HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/01/2011 - Minutes • t;.fTY UF ftEMTON
• APR 1 1 2011
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CITY CLERK'S OFFICE
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RENTON MUNICIPAL ARTS COMMISSION
Meetin�Minutes
March 1,2011 Renton City Hall
4:30 pm Conferencing Center(7`h Floor)
Municipal Arts Commissioners Present: Patricia Pepper,Sarah Eldridge,Jerri Everett, Peter Hartley, Fred
Lund, Britt McKenzie,Wesley Van Doren and Denise Zullig
Municipal Arts Commissioners Absent: Doug Kyes and Evelyn Reingold
City Staff Present:Jennifer Davis Hayes,Community& Economic Development
Vincent Orduna, Cultural Arts Coordinator
Vivienne Lietz,Administrative Secretary,Community&Economic Development
Elizabeth Stewart, Renton History Museum
CALL TO ORDER: Commission Chair Pepper called the meeting to order at 430 pm.
CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: Commissioner Lund distributed mail highlighting local art
events. ,
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: BRITT McKENZIE MOTIONED TO APPROVE THE JANUARY MINUTES AS �
WRITTEN,SECONDED BY DENISE ZULLIG. COMMISSIONERS CONCURED, MOTION CARRIED.
PUBLIC ART PIECE OF THE MONTH: No one was assigned for March. The upcoming schedule is:
Jennifer Davis Hayes,April;Vivienne Lietz, May; Denise Zullig,June; Britt McKenzie,luly; Fred Lund, �
August and Pat Pepper,September. Pat Pepper suggested we hold an exhibit of City-Owned Art at
Carco Theatre showcasing Renton's public art collection and this could be done along with idea
discussed last month to hold an Art Show for Renton's Portable Art collection. Details would need to be
worked out.
GUEST-BENSON SHAW.RAINIER AVE PUBLIC ARTIST: The task today is to review concept. As he has
met with groups in Renton he realized the energy of the folks in Renton. He has worked with staff at the
Renton History Museum who provided him information and news stories of Renton. There was nothing
iconic or specific that came from his research but there is a lot of water connected to the location. A ,
water theme grew with the idea of a moving, undulating surFace. Benson passed around various items ,
of glass and reflective materials for the Commission to examine. He's looking to incorporate reflectivity
and iridescence in the art work.
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Renton Municipal Arts Commission inutes
Page 2 of 4
March 1,2011
He showed an aerial view of the current Rainier intersection, and then he showed an overlay followed
by a street view from a vehicle at the intersection. Concept 1 is a tall piece with 5 poles, 30'x 30' but it
would cost in the range of$100,000 as art usually costs$200 per sq ft. Concept 2 is a column,about 300
. C nce t 3 is a ll ole desi n on both
s feet which could ossibl be built within the$50,000 bud et o
q P Y g P P g
sides of Rainier Ave built on a 2 foot mosaic wall. The concept includes a total of 34 galvanized posts,
with 22"diameter blue spheres on top that are made of resins and sparkly, reflective materials and
would cost about$36,000. He would still need to build the mosaic wall, add lighting and also pay
himself. Maybe the money for the planned entry monument could be converted into the building of the
two mosaic walls. We would need to work with KPG and Transportation to find out if this is a feasible
option.
People liked that Concept 3 included art on both sides of Rainier Avenue. Pat Pepper asked if he had
worked with cities that had been willing to change their design plans and he felt that it was possible with
smaller cities. Wesley Van Doren asked what was going to be behind the art and Benson explained that
the trees shown are what are proposed in the plan with additional lower decorative shrubbery. Lights
on the parking strip behind the art location are marked in the plans as being owned by the City. Jennifer
Davis Hayes will check into this. Benson explained that LED lights don't burn out they just get dim and
the lights would all need to be replaced at some point. Discussion ensued about the existing plans to
build the KPG monument sign and whether it could be changed. It was agreed to use the Ahead of the
Curve and the water themes to support the argument.
Pedestrian visibility also matters. The planting would have to be redesigned to showcase the artwork.
