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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-9-15 - MinutesFayetteville Arts Council September 15, 2021 6 — 7:30 p.m. Held Remotely via Zoom Members Present: Arts Council Interim Chair Jessica DeBari 06/30/24, Cindy Morley 06/30/22, Barb Putnam 06/30/22, Bob Stafford 06/30/22, Joelle Storet 06/30/23, Lia Uribe 06/30/24, Nick Zazal 06/30/22 Members Absent: City Council member and Interim Vice Chair Sonia Gutierrez City Staff: Linda DeBerry / City Communications Project Manager/assigned staff person Guests: Lakeisha Edwards, Executive Director, Art Ventures; Olivia Trimble, artist Guest Lakeisha Edwards, Executive Director, Art Ventures Lakeisha Edwards is the new Executive Director of Art Ventures. She gave an introduction to the mission of Art Ventures, providing free arts programming in an effort to provide "Art for all and a community space for adults and students alike in the neighborhood." Jessica DeBari: What's happening with the art shuttle? Lakeisha Edwards: Because of the need for social distancing due to COVID, that program is indefinitely off because of the need for twice as many shuttles, but funding is not available. Art Ventures paid for the shuttles the last time, but we were disappointed with the low turnout. Perhaps because of the heat and the holiday weekend. Participation picked up later in the evening, but it was lower than expected. Jessica DeBari: Hopefully there will be more people in October. There's a company that offers open-air golf carts, which we may look into for the future. Joelle Storet: If thousands of people can show up at the Amp or a football game, I don't see how attendance at First Thursday is an issue. How can we help communicate that and get more people to First Thursday to help support Art Ventures and other galleries in Mt. Sequoyah? I feel like the arts organizations have been neglected. Jessica DeBari: Fayetteville has been very cautious in terms of COVID, so anything related to Fayetteville government is going to take the most cautious stance. They have very publicly said they were reining in First Thursdays. That has put a damper on our ability to promote the galleries on First Thursdays, because what people see first in regard to First Thursdays is the message from Experience Fayetteville. Nick Zazal: I think the demographic that comes to First Thursday are also some of the most cautious in terms of COVID safety. They're the group that's most likely to stay home. There's also a marketing machine between Razorback football and the Amp. There's a lot of money that is behind those organizations. It's not really an apples -to -apples comparison because of budget size. Joelle Storet: The Dickson street nightlife is still going on, as well. It stings a bit when people tell us COVID precautions need to be taken when we see the opposite. Bob Stafford: I agree with Nick Zazal that there are grossly different audiences. The arts audiences are much more cautious, especially with the rise of the Delta variant. It's gg to be a push until we get these things behind us. Molly will be at the October meeting, and maybe we can have this discussion while she's here. But I think during the pandemic, our audience is just going to be more cautious. Nick Zazal: Even compared to Dickson St. nightlife, there's such a high awareness by students about Dickson St. nightlife, and it's a part of the experience that they all expect. First Thursday doesn't have the same level of awareness. It's not top of mind to the student body in the way Dickson street is. Jessica DeBari: First Thursday was busier pre -pandemic when Phoenix and Art Ventures were on the square. We had better attendance when we heavily advertised that components will be held outside, so people can feel safe, Joelle Storet: I firmly believe that it's possible to get the student body involved. If you look at Instagram and search the Farmers Market, the majority of the pictures you see are students. Jessica DeBari: We have the Foundations class for the University coming to the next First Thursday, so it might help if we can get the art department involved, and I will plan to try to do that. Bob Stafford: Now that Phoenix and Art Ventures are in different places, maybe there's an avenue for collaboration between those and Mt. Sequoyah around First Thursday to encourage people to take the shuttles so they can get to all those venues. Review of Archibald Yell mural RFP Bob Stafford: Is this live or is this a draft? It's not clear. And there's not a deadline for application. Is the deadline still the 20tn? Jessica DeBari: I asked those questions of Sonya. She said she does not think those dates are accurate. She said to reach out to Mary McGetrick. Bob Stafford: If this hasn't gone out, I think it needs some work. It feels like a draft. I invited Olivia Trimble because as a muralist, she can give us some insight. Linda DeBerry: It has not been passed yet. I haven't had a chance to look at the agenda to see if it's going to Council soon. Olivia Trimble: I took some notes. The biggest thing that sticks out is that we're expecting the artist to front all of the cost of the project and not get paid until the very end. The industry standard for sign painters and muralists is that you take a 50% deposit. There is also a piece that says that the artist is responsible for treating the wall before they paint the mural. The City of Fayetteville needs to have their maintenance staff take care of that. That's how the big mural was done on College. It's worded in a confusing way. Exactly where the panels of the mural will be located is confusing. Are we talking about two or four 12 x 9 foot panels? It needs to be budgeted in that City maintenance applies anti -graffiti coating after the work is complete. That's about $225 per gallon. Jessica DeBari: I was also confused about if the two chosen artists would each be doing two panels or four panels, and there was a total of 53 panels, so it's not clear how much is expected to be covered? Olivia Trimble: