaison – Stefani Seffinger Community Development Liaison – Johanna Tuthill APRC Liaison –Jim Lewis OTHER BUSINESS Equity Lens Follow-Up, Land Acknowledgement* Public Works Update: Mike Morrison Haines & Friends Grant Application Proposal** o e.g., Neighborhood Project, Utility Boxes Project PAC WORKPLANand PROJECT UPDATES First Friday Report Golden Connections Update: plaque, clean-up Say Their Names Proposal Update John Pugh Mural Project: Status Report ADJOURNMENT Next Meeting: August 19, 2022 – 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. ATTACHMENTS Minutes fromJu 17, 2022 meeting*Land Acknowledgement **Haines & Friends Grant Information In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Community Development office at 541-488-5305 (TTY phone is 1-800-735-2900). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enablethe City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1). PUBLIC ARTSCOMMISSION REGULAR MEETING June 17, 2022 DraftMinutes I.CALL TO ORDER Chair Ken Engelundcalled the meeting to order at 8:33a.m. via Zoom. Commissioners Present:Staff Present: Ken EngelundJohanna Tuthill, Associate Planner Cassie Preskenis Laura BloomAPRC Liaison: Joel FrankJim Lewis(absent) Destiny Young Council Liaison: Stefani Seffinger(absent) Absent Members:Members of the Public: Stanley SmithTía Laída Fé Jennifer LongshoreMicah BlackLight Max Malcomb Peter Finkle Andrew Stallman Nixon Albertelli Sandy Friend II.ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA-None III.PUBLIC FORUM There were no members of the public who wished to speak. Peter Finkle submitted a comment suggesting that the Commission request funding for small art projects involving blocks or groups of neighbors. IV.APPROVAL OF MINUTES Public Arts CommissionRegular Meeting,May 20, 2022 Commissioners Bloom/Frankm/s to approve the minutes as presented. Voice Vote: ALL AYES. Motion passed5-0. V.LIAISON REPORTS Community Development Liaison –Associate Planner Johanna Tuthill informed the Commission that additional funding for the artist had been secured. VI.OTHER BUSINESS Say Their Names Collective Proposal Presentation –Tía Laída Fé and Micah BlackLight Ms.Fé began by conveyinggratitude to Jessica Friedman. She expressed how the Say Their Names memorial isa very important place to remember, educate,mourn, and showsthat the white community of Ashland knows and cares about the struggles thatthe black and brown community In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Community Development office at 541-488-5305 (TTY phone is 1-800-735-2900). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enablethe City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1). face.Ms.Fécited City Resolution 2020-17, and stated that this new art project would create a permanent andphysical commitment to that resolution.She asked that the Commission and the City lend their support for the projectandacknowledge Oregon’s history with slavery. Mr. BlackLight isan artist and teacher in the community.He introduced the newart project as a physical reminder to the Say Their Names art installation, whichwould be titled Ancestor’s Future: Crystallizing Our Call. He added that it would be donatedto the City. The design of the project would be of an angelic winged-figure, and would symbolize a collective embodied ancestor. He would carry a book or tome holding the names of fallen black and brown people, as well as a message from the community. It would be installed in the Ashland Creek Park, a location that has already been sanctioned by the Ashland Parks and Recreation department. Mr. BlackLight described the materials for the design that would be chosen for long-term durability and maintenance. A ring of stepping stones would be placed around the statue that could be decorated by members of the community. The design team: -Jack Langford, sculptor and casting -KCI Waterjet Cutting, local fabrication -Eric Cislo, local metalsmith Mr. BlackLight estimated that the entirety of the project would cost between $112,000 -$140, 000, which would largely be collected from grants, private funders, and donations. He emphasized that the project would be a gift to the City, but that funding for the site prep and installation is requested once the piece is completed. Chair Engelund thanked the applicants for their presentation, and therewas general discussion about scale and dimensions of the project. Commissioner Preskenis gaveappreciation for the comprehensive presentation and the depth of meaning behind each portion of the piece. Chair Engelund expressed concern that children could injure themselves by climbing on the statue. Mr. BlackLight responded that this was considered by the design team, and that there would be no sharp edges on the piece and few locations where one could fall and become stuck. Chair Englund inquired what the dollar amount would be from the City for the installation, andMr. BlackLight responded that the amount is not currently known, but that he could getan estimate. Commissioner Frank inquired about the statue being lightedat night, and suggested recessed lighting. Mr. BlackLight responded that solar powered lights for nighttime illumination were being considered, but that no decision had been made yet. Commissioner Frank asked how a five-month timeline had been generated,and if it could be followed with thecurrentdifficulty in acquiring building materials. Mr. BlackLight responded that the statue wouldbe fabricated in Jack Langford’s studio in Talent, which will supply a large amount of the materials. Commissioners Preskenis/Bloomm/sto recommend that the Cityendorse the Crystallizing Our Call sculpture concept and that they allocate some amount of funding to this sculpture and its installation.ALL AYES. Motion passed 5-0. Presentation: Equity LensII Follow Up: Cassie Preskenis Commissioner Preskenis provided the Commission with a presentation on how the lens of equity can be used in the Commission’s work, and recited a land acknowledgement to indigenous people. She discussed how public art could be used to combat injustice, using Seattle as an example. Commissioner Preskenis encouraged theCommissionto takesubstantive action inapplyingan equity lens to its work, as well asthrough actionable initiatives. She suggested that the Commission create a list of questionsto apply to artworks that the Commission reviews, as well as reviewing the Commission’s goals and missions in order to highlight an equitable lens. She added In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Community Development office at 541-488-5305 (TTY phone is 1-800-735-2900). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enablethe City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1). that the Commission should consider reading a land acknowledgement at the start of their meetings. Commissioner Frank expressed support for the initiative, but noted that it was a difficultconcept to apply without public involvement.He endorsed including a land acknowledgment at the start of the Commission’s meetings. Chair Engelund agreed with Commissioner Frank, and noted that the Commission has a charter to search for inclusive art. Commissioners Preskenis/Frankm/stobegin each Public Arts Commission meeting with a land acknowledgement. ALL AYES. Motion passed 5-0. Marking Ashland Places The Commission discussed where the next location for MAP II should be. Commissioner Preskenis expressed a desire for it to be located downtown, such as in the Plaza, to honor native people. Commissioner Bloom agreed, adding that it should be centrally visible. Commissioner Frank was concerned that downtown would be difficult to push through with community responses, and suggested that the Commission review further options. It was agreed that Chair Engelund would continue discussions with the Historic Commission. Haines & Friends Grant –Neighborhood Project: Peter Finkle th This has been moved to the July 15meeting. Ashland High School Art Class Mural Proposal Presentation: Max Malcomb, AHS. Nixon Albertelli student Max Malcomb introduced himself as an art teacherfrom Ashland High School,and Nixon Albertelli, a recent graduate of Ashland High School.Mr. Malcombproposedthat a mural be done on a wall at the ElizabethanTheaterby Mr. Albertelli. Mr. Albertelli detailedthe project, which would be of based onthe play Julius Caesarby William Shakespeare. It would cost approximately $3,000, and would be completed over the course of two months. Chair Engelund expressed support for the project and inquired if the applicants had secured an endorsement from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Mr. Albertelli responded that they had not yetacquired the endorsement. Commissioner Frank asked if the concept art had been done by Mr. Albertelli, who responded in the affirmative. Peter Finkle commented that the project would also need to be approved by the Historic Commission, and Chair Engelund added that it would likelyneed to go before the Ashland Parks and Recreation department as well. Commissioner Bloom expressed support for the project, but commented that it would be premature to move forward on this project yet. There was support for the project, but decided that the Commission would need a concrete proposal before deciding on a course of action. VII.PAC WORKPLAN First Friday Art Talks–Volunteers and Publication Chair Englund will be volunteering to give a talk on First Friday, and asked that any other Commissioners wishing to volunteer let him know. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Community Development office at 541-488-5305 (TTY phone is 1-800-735-2900). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enablethe City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1). Golden Connectionsby Jennifer Corrio and DavidFrei Update a.Commissioner Frank gave a brief update on the plaque, saying that the Commission had two options for the material used. One would be a laminated, printed sign, and would be durable. It would cost approximately $300. The second would be a silkscreen on steel or stainless steel, and would be a more than double the price of the first option. b.There was general agreement that a metal option would be better, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. Commissioners Frank/Bloomm/sto approvethe metal version with a slightly smaller plaque size.ALL AYES. Motion passed 5-0. Clean-up a.Chair Engelund informed the Commission that clean-up had not yet been completed on the Golden Connections art piece. VIII.ADJOURNMENT -10:19AM Next Meeting:June17, 2022 IX.ATTACHMENTS May 20, 2022 Minutes In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Community Development office at 541-488-5305 (TTY phone is 1-800-735-2900). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enablethe City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1). City of Ashland Land Acknowledgement: “We acknowledge and honor the aboriginal people on whose ancestral homelands we work --the IkirakutsumBand of the Shasta Nation, as well as the diverse and vibrant Native communities who make their home here today. We honor the first stewards in the Rogue Valley and the lands we love and depend on: Tribes with ancestral lands in and surrounding the geography of the Ashland Watershed include the original past, present and future indigenous inhabitants of the Shasta, Takelma, Athabaskan people. We also recognize and acknowledge the Shasta village of K’wakhaha - “Where the Crow Lights” -that is now the Ashland City Plaza.”