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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/11/1990 Agenda�;---- 990 Palm Street/Post Office Box es ooSPO1 0I . N-ffe ct n c.9,.w„00 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA Study Session to Discuss the City's Arts in Public Places Program City/County Library Community Room Tuesday, September 11, 1990 at 7:00 p.m. I. Reception hosted by the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council, 6:00 -7:00 p.m.. Light refreshments will be served. II. Special Meeting: A. Introduction and Meeting Format: John Dunn, City Administrative Officer B. Speaker, "Art in Public Places -- Peer Review": Gail Goldman, Coordinator, Arts in Public Places, San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. C. Review City's New Public Art Program: Staff. D. Discussion: E. Adjourn 1. Role of the City Council, advisory bodies and the SLO Arts Council in reviewing public art. 2. Possible strategies to encourage public art to enhance the community. Summary: Where to from here? Staff, Mayor and Council members, Arts Council Members, City Advisory Body Members. <.I Pt AL The Good, Tho bad 0 Th c Ugly An open workshop jointly sponsored by the Arts Council. and City Council of San his Obispo Tuesday, September 1i, 7 P.M. City -County Library Community Room Plan to attend as two experts in the public cart field join members of the Arts L-ouncil, City rctuncil, Architectural Review Commission, local a�rtis� �, art Iovers and concerned citizens ±I: lively, )roeu tive exchange of ideas, This ad is donated by a friend of the Arts Council TELEGRAM -TRIBUNE Wednesday, September 12, 1990 _ County �F region Expert gives SLO public art program a boost. By David Eddy 'I 5-,-am-Tribune f ,is Obispo's public art pro- oil,O rn _ _ay be in its infancy, but it already looks promising, a national expert said Tuesday. Gail Goldman, director of the San Diego Commission for Arts and Cul- ture, told a, City Council workshop that the city has made an "impressive commitment" to public art. The workshop, hosted by the San Luis Obispo County.Arts Council, was attended by about 50 artists and other cirizans interested in hearing about other public art programs around the country, as well as an update on the city's program. Public art is just that — art that is accessible to the public. It is paid for either wholly or in part with city money. i. Th'� s of public art can be wide- rangin& aid Goldman, who narrated a slide show of examples from throughout the nation. From the Vietnam Veterans Memo- rial in Washington, D.C., to dance steps inlaid in a Portland, Ore., sidewalk to painted salmon jumping over a drinking fountain at a Seattle police station — all are forms of public art. Though the idea dates back centu- City government gearing up for future projects San Luis Obispo's public art pro- gram was adopted by the City Council in May after five years of discussion. The program is aimed at including art in both public and private develop- ment. For public works projects,1 percent of the construction cost is set aside for art. Some projects, such as sewer pipelines or other underground projects, are exempt. City officials are reviewing 18 pro- ries in Europe, it is only in the past 30 years that public art has gained widespread popularity in the United States. In California, public art programs are becoming commonplace, Gold- man said. In 1985, 25 cities had adopted programs; now there are 64. Besides making new developments more interesting, Goldman said, pub- lic art can be designed to take advantage of vacant.areas. She showed slides of a median strip in Virginia that had been transformed from a trash -strewn parcel to a small posed projects that may include public art, said Associate City Planner Jeff Hook. In the 1990-91 budget, $60,000 is earmarked for art. For Private development, the city has a grant program that will match whatever a developer contributes for the art. There is $50,000 in the matching grant fund. The applications for creating public art will be treated much like those far new development, said Hook. But park featuring concrete spheres. "Eyesores can be turned into fun things," she said, citing San Luis Obispo's downtown bubblegum alley as a good example. Though public art is generally thought to involve large, expensive projects, they can be as small as the bas-relief manhole covers in Seattle or the ceramic tiles that look like $10 besides going to the Architectural Review Commission, they will also be screened for technical merit by a jury of art professionals appointed by the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council. No projects have been approved under the program. Several of those involved believe the first projects must be of exceptional quality, and the screening process will be espe- cially difficult to pass in the beginning. --David Eddy bills embedded in a Sacramento sidewalk. "Little surprises can Icontribute enormously," Goldman said. But she noted that there is one big potential problem with public art — it can be hotly controversial. She said works that are widely accepted today — such as the famed Gateway Arch in St. Louis — were once very controversial. In fact, bricks were thrown through the windows of the room where the arch's design was being reviewed, she said. The only way to minimize contro- versy is to get the community in- volved early on, said Goldman. "The goal is not to get everybody to like everything — that's impossible." The art should be put through intensive review, she said. Goldman suggested appointing an arts commit- teesimilar to the city's Architectural Review Commission to scrutinize potential projects. Several people in the audience were concerned about who would have the final say on what art would go where. Linnaea Phillips noted that the palm tree mural planned for the Palm Street parking garage was recently killed by the City Council after being approved by other committees. City Attorney Jeff Jorgensen rioted, however, that if the art is paid for with public money, it will require the City Council's approval.