We might talk about what an appropriate price per square foot is. If I'm looking at a 12 x 16' wall, that comes out to $46.87 a square foot, so that's really good pay. At 4 panels that $23 a square foot, which is fine, but when you're selecting your artists, keep in mind that if you want the artists to be paid well, factor in designs that would cut down on the number of hours required to work on the space. The complexity of the mockup will correlate with how much time it will take the artist to complete the work. Jessica DeBari: Since it's a large wall and the bulldog is on one of them. What are the chances that an artist would want to lead the art students from the high school to help with the labor? Would any muralist be willing to do that? Joelle Storet: I went to Fayetteville High School and we used to do murals. And I know Jason Jones is involved in that, if you want to get something done quickly. Olivia Trimble: The biggest concern with this particular location is putting minors that close to the road. I and other people who do public art would be willing to work with high school kids and designing something specific to teaching them how to paint in the real -world environment. Jessica DeBari: I think we might voice that to the City as a potential solution to the scale of the project. Bob Stafford: This is one of Fayetteville's biggest walls. This is not a project that should be rushed. This timeline is frankly ridiculous. I think it's great to have volunteer help on some projects, but this is a wall that people will see when they're coming into Fayetteville. This could be the city's first big mural. I thought in our earlier meetings we thought it would be best to have a single artist do this. I think the project is underfunded, unless if they're only going to do four panels. I think the whole council needs to be involved in the selection process. It seems that there will be more sidewalk space after the construction is finished, and then the work could happen over a longer time period. They are concerned about an artist working next to traffic but it seems more dangerous to me to have them working on it during active construction. I'm concerned that this project was rushed Molly Rawn and Allyson Esposito will be at the October meeting to talk about the possibility for additional funding. Linda DeBerry: I remember Mary saying they hoped to get construction started this fall. And the projected end date right now is estimated for 2022. Lia Uribe: I would like for us to have a direct conversation about all of this with Mary. Linda DeBerry: Mary has asked to be included on the October meeting, and she was unable to attend today. I think this was Mary's first project like this and I think she just doesn't have any idea about the time that is required for this type of thing. I suggest that today the council look at the current draft of the RFP and make a list of the things that you recommend be changed, so that when she does come in next month, you have a clear list of issues and questions that need to be addressed. Jessica DeBari: Should I create a list of all the issues we find, and send it around to all of you and then send it to Mary? Bob Stafford: A couple of things I think need to get on that list. The city should prep and the city should be responsible for the graffiti coating. And the timeline needs to be revisited. Having the artist front all the money for the paint is a non -starter. Linda DeBerry: I think you might come to a consensus about whether or not you want this to be one artist who has master plan that is accomplished in phases as money is available, or if you want multiple artists / panels to be involved. I recommend laying out exactly what your vision is for the overall project, as well as what you see as the project's value to the community. Then you know what you want and can calculate how long it will take to get that done. Nick Zazal: I think it's a lost opportunity to not give the entire canvas to one muralist. I think that could be something really spectacular there. Joelle Storet: I think it would be easier to give this to one artist who has a lot of experience. Jessica DeBari: I agree, I'll definitely include that in the letter, that we prefer a single vision. Bob Stafford: Last point: the bulldog's gotta move. Jessica DeBari: That's why I thought if the high school students were involved, that might help with that issue. Discussion of Gregory Park kiosk protect recommendations / suggestions / procedure Jessica DeBari: I did send Ted Jack recommendations of artists who could handle the kiosk project. Did we ever get any additional information from him in regards to dimension, specfics? Bob Stafford: Are they going to put out an RFP? Linda DeBerry: He said he just wanted recommendations. But he did say he didn't want to work with students because of the construction aspect of the project. He did not say anything to me about an RFP. When he did the stone fish project, there was no RFP involved in that. Lia Uribe: I would like to have a public call for these projects, because otherwise we just have the same people doing things. I would like to promote open calls for these projects and open it up to more artists. Jessica DeBari: I wonder if we could find a partner like Experience Fayetteville who is going to be better at getting the word out. I don't think getting it out on the City's website is enough. Lia Uribe: We (the arts council) need to share it on our platforms. Jessica DeBari: I think it might be best to have a wing of the council that is dedicated to social media that makes sure that gets posted regularly. Nick Zazal: That's a hot button with us. We've talked about that in multiple meetings, what the council is allowed to do in regards to social media. The city would prefer that messaging around projects comes through the city's existing social media channels, rather than the arts council having their own separate thing. Linda DeBerry: The City doesn't want all of our committees and boards to have their own social media. They don't tend