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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-19-20 MINUTES OF THE CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION MEETING CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO Thursday November 19, 2020 Teleconference Meeting I. CALL TO ORDER: 6:31 p.m. II.ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners: Boldenweck, Bowen, Campagna, Hobson-Coard, Foley, DeNatale, Looper, Ramos Absent: None Staff Present: Sharon Ranals, ACM/Director of Parks and Recreation Greg Mediati, Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation Angela Duldulao, Recreation Manager Ercie Santos, Cultural Arts Specialist Susan Filereto, Administrative Assistant III. AGENDA REVIEW: Chair Looper asked that Subcommittee agenda item 2. Future Public Art Plan be moved as the first item under Unfinished Business per a request made by Vice Chair DeNatale. Vice Chair DeNatale clarified his intent was to list the Future Public Art Plan subcommittee report as the first item under Subcommittees moving forward. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES of October 15, 2020: Minutes for October 15, 2020 stand as sent. V. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: Manager Duldulao recognized Risha Bond as a soon-to-be Commissioner once she completes her paper work. VI. WELCOME NEW COMMISSIONERS RAUL RAMOS AND RISHA BOND Manager Duldulao invited Commissioner Raul Ramos and Ms. Risha Bond to introduce themselves. Cultural Arts Commission Minutes of November 19, 2020 Page 2 Commissioner Ramos stated he has a background in marketing and communications, and has lived in South San Francisco for 20 years. He believes his marketing background will benefit the Cultural Arts Commission. He also stated he wants to give back to the community. Ms. Bond stated she has worked in South San Francisco for ten years and has lived in South San Francisco for six years. She commented that she is very excited about the public art projects that will be happening in South San Francisco. Chair Looper welcomed Commissioner Ramos and Ms. Bond to the Cultural Arts Commission. VII. PRESENTATION OF DIA DE MUERTOS / DAY OF THE DEAD VIRTUAL ART EXHIBIT FINALISTS: Specialist Santos introduced three of the five Art Exhibit Finalists of the first Virtual Day of the Dead Art Exhibit: Jacqueline Quintanilla for her entries F, strd 1 & 3Place in 3-Dimensional, respectively; rd Entropy for her entry , 3 Place 2-Dimensional; and st , 1Place 2-Dimensional and Best of Show. All the artists expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to celebrate the Day of the Dead virtually. Specialist Santos invited the artists to participate in future art shows. Chair Looper thanked the artists for coming and invited them to stay for the meeting if they so choose. Chair Looper also welcomed the artists to join the Commission if they are South San Francisco residents. VIII: UNFINISHED BUSINES: 1. 2021 Art Exhibits and Dates: Chair Looper and Vice Chair DeNatale discussed whether or not the Future Public Art Plan subcommittee report would be presented under Unfinished Business. Vice Chair DeNatale clarified his request to place the Future Public Art Plan subcommittee report as the first item under the Subcommittees section of the agenda, not under Unfinished Business. Chair Looper confirmed that this change would be made on the next agenda. Chair Looper proceeded with Unfinished Business and the 2021 Art Exhibits and Dates. Cultural Arts Commission Minutes of November 19, 2020 Page 3 Specialist Santos thanked the Commission for completing the 2021 Goals Questionnaire and gave a brief background of the survey process. Specialist Santos stated the upcoming delay caused by the pandemic and continued uncertainty about 2021, the first part of the two-part survey was distributed to Commissioners. The goal is to select the 2021 art exhibit schedule and confirm the dates. The confirmation of the exhibit schedule dates is necessary in order to lock the room reservations for the possibility of in-person art shows. In addition, the art show schedule is included in the Parks and Events brochure due to be released soon. Specialist Santos stated there were eight respondents to the survey. Manager Duldulao shared the survey on her screen so Commissioners could review the results. Specialist Santos requested the Commission decide on the March and April art show because it occurs in the first quarter of the new year. She added that pre-covid, the show that customarily occurred was the Youth Art Show, presented in partnership with the South San Francisco Unified School District. Specialist Santos commented that with the current covid situation, she does not believe the school district will be able to participate to the same extent next year. Chair Looper commented that the Commission could possibly do some other type of show rather than a Youth Art Show. Commissioner Campagna commented that there is an opportunity to do a different type of Youth Art Show and shared several ideas. His suggestions included working with the after school programs, picking