HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarch 6, 2017 Minutes
Minutes: Art in Public Places Board Meeting
Monday, March 6, 2017, 8:30 a.m.
Town Council Chambers
AIPP board members present: Patricia Donovan, Julie Hansen, Michael Kurz, Bill Pierce,
Margaret Rogers, Kara Woods
AIPP Board members absent: Nancy Lassetter
Others present: Molly Eppard, AIPP Coordinator
1. Approval of minutes from February 6 meeting.
2. No citizen input.
3. Andy Dufford, Chevo Studio
Ford Park Central Entry Portal Design & West Betty Ford Way Gate design presentation is
tabled until April 3, 2017 meeting.
4. Coordinator Updates
This is Michael Kurz’s last meeting. Molly and the board thank him for his two years of
service contributing to Art in Public Places.
Margaret Rogers and Susan Bristol have applied to be on the AIPP board and will be
appointed at the March 7th Town Council meeting.
10th Mountain Soldier Restoration is scheduled to take place in April. Molly is looking at
transportation logistics and pricing for the sculpture to Loveland for the repairs.
Alpine Art Center classes still going well with 40 participants at the last class on a very
snowy Tuesday. She actually had to turn away 5 interested parties as the capacity was
40 in the space. It was a lively and fun group.
5. Marriott Public Art - Dominic F. Mauriello, AICP, Mauriello Planning Group, LLC
Dominic is present to inform the board about the scope and timeline for the Marriot Residence
construction. We are many months out from looking at proposals for the public art inclusion, but
Molly has invited him today to begin a conversation on the project with the board. A bus shelter
was discussed 5 years ago when it was a previously approved project. He shows the board
elevation images of the project and where a potential bus shelter might be incorporated in the
plan. He shows the board the architecture of the building. There has been a bit of discussion
about the shelter with perhaps some inspiration from artistic gate and fence designs. They may
look to working with a young artist who is continuing his arts degree at Rhode Island School of
Design. He is happy to open up the discussion for questions. Molly informs Dominic that the
maintenance of the public art is the responsibility for the private developer, so they should keep
that in mind when designing anything interactive, especially if it has electronic components.
Michael asks about any potential changes from the DRB. Dominic informs him that they are
going through the process imminently. They hope to have an artist in place by September with a
plan for art by the end of the year. The project itself is about 22 months out, but they recognize
they need to have this obligation approved before getting a CO. Bill asks if using a bus shelter
Town of Vail Page 2
can be an approved form of public art. He endorses it as a clever idea versus simply placing a
sculpture in front of the property. Margaret recalls looking at the bus shelter concept many years
ago and also thinks it would be cool. Dominic helped to create the AIPP Strategic Plan and it
discusses bus shelters as an option for public art. It would be the size of a 10 x 10 ft. or
rectangular standard size. He points out the bus lane in front of the building with the bus shelter
just a few yards down. This is still in the planning phase with public works as well. Julie asks
about the budget and if a percentage has been assigned. He is not aware of the exact budget
for this project, but would expect it in the $25,000 - $50,000 range. Julie and Margaret comment
that is low. Molly comments that the mitigation is between the planning department and the
developers. She comments that The Lion was approximately $75,000 and he thinks it is a better
example versus looking at Solaris or the Front Door. The board thanks Dominic for presenting.
6. Review Call to Artists – Environmental Sustainability Storm Sewer Education/Art
project
A total of 10 artists submitted for consideration in this project. Julie confirms it is to be placed on
decals around the storm sewers. Molly comments the final works will need to be saturated in
color to have a visual impact. Molly reviews a similar initiative done in San Francisco. They also
reproduced the works onto decals. It too emphasizes the importance of saturation of color in the
artwork. Margaret expresses concern about watercolor as a medium. Julie agrees that we will
need bright color for it to be noticeable versus loss of detail. Molly confirms we will need to give
the artists specific direction about the project. Molly reiterates that we requested to look at
previous work to determine a suitable fit for the project. All of the artists read the requirements
for the call. Molly confirms that we should look at 5 artists whom we would assign a particular
fish to create a work of art or perhaps select one artist to create all five paintings. Molly
comments she thinks the artists who submitted will warrant looking at more than one artist for
the project. She reminds the board in their previous meetings they wanted it to be a single fish.
The board reviews the qualifications and works submitted by the 10 artists:
Charmayne Bernhardt (watercolor, ink, illustration - Vail)
Beth Levine (sharpie & watercolor - Avon)
Elizabeth Potts (acrylic - Denver)
Jenna Oppenheimer (digital media, watercolor, gouache, pyrography, acrylic - Leadville)
Nate Smith (mixed media & markers- Vail)
Todd Drabik (watercolor & graphic designer - Vail)
Suzanne Finley (graphite & watercolor - Summit)
Angelica Clemmer (acrylic, boardstix markers, spray-paint - Minturn)
Derek DeYoung (acrylic – Montana/Michigan, it is noted he was the official artist of the fly
fishing championships in Vail)
Elaine Kuntz (watercolor - Vail)
Molly reminds the board that the artists were not required to submit images of fish in the images
submitted for consideration. Kara comments it was a quick turnaround for the call. Julie
comments the fish need to have some vibrancy and action. Molly shows mock-ups of sewer
grates. She confirms there will be signage next to the grates as well. She reminds the board of
previous discussions where they expressed they did not want it to be cartoonish. The board
reviews the images again for discussion. Trish questions if we should use a few artists or do we
want the consistency of one artist from one grate to the next. She thinks multiple artists may
cause confusion. Margaret comments while it is an art project, it is not designed to show art. It is
messaging about the health of the creek. The art creates attention to the message which is
most important in the goal of the project. She thinks a single artist may be more consistent to
the message. She agrees with Michael that Derek de Young is the most accomplished as a fish
painter. Molly comments we discussed working with local and Colorado artists on this particular
Town of Vail Page 3
project and we should not discount those applicants. She reminds the board we reached out to
local outlets. Michael disagrees and he feels the project is messaging and we can go with de
Young as the only artist. Julie disagrees with Michael and comments we should look to working
with multiple artists on the project because that is what the original intention was in the
collaboration. Bill feels we can go with a couple artists. Kara comments that she supports
working with local artists on this project. It is hard to look at the other work when he is clearly a
professional fish artist. Julie thinks we should go back to five artists with clear direction about
showing movement. She does not think it should all be given to de Young as the sole artist.