to gather a lot of following or maintenance, and what you get is fragmented messaging. What I'm seeing here in this meeting is a lot of people who have access to a wide range of owned media. You can share those messages out through your channels, just by sharing the information that comes from the City. If we all look for those places where we already have touch points and share the messaging from the City, that's going to be more valuable than creating an arts council Facebook page that, when all of you are no longer on the council, who's going to manage that? Nick Zazal: I think that's a valid argument, because if we have an arts council page, we only reach the arts council followers. Whereas we as city followers, if we share those messages, we have greater reach. Linda DeBerry: The City has three accounts, we have a good following for the City's social media. Jessica DeBari: Is it possible to have the person responsible for the City's social media let us know when it comes out because we might not be looking at it that day. Linda DeBerry: I recommend that all council members follow the City's social media. You can also sign up online to follow the city's press releases. I can push that information to you, but you can also sign up so that, when those things are posted, you will know. But of course as soon the RFP goes out, I'm going to make sure the Arts Council is going to know about it. Bob Stafford: I think the City thinks they're really good at getting information out, but I think it might get lost in this pile of information coming from the City. If we could get press releases out, when we have an RFQ. Linda DeBerry: We send a press release out any time an RFP is sent out. It goes out to a large mailing list that includes media sources and people who have requested information. Jessica DeBari: If we can just specifically get a notice when those RFPs go out, because the average artist isn't going to read a press release, but they will see an Instagram post. Bob Stafford: Maybe it's not going to the right person at the Democrat Gazette. Maybe if I can just take it specifically to Mary. Is there a way that I could get the release? Linda DeBerry: You will be aware. 4 Community Outreach discussion: information to be included on Arts Council web page (https://www.favetteville-ar.gov/652/Fayetteville-Arts-Council) Linda DeBerry: I've been updating the information on this page. I'm updating information about how to do murals in the City of Fayetteville, as well as new information about how to apply to be one of the artists who paint the electrical boxes in the City. I will also add links to any current RFPs. Is there anything else? Jessica DeBari: To me it would make sense to add links to community resources for artists, CCC, Art Ventures, Phoenix, Mt. Sequoyah. Lia Uribe: Also the resources from CACHE. Bob Stafford: On my wish list is a database of artists or organizations. And Joelle Storet created this great map... Linda DeBerry: That was a call for public input put out by the City on Speak Up Fayetteville, our public engagement portal; and Joelle Storet was great at adding to that. But that is not the City's official map. I've sent those coordinates to GIS and they're updating that now on the Art Walk page on the City's website. Bob Stafford: If we could post the link to the map, and add a gallery ... Linda DeBerry: There's a gallery on the City's map, that's part of it. And as soon as we have a public RFQ, I can add a link to that from the Arts Council's page. Joelle Storet: That website also allows us to see the work of 40-50 muralist. It would be great if there was a hyperlink from the artist to all of their other works around town and maybe all the other organizations that this artist has worked with as well. Linda DeBerry: Our GIS department is responsible for mapping the locations of the artwork and providing associated information. Creating a database of artists and their contacts is beyond their scope of work. Jessica DeBari: I was wondering if we can have an image on the page, because I wasn't even clear that I could click on that and see a gallery. Linda DeBerry: I can certainly add an image to the link. Approval of August minutes Jessica DeBari: moves to approve August minutes Lia Uribe: Seconds Bob Stafford: When we have a vote on something, could that be called out in bold or in a different color to make it easier to see? Linda DeBerry: Sure. Minutes unanimously approved. Sub -committee Updates Bob Stafford: Is there a Sept. 20 subcommittee meeting for the mural, or is that on hold? Jessica DeBari: I will be sending a letter to Mary about that, so I assume at this point that we will not be having that meeting. Other business and public comment Bob Stafford: As Lia Uribe suggested on the Gregory Park kiosk, do we want to request that they put out a public call on that? Lia Uribe: That is my suggestion Bob Stafford: Moves that the parks department put out a public call and RFP for the Gregory Park kiosk Cindy Morley: Seconds Joelle Storet: If there's ever a subcommittee for curation of that, I'd like to be a part of that. Barb Putnam: abstains Motion passed Lia Uribe: Is there a statement that comes from the Arts Council that asks for diverse applicants? Linda DeBerry: I think there's a statement of nondiscrimination we use for that kind of thing. It would be part of any public bid opportunity. Lia Uribe: Is it possible to expand on that? Linda DeBerry: I think we probably need to go with what we have, but I will check on that. Lia Uribe: I would like to see that and talk about how we might expand on that. Bob Stafford: There is a statement on the ordinance last year, there is language specifically that mentions that, as far as it being a priority for the arts council. Joelle Storet: We also have the applicants from the fence project. There was quite a diversity of applicants, but I also feel like the work has to speak for itself. I'm very confident that we have the resources to reach out. Nick Zazal: Motion to adjourn Lia Uribe: Second Adjournment at 7:40 p.m.