HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PAC-2017-08-24Approved – 10/26/17
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Public Art Commission
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Meeting Minutes
Attended by:
PAC: Todd Ayoung, Samantha Hillson, Carol Mallison
Liaisons: John Spence, Community Arts Partnership
Staff: Megan Wilson, Planning
Absent: Norma Gutierrez, Sally Grubb, Caleb Thomas
Public Comment
None
Minutes
No minutes were approved due to the lack of a quorum.
PAC Project Updates
Electrical Box Murals – All of the six new boxes throughout downtown have been completed.
David Todd and Jennifer Gioffre have yet to complete their “Shockingly Delicious!” box on
Aurora Street on the Commons. Catherine Montgomery is willing to repaint her mural on the
electrical box in Bank Alley but is waiting for the old paint to be removed. Frank Nagy had offered
to have the Commons staff remove the paint. Megan noted that Erica Brath’s mural on the Cayuga
Street box is now starting to have similar problems with the paint.
Megan to follow up with David Todd and Jennifer Gioffre about the completion of their
mural.
Megan to follow up with Frank Nagy about removing the paint on Catherine Montgomery’s
box.
Seneca Street Garage Mural – Megan asked if anyone had an update on Margaret Reed’s mural
on the top level of the Seneca Street Garage. Those members in attendance did not know the
current status but Caleb had been working with her to complete the project.
Megan to follow up with Caleb or Margaret Reed on the status of the mural.
Mural on Cornell-Owned Wall – Megan reported that Cornell and the City now have an agreement
in place for an artist to install a mural on the Cornell -owned wall adjacent to the Dryden Road
Parking Garage. Cornell owns the wall but an artist would need to paint from the Dryden Road
Garage. Cornell previously indicated that they would provide $900 to an artist to help cover
supplies; there is a possibility that this contribution could be increased. The wall is very large and
a mural at this location would likely be much more expensive. In addition to the materials and the
artist’s time, a lift or scaffolding will be required to paint. The City has previously made it clear
that it will not provide a lift or insurance for an artist to rent one. It seemed unlikely that Cornell
would provide either. Due to the likely costs of the project, Megan suggested that the PAC
consider applying for a GAP grant for the Community Arts Partnership for the project. She also
noted that the PAC should follow up with Cornell about the budget and the lift. They originally
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indicated that they would look into these issues after an artist is selected, but it is difficult to solicit
calls for proposals when the budget and equipment needs are unknown.
Megan to follow up with Cornell
PAC members to decide whether a GAP grant application should be prepared for this
project (applications due Oct. 5th)
Other Project Updates
Additional Electrical Boxes – Megan reported that she had not yet circulated the proposals for the
Linn Street or E. State/MLK Street electrical boxes for public comment. The ownership of the
Linn Street box has not yet been confirmed but Megan will follow up on this. The PAC members
in attendance did not recall the discussion of the Linn Street box or proposal. Megan will
recirculate the proposal and ask PAC members for approval to send it out for public comment.
Megan to confirm ownership of Linn St. electrical box
Megan to circulate Linn Street proposal and photos; PAC members to decide whether the
proposal should be distributed for public comment
Bike Racks – Megan reported that the public art bike rack designs were approved by the Planning
Committee but the Committee requested that the BPW approve them before the final designs are
sent on to Common Council. The project was taken off of the most recent BPW agenda so that
the City’s engineering staff could address some concerns with the project organizers. Once those
concerns are resolved, the project will be put on the BPW and Council agendas for approval.
Rt. 13 Mural – John reported that Danielle Hodges will be returning to Ithaca to touch up her mural
on the Water & Sewer building along Rt. 13 in September. The location required much more prep
work than originally thought last year, which limited Danielle’s work on the mural. CAP has
provided additional funding for her to add to it this year.
Porchfest and Streets Alive! Intersection Repair – John reported that CAP has provided some
funding for two intersection repair projects at Porchfest and Streets Alive! Both paintings will be
installed during the September events. The proposals had not been submitted for PAC or Council
review.
Megan to follow up with City Engineering and project organizers about approvals of the
two installations.
Public Art Grant – John reported that the public art grant, funded by the County and a private
foundation, will not be funding murals in 2018. The grant will fund a new piece of sculpture next
year.
Committee Restructuring – The group asked several questions about the proposal to restructure
the City’s advisory boards and committees. Members attended a meeting on the topic in May and
left with the understanding that many of the existing boards and committees would still exist as
subcommittees of the new commissions, which would essentially create another layer of
committees. They also asked questions about when the new structure would go into effect, what
the next steps are, and how comments can be made.
Megan to gather information and report back to the PAC on the committee restructuring.
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Proposal for a Rotating Mural Installation
Jay Potter has submitted a conceptual proposal for a rotating mural installation on a Water & Sewer
storage building on First Street. If approved, the installation would be on a white concrete block
wall facing The Piggery. This installation would be similar to the one on the handball court at
Wood Street Park: Jay, and other artists working with him, would routinely update the wall with
new mural designs. Megan had asked Jay to provide a written description, a sketch of the first
design, and answers to some questions about community involvement and basic guidelines for the
designs, but these were not submitted prior to the meeting. The PAC members in attendance were
supportive of the concept and would like to see the requested materials/information.
Megan to follow up with Jay on materials need for the PAC’s consideration of the project.
Rainwater Art
PAC members were disappointed with the first attempt at installing the art but the group would
like to complete the project. We discussed using the NeverWet again versus purchasing the
Rainworks product. Given the cost of the Rainworks product ($100), Sam offered to try the
NeverWet again and report back. If it does not work, we can look at the budge and try the other.
The stencils are currently in the hands of several members. Once it is decided which product to
use, we will schedule a date/time for installation and a rain date.
Sam to re-test the NeverWet
Megan to confirm the remaining project budget
PAC members to report which stencils they have and where they have installed stencils.
NY Bicentennial Mural Repairs
The NY Bicentennial Mural on the Seneca Street Parking Garage (Tioga St. side) is in need of
repairs. Megan contacted the artist, Mary Shelly, but she is unable to repair the mural. The group
discussed possible ways to repair the mural but agreed that determining how much funding is
available for the repair is the first step.
Ongoing Mural Maintenance
Several of the murals are in need or will be in need of repair. It would be good to have this
information as the group considers new projects. Rather than always seeking new locations, we
may need to start considering repair and/or replacement of current projects. The PAC had
discussed creating an inventory of the existing condition of all of the murals as a 2017 goal but we
have not gotten to this yet. Sam suggested that this could be a good project for an intern.
Megan will contact the IHS government teachers about a fall intern.
Next Meeting – SEPTEMBER 28, 2017