Molly comments the project is becoming more complicated than it probably should at this point.
She would like the board to focus only on the visuals and art selection. The application and
messaging is the responsibility of the Environmental Sustainability Dept. The board decides to
look at multiple artists. Molly reminds the board they can select up to five artists. Julie asks if
selecting three artists would work. They want to inquire if de Young will create 3 works and ask
Potts and Drabik to also participate. Molly will reach out to de Young to gauge his interest. Julie
would like to look at Oppenheimer’s work in the selection process. Molly will reach out to these
artists and revisit with the board at the next meeting. Molly reiterates the decision lies with the
board in the selection process. Kara comments Clemmer might be an interesting artist versus a
watercolorist. Molly asks the Environmental representatives for any input. Pete Wadden does
not have concerns if it is a single artist or multiple. He comments they have a lot of nice artists
who have submitted for consideration. The board motions to ask de Young, Potts, and Drabik to
participate in the project. Molly will reach out to the artists this week to discuss the parameters.
7. Summer Programming – Ben Roth
Molly is meeting with Paul Cada (Wildland Fire Dept.) and Todd Oppenheimer (Capital Projects
Manager) tomorrow to discuss the materials for the two upcoming environmental installations –
Ben Roth (Singing Trees lodge pole pine artist from 2010) this summer and renowned
environmental artist Patrick Dougherty in June 2018. Patrick Dougherty will visit Vail in August
of this year to look at potential materials for his stickworks sculpture. He has already provided
very detailed information about the process for selecting the right materials with the highest
standards of environmental sustainability. We will want to consider Ben’s location so that it will
not be in an area where stickworks may potentially be sited. We will invite Ben after GoPro. It
was recommended that Ben looks at working with spruce tree for this installation, as it is an
area of concern with many trees being killed by the spruce beetle. She shows the board his
previous lodgepole pine installations. She shows the board a couple of sketches by Ben for a
potential installation. She asks the board to consider locations for both artists. The aim for
Patrick’s installation is a three year life span. He looks at local environments when creating his
sculptures. For example, he considers snow load when working in an environment like Vail.
Margaret thinks Ford Park is the ideal location and may draw some winter traffic to the park.
Molly comments that the BFAG is very excited about the stickworks installation and would like to
see it in Ford Park. Molly thinks Ford Park is ideal given the location of the BFAG and the
numerous cultural activities in the park. Molly comments on accessibility to the site for building
the structures. The board looks at a site Molly identified in the southern most corner of the open
area. This area is directly across from the school house and has great visibility and accessibility.
It is also interesting when the artist incorporates the natural landscape in his installations. It
would be away from the playing area of the green. The board thinks this would be a great
location for the stickworks installation. Molly also comments it is farther away from the
playground so it will distinguish it as a work of art. The separation of space is ideal. The board
then discusses potential sites for Ben Roth. The board motions to accept his stipend of $7,000
for the installation which should take approximately one week to construct with one assistant.
They comment the Nature Center area might be nice, but they worry it does not have enough
visibility. Margaret thinks we should look at the space between the Moroles and the
Schoolhouse. Molly wants them to consider the stickworks which would then be installed across
from it. We would not want Ben’s to be overwhelmed by stickworks. Trish comments it could be
Town of Vail Page 4
two experiences in close proximity. Julie comments that we have identified Ford Park including
Nature Center and Soccer Fields as possibilities. They also want to consider the area north of
the Art Shack. Molly believes there is quite a bit of planting going on in this location, so she will
have to check with PW about accessibility this summer. Molly also comments that there may be
opportunity behind the library. Molly comments she has good direction from the board in looking
at these two installations.
8. Golf & Nordic Clubhouse RFQ/Commission
Molly is waiting to meet with Vail Rec and PW about the potential location for art in the banquet
area of the clubhouse. We need to coordinate with the Vail Rec about their sign program which
Molly shares with the board. The board comments that the banquet entry area needs to be
reexamined as far as the sign program & flat screen TV, but otherwise looks fine. It is a first
impression and to have a black screen is not welcoming. Kara asks if the TV could be enclosed
with art. The board comments that the banquet space is not always going to be used by the
golfers and Nordic skiers, so they may want to look at a location for the Krueger plaque where it
will truly be appreciated. Julie comments that it may be worthwhile to look at some lighting
designs by Urban Lighting for the tower. The board all agrees that is a very void space. Molly
comments the stakeholders are Vail Rec, Zehren, and TOV. We can divide the monies into
spaces. We are also able to commission artists specific to the space.
9. Coordinator Updates continued
Art Walks – 20 participants last week. It was highlighted in the Denver Post last
weekend.
Creative Industry Summit is in Breckenridge this year – May 4 – 5
The Town of Vail’s Community meeting is March 14th from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. in Donovan
Pavilion.
10. New Zealand Public Art – Trish Donovan
Trish shares a power point presentation of a sculpture exhibition from her recent trip to New
Zealand.
11. Meeting adjourned.