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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-10-20 - MinutesFayetteville Arts Council Minutes October 20, 2021 6 — 7:30 p.m. Held Remotely via Zoom Members present: Arts Council Interim Chair Jessica DeBari DeBari 06/30/24, Dwain Cromwell (late arrival) 6/30/23, Cindy Morley 06/30/22, Barb Putman 06/30/22, Bob Stafford Stafford 06/30/22, Joelle Storet 06/30/23, Lia Uribe Uribe 06/30/24, Members Absent: City Council member Sonia Gutierrez, Nick Zazal 06/30/22 City Staff Present: Linda DeBerry / City Communications Project Manager/assigned staff person Guest absent: Allyson Esposito, Executive Director, CACHE, was invited but unable to attend. Guests Present: Sherry Smith Marie Smith, Long Range Preservation Planner; Mary McGetrick, Long Range Planner; Lucas Ciao (Spelling?) from CACHE Guests: Sherry Smith, Long Range Preservation Planner; and Mary McGetrick, Long Range Planner, to review and discuss Archibald Yell mural RFQ/ RFP Mary McGetrick: We received bond funding to do street improvements along Archibald Yell. As part of that we earmarked $20k to do some mural work along a retaining wall. We brought the concept to the Arts Council some time ago and now we're finalizing the RFP. I have resigned from the City beginning October 27, so your new point of contact will be Sherry Smith Smith. Sherry Smith: We decided to focus on the two ends of the long retaining wall: one end at S. Block Avenue, and one at Rock Street. We still need to measure out 360 square feet at each end, which is the dimensions we decided each mural would be. For the north end, we have to work around the bulldog, because we're not allowed to touch that. The mural may go on both sides of the bulldog; we have to work with the Mayor to determine which panels constitute part of the bulldog mural. We discussed the contract the City Attorney. Originally we were going to ask the City Facilities team to prepare the wall prior to the mural being painted, and to apply anti -graffiti coating afterward. The problem is that facilities does not know how to do that, and they don't want to take responsibility for that. It's $184.09 for a five -gallon bucket, which is enough to seal the wall before and after the murals are done. I had originally planned for the muralist to pay for that, but Mailing Address: 113 W. Mountain Street www.fayetteville-ar.gov Fayetteville, AR 72701 at this low cost, that's probably something we could ask Facilities to supply. I'll have to confirm that. The theme we chose was "Experience the Adventure of Fayetteville," defined as the cultural experience, the love of diversity, accepting everybody, and of course we have mountains, tall trees and great connectivity. But we'll leave it to the artists to interpret what that means to them. The Council will select four people to get $500 each to prepare proposal designs. From those, you will choose two to complete the two murals. I've updated the dates: I looked at the calendar of Arts Council meetings. I tried to get it lined up so you could review the proposals at a regular meeting on January 19, 2022. Bob Stafford: I'm glad the timeline was redone. I think this is more realistic. Is it the Mayor who says we can't touch the bulldog? Sherry Smith: Yes Bob Stafford: Is the 360 square feet set in stone? I think this should be done per the panel dimensions: so if one panel is 300 square feet, they should to one. If two panels are 400 square feet, they should fill two. I prefer to use the concrete as the dividing lines, I think it will look awkward otherwise. Sherry Smith: For now, that's the basic definition we're using, but we have yet to measure the space specifically. I hope to do that in the next two weeks to come up with the actual dimensions of the panels. Bob Stafford: I'd prefer to see a continuous mural on one side or the other of the Bulldog, not split. Sherry Smith: The thought process was that once you go past the corners of the wall, you can't be looking at the wall, so we thought it would be best to spend the money where people will actually see it. Unless you're a passenger in the car, you won't see that stretch along Archibald Yell. Bob Stafford: I think that's a good decision, but I'd rather not split the mural on the Bulldog end: I'd rather it go on one side or the other. Sherry Smith: Yes, we need to get the measurements. We want the space to be equitable. Bob Stafford: I think the space to the right may add up to more than 360 square feet. Jessica DeBari: If you're thinking of the panels as canvasses, are you thinking that eventually that whole wall will be filled in like a quilt? Or just keep it on the ends? 91 Sherry Smith: I'm not sure. I'm not as married to it fitting on the panels. I do indoor murals, and to have a seam is not a big deal to me. Mary McGetrick: The funding allocated for this project is from an existing bond project. So while I hope we can eventually fill in this whole retaining wall, there's no funding for that and no future funding at present. There might be funding that could be gained in the future, but there's no funding allocated after this $20,000. Also, there are no construction plans for this wall. They are pretty old. The City can do some clean up, as far as cutting bushes and trees. My concern with going to the right of the bulldog is that there will be a lot of construction at that intersection, so you'll want to work with the construction crew so that there's not a lot of debris or dust while the artist is trying to work. Sherry Smith: I have planned for the mural painting to begin after the construction there is done. Jessica DeBari: Have we considered maybe framing the RFQ to call for a much simpler design so maybe we could get more square footage from the artist? Sherry Smith: I wouldn't be comfortable asking for them to do a greater area for that amount of money. Joelle Storet: I'm glad we brought up the issue of distraction and traffic, especially at Rock. Would it be possible to still use these measures for a mural further up north? Sherry Smith: This money was allocated for this area from a transportation bond, so that would have to be something we'd look at for a later date. Mary McGetrick: This intersection is going to be completely changed. It will be a four-way stop and much safer, so keep that in mind for the safety of the artist when the work is done. Joelle Storet: I think if we gave the artist a color scheme that makes people they need to stop, like if you do a mural that's more red -focused, that might direct them to more awareness of the stop, rather than something more colorful. Sherry Smith: I'm comfortable with the amount we're offering and the size. I don't think we'll get as much for the length of the wall, and people won't see it as much, anyway. Bob Stafford: I agree with that. But isn't this part of this Archibald Yell going to