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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/21/2020 Item 15, Avakian Council Agenda Correspondence City of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum DATE:January 21, 2020 TO:City Council FROM: Greg Avakian,Parks and Recreation Director VIA:Derek Johnson, City Manager DJ SUBJECT:Council Correspondence Item 15 Amendment to Public Art Policy and Procedures Manual This Council Correspondence has been prepared in response to Council questions about the accuracy of statements contained in a recent opinion piece on this topic.Staff have provided clarifications on three topics below to provide background information to Council and the public in preparation for the public hearing on this Agenda Item. 1.Plaques.Plaques have notbeen considered public art.The City of San Luis Obispo uses plaques for educational purposes to denote the contributions of events and individuals to both public and private properties and places in the City. Plaques have been used to explain environmental conditions, acknowledge individual contributionsto the City’s history, and provide contextual and historic information as appropriate.The proposed policy as written does not change the use of plaques in the City. 2.“Bee Bee Works His Magic”.This sculpture is not representative of a single individual.In fact, it is a sculpture, as are all City owned public art sculptures, that is consistent with existing public art policies as well as the proposed modifications requested by Council for consideration.It is not in the image of any person or persons and it celebrates in an inclusive manner the spirt of the arts in San Luis Obispo. 3.Public Outreach and Engagement Consistent with Council Direction.The Agenda item responds directly to Council direction following the meeting of July 16, 2019, which as noted in the staff report directed staff to “develop policies that public art shall commemorate ideas, ideals and concepts not individual people to be added to the existing public art policy.Additionally, inclusivity and diversity should be included in all policy changes.” a.Upon publication of this Agenda report on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, staff provided email outreach to anyone who had corresponded with staff on this topic in the past 12months via email.Groups included in this outreach were Arts Obispo, the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown SLO, the History Center of San Luis Obispo County, the Cultural Heritage Committee, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and the Promotional Coordinating Committee, as well as a wide variety of individuals.