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Home My WebLink AboutMN-PAC-2016-05-25 Approved-6/22/16 PAC Minutes 5/25/16 PAC members present: Todd Ayoung Norma Gutierrez Samantha Hillson Carol Mallison Caleb Thomas Common Council Liaison: Rob Gearhart Staff: Megan Wilson, Planning Also present: Lachlan Chambliss, Nagiane Lacka,Jenna Stroud Announcements Todd shared two books with the group -one about community murals and the other about early graffiti art. Caleb shared a book created by Mindy Oaks that features her young daughter with many of the local murals. Additional books can be purchased through Shutterfly. Public Comment Jenna Stroud spoke in support of the"Portals to Peace"mural. Approval of Minutes The April 27, 2016 minutes were approved without corrections. Rainwater Art Project Megan noted that she still needs images of several of the proposed designs in order to create the poll. Caleb has already provided images for the Cayuga Lake fish and an umbrella. The group identified remaining images and assigned tasks as follows: Caleb: I (heart) H2O Norma: footprints&frogs Todd:whale spouting&person swimming Jay: submarine In terms of the project timeline,the PAC needs to get the project started very soon if it is to be installed this year. PAC members agreed to submit the images within two weeks (by June 8th), with the hope that the community poll results can be reviewed at the June 1 Approved-6/22/16 meeting. Final Common Council approval would then be scheduled for August 3rd, and installation could begin after that. Since this will be a PAC-installed project, Megan suggested that the group invite other staff that are actively involved with public art"behind the scenes"to help with the installation, if they're interested. PAC members supported this idea. Commons Boxes The RFP for the Commons Boxes has been distributed, and proposals are due June 8th. The PAC and the Commons Management Team will meet on Tuesday, June 14th to review the submissions. Megan reported that she had received an inquiry about a new business making a donation toward the project. They may be interested in sponsoring one or all three boxes, and they are not interested in the selection of the artwork itself. The PAC could accept this donation to be used specifically for this project. PAC members supported the donation and asked Megan to follow up with the contact person. Other Boxes The group discussed possible locations for the other electrical boxes to be completed in 2016. The following are on the list to be included: 1. Stewart&E.State 2. S. Cayuga 81W.State 3. S.Aurora&E.State 4. W. Buffalo&N. Geneva 5. E.Court&N. Cayuga 6. E. Court&N.Tioga Megan will check on the ownership of boxes at: 1. S.Titus&S.Albany 2. Tuning Fork The PAC agreed that previously unpainted boxes or boxes where the murals are deteriorating should be the top priority for 2016. However, if funding is available, there are a few of the 2012 and 2014 locations that were not finished or have become somewhat controversial that could be repainted. Mural Proposal: "Portals to Peace"by Lachlan Chambliss Nagiane Lacka and Lachlan Chambliss attended to answer questions about the proposed mural. After concerns were raised about the proposed location at the last PAC meeting, they considered other walls in the downtown area. They felt that most of them would not work because the walls lacked the visibility they would like for this mural. Their first choice is still the west-facing entry wall to the Green Street Garage, but they would also be willing to paint the wall next to the surface parking lot below the Green Street Garage (facing Cinemopolis). They also noted that the final mural would feature much brighter 2 Approved-6/22/16 • colors than those shown in the preliminary sketch. They proposed painting the background of the mural with a color that would highlight the mural. On a motion by Samantha, seconded by Norma, the PAC voted 4-0-1 to circulate the mural "Portals to Peace" by Lachlan Chambliss as proposed on the west-facing wall of the Green Street Parking Garage for public comment. Caleb recused himself from the vote due to his involvement with the project. The group discussed whether a plaque with the explanation of the mural could be posted on the wall. It was noted that several of the local murals would benefit from a similar plaque but they are expensive to produce. It was suggested that a page could be created on the City website with information about the various murals, and the link could be provided at the mural sites. Megan will speak with the City's IT department about creating such a page. Fundraising Limitations Megan shared information about fundraising limitations of a City board/committee for the new members and as a reminder for continuing members. As a City commission, the PAC cannot solicit donations for its projects. Unsolicited donations may be accepted. Individual members should not represent themselves as members of the PAC while fundraising for independent (not PAC-sponsored) projects. If someone asks if the person is a member of the PAC while they are seeking donations for personal projects, the member should respond by noting that while he/she is a member, he/she is not representing the PAC. It is also inappropriate for a PAC member to participate in the decision-making process for an independent project that he/she has organized or for which he/she has fundraised. While the PAC is an advisory commission, it plays a key role in the approval of public art projects on City property. These rules are in place to avoid conflicts of interest (whether perceived or actual). The group discussed a couple of situations and how these rules would apply. A group such as Ithacans for Public Art could fundraise for public art projects, but it's important that there be a clear distinction between IPA and the PAC. It may be helpful to have a representative of Ithacans for Public Art officially serve as a non-voting liaison in the future. Mural Workshops Todd shared his idea for mural workshops that would be open to the community and would be aimed at bringing more people into the PAC's mural process. There are a lot of talented artists in the community. It would be great to have more of them get involved and not always feature the same artists. While the group was supportive of hosting workshops in the future, the PAC agreed to finish its outstanding projects before starting this initiative. The PAC will consider the idea again in the fall or in 2017. 3 Approved-6/22/16 Updates City Web Mapping - Megan reported that the City's GIS division will be hosting training sessions for boards and committees on the City's new web mapping platform. This could be very helpful as the PAC continues to focus on mapping murals, available locations, and other public art installations. Megan will share the dates/times when they are announced and encouraged members to attend. Danielle Hodgin's Mural - Danielle Hodgins will be beginning her mural on the Water & Sewer building on First Street in the next week or so. The PAC was going to help with prepping the wall, but DPW staff will be removing the vines and Danielle had planned the remaining prep work into her timeline and budget. Ramiro Davaro-Comas's Mural- Megan contacted Ramiro and told him that the PAC would support him painting his mural on the restroom building near the Union Fields and Children's Garden in Cass Park. He has not responded about how he wants to proceed. Seneca Street Garage Murals - Justin Suarez will be starting his mural in mid-late June. Margaret Reed has spent one day working on the background for her mural. Unfortunately, her initial work has already been tagged by graffiti. Megan is trying to set up a time for Margaret to meet with garage staff to work out some of the logistics with her installation. PAC Working Session -The PAC working session is being postponed due to constraints on staff time. Several members are also unavailable over the summer. Megan will try to reschedule it again in the fall. Upcoming Meetings Commons Boxes Selection-June 14, 2016 Regular Meeting-June 22, 2016 4