be narrowed? Mary McGetrick: (Shared visuals of plans for the intersection, which will include medians and sidewalk improvements for the Rock and Archibald Yell intersection.) It will go down to two lanes at South Street. They'll be adding crosswalks and a stoplight. You can see all the plans on the City website at https://www.favetteviIIe-ar.gov/3584/Archibald-Yell-Blvd-Safety- Improvements. Bob Stafford: It didn't look like they're widening he sidewalk Sherry Smith: It was my understanding that they weren't widening the sidewalk near the retaining wall Mary McGetrick: Yes, in some places we just don't have enough right-of-way to do it, even though they're getting rid of two lanes. The topography is challenging there as well. Jessica DeBari: How important is it to the city that it be two separate muralists? Sherry Smith: I don't know that it's that important except for the time factor: we can get them done more quickly with two because the murals could be painted at the same time. Barb Putnam: Are you saying there's a deadline when they have to be completed? Mary McGetrick: The bond funds have to be used within a two-year period, and we're about a year and 8 months into it. But once the first bond issue is done, there's no bond money allocated for this project from the second bond. There may not be a deadline for completing the work, but there is for getting someone under contract. Barb Putnam: But there's no deadline for an opening or a ribbon cutting? The difference between having one artist and two could be only a couple of months. We were worried that it might not look cohesive. Sherry Smith: Having a theme may help with that. But as the selection committee you can choose the ones that look best together. Barb Putnam: What if we make a recommendation the City doesn't like? Sherry Smith: The plan is for the Arts Council to make the decision. We are preparing the RFQ and working with the Mayor, facilities, purchasing. Then the Arts Council's role is to select the artists. Bob Stafford: By city ordinance, the Arts Council is the one that makes the final decision on artwork expenditure over $5000. 1 agree with many of you that I kind of wanted to see this as the work of one artist. But now that the murals are so far apart, I can see it more as two artists, though I agree there needs to be continuity. Sherry Smith: I think of it as seeing one mural on entering the corridor, and one as you're leaving. Lucas Ciao: I've worked on many murals. As an arts council you do have the final say. I think you should take a vote on this, regarding choosing one or two artists, to get a clearer idea of what you want. 4 Lia Uribe: Before we vote, I want to make a case for having two murals, as opening this up for more artists. If we are mindful and have a communication with the selected artists, I think we can make it work, and it gives us an opportunity for more diversity and more inclusion. Jessica DeBari: So we would have an opportunity after we choose the four that we ask for a specific palette Sherry Smith: You can talk to them about what your goals are and require some kind of cohesion between the two. Bob Stafford: I don't think we need to vote on it now. Sherry Smith: The way the schedule is now, I need to get the RFQ to Purchasing as soon as possible so that they can get it out by November 29. That's a fairly lengthy process. Bob Stafford: I thought we had more time to still discuss it, and I like to do things in a thought- out process. Also, when we do a vote, there has to be a motion and a second. No one can just call a vote. Jessica DeBari: I would like some more discussion. We can't control how many proposals we get, how lucky we'll get in the number and quality of artists who apply. Lia Uribe: Can we agree on a time when we'll send our opinions to Sherry Smith in the next week? Bob Stafford: How about wording it so that at the end of the day the Arts Council can decide if there will be one or two, depending on the submissions received? Somebody might have a great concept to do both sides, or we may see two different artists that will look good together. It could be written in a way that that decision can be made after we've had a chance to see the work. Mary McGetrick: I don't think there's any internal requirement that it has to be two artists. Ultimately, however you want to do this, we can incorporate that into the RFQ. You can add language that says the Arts Council can decide how many artists to choose. Sherry Smith: So there will be two murals and the arts council will decide who the "artist(s)" will be. $9000 pure mural. Lucas Ciao: You can say that the arts council can choose "up to two artists" for the project. That leaves the door open for you to make that decision later in the process. Jessica DeBari: Are you planning to highlight the areas that you specifically want the artists to design for? Sherry Smith: Yes, once it's measured, I'll make it clear in the picture the specific area for each mural. So I'll change the language to "artist(s)." Lucas Ciao: I've recently taken on a full-time position as the director of public art for CACHE. I'll be working remotely, but I'll be in Fayetteville monthly. I'm looking forward to working with all of you. If you have any questions about templates, working with artists, etc., please use me as a resource! Jessica DeBari: I notice that (new Arts Council member) Dwain Cromwell has joined us now and we can welcome the new member of our council. Dwain Cromwell: I'm honored to be on the council. I have extensive experience in grant writing, so I'm looking forward to using that for the City. I work as a certified regional artist making wood art for Crystal Bridges' museum store. Approval of September Minutes Bob Stafford: We just got those a few minutes ago, so you might need time to review them Linda DeBerry: My apologies: when I sent them earlier, I think they went to a now defunct general Arts Council email, rather than to all the members. So I had to resend them. Bob Stafford: Motions to table approval of September minutes until November meeting Barb Putnam: Seconds Passes unanimously. Subcommittee updates Bob Stafford: No existing subcommittees have been active in a while. Jessica DeBari: Are there any that need to be reactivated? Maybe a grant writing subcommittee? I'd be willing to serve on that committee to find what we can apply for as a city. Who would like to join me? Dwain Cromwell and Barb Putnam volunteer to join the grant writing subcommittee. Jessica DeBari will email those members individually to share ideas. Lia Uribe: Maybe next time we can bring some ideas for future goals. Jessica DeBari: I think that's a good idea, since Allyson Esposito will be bringing information about plans that CACHE has for Fayetteville. We can include that on the November agenda. Public Comment n None Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.