a particular theme, involving middle and high school students, and doing a small virtual art show. Commissioner Campagna expressed his willingness to work with the afterschool programs and pick up art if needed. ACM/Director Ranals stated that the Parks and Recreation Childcare Program is currently operating remote learning hubs and that the Boys and Girls Club could be invited to participate as well. Specialist Santos stated that the shows for the latter half of the year, July 9-10 and October 9-10, can be decided at the beginning of 2021. The consensus by the Commission was to save the dates and wait until the beginning of next year to decide on these future shows. Specialist Santos stated the second question was regarding the Fundraising BBQ. She reported that it is usually held on the third or fourth Sunday in August at the Joseph A. Fernekes Recreation Building. Specialist Santos stated the responses were evenly split as to whether to hold the Fundraising BBQ. She added that the Commission is not obligated to continue this event or keep the date. Cultural Arts Commission Minutes of November 19, 2020 Page 4 Chair Looper stated that the Commission can make a decision next month depending on what the Fundraising Subcommittee comes up with. Vice Chair DeNatale suggested that the Commission reserve the date now while waiting for direction from the Fundraising Subcommittee. Commissioner Campagna agreed since the Fernekes Building gets booked very quickly. Consensus from the Commission was that they would hold the third Sunday in August for a possible fundraising event. 2. Caltrain Public Art Selection Committee Chair Looper reported that four Commissioners were interested joining the Caltrain Public Art Selection Committee: Commissioner Campagna, Vice Chair DeNatale, Commissioner Hobson-Coard, and Commissioner Foley. Commissioners Bowen and Boldenweck were not interested. Chair Looper explained the selection process for identifying the Caltrain committee members at random by putting the names of interested candidates in a basket and assigning them a number. She then had Commissioner Bowen and Commissioner Boldenweck pick a number. Commissioner Bowen picked number three, and Commissioner Boldenweck picked number one. The committee member candidates with those corresponding numbers were Commissioner Foley and Commissioner Campagna. The Commission congratulated them. Commissioner Campagna stated they will represent the Commission well. IX. NEW BUSINESS: 1. December Meeting a. Alternative Date Chair Looper asked that the December meeting date be changed from the third Thursday of the month to the second Thursday of the month, which would be December 10. There was a discussion and the consensus of the Commission was to have the meeting on December 10. b. Election of Officers Chair Looper stated that the election of officers usually occurs in January. She suggested that the Commission elect the new officers in December. After a Cultural Arts Commission Minutes of November 19, 2020 Page 5 short discussion, the consensus of the Commission was to elect new officers in December. X. SUBCOMMITTES: 1. Future Public Art Plan Vice Chair DeNatale stated that the Public Art Survey was published in newsletter. The survey has received a total of 88 responses. 35% of the responses were from individuals ages 19-29 years old, and 17% were from ages 60-69 years old. Vice Chair DeNatale asked fellow Commissioners to share the survey with their contacts, community members, churches, etc. Vice Chair DeNatale reported that the survey has been updated in Spanish and that it will be available through the end of the year. Vice Chair DeNatale stated that the subcommittee will consider issuing a new survey quarterly. Initial survey results should be available early in the first quarter of the year. Vice Chair DeNatale reported that survey feedback indicates the community would like to see more of the follow public art themes: diversity, culture and heritage, murals, sculptures, and more art in parks and playgrounds. Commissioner Campagna stated he would like to reach out to local youth groups, like the South San Francisco Youth Art Commission and Change SSF to get their feedback. He asked if there was a community liaison. ACM/Director Ranals saying that the group is referred to as the Youth Advisory Committee, and stated that Executive Assistant Marie Patea is the liaison for the group. ACM/Director Ranals stated the Youth Advisory Committee meetings are held every other Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and that she will be attending the meeting this coming Saturday. ACM/Director Ranals stated that she will mention this topic at the meeting. Commissioner Campagna thanked ACM/Director Ranals and stated he would follow up with her by e-mail. Commissioner Campagna invited the Commission to share any questions they would like him to ask during his outreach to youth groups. ACM/Director Ranals reminded the Commission that a Public Art Master Plan has been approved and funded. She added that staff will be issuing a request for proposals from firms that specialize in doing Public Art Master Plans and that it would be linked to the General Plan. Cultural Arts Commission Minutes of November 19, 2020 Page 6 ACM/Director Ranals commented that the General Plan process includes discussions of an art district in South San Francisco, maybe in the Linden area, and favorable zoning for artists in below market rate studio space. ACM/Director Ranals commented that the Public Art Master Plan is being funded by the General Plan budget, which is funded by developer fees and is separate from the Chair Looper commented that the Public Art Master Plan is not something new. ACM/Director Ranals responded that Council had not considered the Public Art Master Plan until the Commission brought it to their attention. Commissioner Foley asked if the 1% fee for art has officially passed. ACM/Director Ranals stated that the fee has passed, but it has not yet gone into effect because there is a waiting period. ACM/Director Ranals explained that the fee is not for residential projects. The fee is for commercial projects and developers can choose to spend 1% of their construction costs on public art, or pay 0.5% of their construction costs into the public art fund. ACM/Director Ranals gave credit to Councilmember Matsumoto for her support of the art initiatives. 2. Sculpture a. Sphere Manager Duldulao reported that the Parks team will install the Sphere and Giraffe sculptures between December 7 and December 18. b. Giraffe ACM/Director Ranals stated the Giraffe donation was taken to the City Council meeting on October 14 and that the donor asked that the donation be accepted as an anonymous donation. The Giraffe donation was accepted by City Council. ACM/Director Ranals reported that a concern arose at the City Council meeting regarding the durability of the Giraffe sculpture and commented on concerns that the sculpture could be vulnerable to being damaged given its pedestrian accessible location in the Sculpture Garden. ACM/Director Ranals reported on a plan to change the location of the Giraffe sculpture to the area at the corner of Westborough and Camaritas, where the Yomu sculpture is located, because both sculptures are similar in style and material. Chair Looper asked if the proposed change of location is due to a safety issue. Cultural Arts Commission Minutes of November 19, 2020 Page 7 ACM/Director Ranals stated that the new location does not have much pedestrian access and there is also a synergy between the two pieces. Vice Chair DeNatale stated that though the Giraffe sculpture is made of the same material as the Yomu sculpture, there is no relationship between the two sculptures. Vice Chair DeNatale commented on the need for a Public Art Master Plan to strategize the placement of art so not to place art that has no relevance to the community or history of the community. Vice Chair DeNatale stated that there is a lot of art along Westborough, and if the community wants more art in that location, he challenges the Commission to find a new location that makes sense. Ms. Bond commented that the piece has a whimsical feel to it and though she does not have a specific location in mind, she believes installing it at a school or playground in a secure area would be nice. Vice Chair DeNatale stated that playgrounds and parks were one of the areas on the survey where residents wanted to see more art. Commissioner Foley and Commissioner Campagna agreed with Vice Chair DeNatale comments. Commissioner Campagna commented that the purpose of the survey is to help the Commission be more intentional about where art is placed in the City. Commissioner Campagna also commented that he appreciates the gracious gift that was made by the donor and their support of the Commission over the years. Commissioner Ramos asked if there was a map of targeted locations for art work or of existing art art. ACM/Director Ranals responded that there is a map of existing art work and emphasized the purpose of the Public Art Master Plan is to assist with identifying locations for new art work. ACM/Director Ranals suggested that the Giraffe sculpture could be considered as temporary art and could temporarily be placed at the Westborough location to see how the public reacts. There was further discussion by the Commission. Vice Chair DeNatale commented that the Commission could vote on whether or not to move the Giraffe to the new location. Chair Looper stated that the Commission has already voted on the location, and that it is up to City Council to decide on the placement. Vice Cultural Arts Commission Minutes of November 19, 2020 Page 8 Chair DeNatale commented that although the donation was anonymous, past meeting minutes identify the donation as coming from a councilmember. Commissioner Bowen asked if the Giraffe piece could be made more durable so it could be installed safely in the Sculpture Garden. Commissioner Foley asked if there was a map of all the existing places where art could be installed. Specialist Santos stated there was a list that has been reviewed by the Sculpture Subcommittee. ACM/Director Ranals suggested that the Commission revisit the selection of a new location at the December meeting. ACM/Director Ranals addressed Giraffe sculpture could be fortified so it could be placed in the sculpture garden. Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation Mediati responded to Commissioner fortifying the Giraffe. He stated that there might be cost considerations if the fortification materials is more than the value of the sculpture. In addition, fortification work would delay the installation to January. Commissioner Boldenweck suggested Sellick Park as a possible location. There was further discussion that the Sellick Park location could work because it was in a park and could possibly be placed in a planted area where the sculpture would be more secure. ACM/Director Ranals stated that staff will agendize the new location of the Giraffe sculpture for the December meeting. 3. Art Show 2020 a. Virtual Day of the Dead/Día De Muertos Commissioner Boldenweck reported the Virtual Day of the Dead show was very successful. There were 19 artists who participated; a third were artists and the rest were from all over the Bay Area. There were a total of 39 pieces - 30 were 2- dimensional and nine were 3-dimensional. The judge was Evangelina Portillo stndrd and she awarded a 1, 2 and 3 place award, and a Best in Show. Commissioner Boldenweck stated community comments were very positive. Cultural Arts Commission Minutes of November 19, 2020 Page 9 Specialist Santos reported that she conducted an informal survey of the artists who participated and the overall comments were positive and very complimentary. Specialist Santos was very pleased with the feedback and will be moving forward with the 2021 Virtual Photography Show. Manager Duldulao thanked Specialist Santos for her efforts in putting this show together, noting the challenges of working under modified office conditions. Chair Looper thanked Commissioner Boldenweck and Specialist Santos for the work in putting this event together. 4. Photography Exhibit 2021 Commissioner Hobson-Coard reported that she is working on entry requirements and the exhibit will be done similar to the Day of the Dead exhibit. She stated that she will have more details at next meeting. 5. Fundraiser Commissioner Bowen reported on the idea of hosting a virtual jewelry auction. She stated that her family owns a jewelry business and displayed several pictures of donated jewelry items that could be sold at the auction. Commissioner Bowen invited Commissioner Hobson-Coard to speak on her idea of an auction item. Commissioner Hobson-Coard stated that Jeannette Holt started South City Rocks, where Jeanette and others paint rocks and place them throughout the community. Once someone finds a painted rock, they can keep it or replace it with another painted rock. Commissioner Hobson-Coard stated this was started to bring positivity to the current pandemic situation. Commissioner Hobson-Coard suggested that the auction include these painted rocks. Commissioner Bowen invited comments from the Commission. Vice Chair DeNatale expressed support for the idea. Commissioner Bowen mentioned that completed a jewelry auction and it was very successful. There was further discussion by the Commission that a jewelry auction would work. Consensus of the Commission is to do a jewelry auction with the painted rocks. It was brought up that the painted rocks could attract children. Cultural Arts Commission Minutes of November 19, 2020 Page 10 Commissioner Bowen made a motion to do a Virtual Jewelry and Painted Rock auction. Vice Chair DeNatale seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved. ACM/Director Ranals reminded the Commission that the Youth Art Scholarship is solely funded by fundraising efforts. 6. Other Subcommittee N/A XI. ITEMS FROM COMMISSION: N/A XII. ITEMS FROM STAFF: Manager Duldulao reminded the Commission that the Gardiner Park Mural Survey that was emailed by Deputy Director Mediati needs to be completed by November 30. Manager Duldulao reminded the Commission of the opportunity to register for the Virtual Fun Run through the end of Sunday, November 22. Manager Duldulao also informed the Commission of the Winter Wonderland event through the month of December, and the Wreath Workshop on December 6 at the Joseph A. Fernekes Recreation Building. ACM/Director Ranals commented that herself and Chair Looper will make a how-to video on making a wreath for people who have never made one before. ACM/Director Ranals stated that the Wreath Workshop is a fundraising event for Improving Public Places (IPP). ACM/Director Ranals stated that Chair Looper and Commissioner Boldenweck will be making all the bows for the wreaths as they do every year. Specialist Santos mentioned that the RFP for the Caltrain Art Project is on the Cultural Arts website under Current Opportunities for Artists. XIII. CORRESPONDENCE: Specialist Santos stated correspondence was mailed out with the packet XIV. ADJOURNMENT: Chair Looper adjourned the meeting at 7:58 p.m. Cultural Arts Commission Minutes of November 19, 2020 Page 11 Respectfully submitted, Susan Filereto Administrative Assistant Next Meeting: January 21, 2021