To place art on the west side would also require a redesign of the pavement area. A foundation is
needed for each pole. It was noted that 18-24" is a good height for sitting upon. There are benches in
the current plans on each corner;Jennifer will check they are still planned. The glass surface is very
graffiti friendly and easily cleaned. Sarah asked if we could incorporate Benson's design behind the KPG
monument sign and he felt that it wouldn't fit as currently designed but he could redesign without the
wall. Pat Pepper inquired if the KPG monument sign was a done deal and it was agreed that we should
ask if the new design is possible. Benson's budget could make the posts and globes but would fall short
on the wall and lights. It could be that the art design actually costs less than the current monument
design. The Arts Commission and two neighborhood groups strong support for a City Gateway rather
than the currently designed monument sign is important and should weigh strongly for the argument to
change the design. Concept 3 could be modified in various ways if it was only on one side of Rainier
because it would be a more affordable option. The art may possibly be seen from I-405 if driving
southbound. The manufacturer of the resin claims the material has so much UV protection they will
never yellow.
Peter Hartley likes the mosaic concrete wall. Wesley likes this design also, kind of a Disneyland feel.
Britt McKenzie thought it would be good to deter people sitting on the wall and to maybe use a thick
mesh. Others thought it would be good to encourage people to sit on the long, low wall as it will make
it more pedestrian friendly. Wesley, Pat&Sarah will join the committee for this project. The question
was raised whether to have"Welcome to Renton"or just"Renton"for the lettering on the sign,there
were pros and cons for both but Welcome to Renton was favored. Benson will make a visual
presentation of Concept 3,the 17 pole design. Benson's goal is to nail down the cost,formulate a
budget and try to make it work on both sides of Rainier Avenue. Transportation is scheduled to send
out a call for bids at the end of April so we're trying to match their timeline.
Local Arts A�encv: 4Culture-There's a meeting next month,the 3`d Thursday in Burien.
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Renton Municipal Arts Commission R7linutes
Page 3 of 4
March 1,2011
ACTION ITEM LIST:
MASTER PLAN COMMITTEES
Buildin�Awareness: The committee will meet next month.
Galvanizin�qroiect: They've had a couple of ineetings on the beginning phases,and figuring out first
steps and had a meeting with City departments.Their concerns were for fish habitat and public safety.
They need to find the grants and the volunteers. Britt asked if there were any commissioners willing to
be on the committee. Pat Pepper wants to be on this committee but not as a lead. Liz Stewart will
attend the next meeting. Jennifer clarified that we can try to work with the volunteers/steering
committee members to co-lead the committee. Commissioners are feeling a little overwhelmed
because there are so many projects and they are spread very thin. Maybe some projects should be put
on the back burner.
Advocate for policies: Wesley and Evelyn connected and discussed what they can do to align with City
policies and work with the Mayor. How can we embrace the artist's community? They plan to develop
a creative presentation and work with the Chamber.
Performin�Arts: Performing arts volunteer kick off postponed to March 8 at 7pm at Carco Theatre.
They have met with Char Baker and Councilmember King Parker so far.
Art Center: The volunteer kick off meeting is being held at the Renton Library on March 21,7-830 pm.
This is an opportunity to find potential strong players,get to know people and determine the next steps.
One concept is to host classes at the underutilized parks buildings and see what the spin ofF inay be.
ADHOC COMMITTEES
Commissioner Recruitment: Sarah will contact Bill Huls and offer him the opportunity to interview for
the open position. His previous interview is good for one year. Interviews will be scheduled soon.
COMMISSION PROJECTS
Carco Theatre: Lights are purchased and installed. VJ asked what is happening about the artist's
reception because this art is so cool we should really try to get the word out. Do we try to connect this
exhibit to the Master Plan? Fred mentioned that the last artist,John Geissler,said he had more hits on
his website from his exhibit at Carco Theatre than he had all year. The interest in the Renton artists'
exhibits is growing. Britt suggests to each artist to create an Evite when they invite people to their
receptions.
Fred Mever Honorin�Pole: No updates.
Parks,Recreation,Open Space and Natural Resources Plan: The next visioning workshop is March 29, 6
-8 pm in the banquet room at the Renton Community Center. At the 2"d steering committee meeting
they went over results of the survey. The focus was mostly on environment and open space more than
art classes offered. Classes could be in a future discussion but the discussion now is mostly on natural
open space. Questions arose of what could be placed in the parks,would they allow cell phone towers
and would they need to be disguised. In another city,there is an example of a park that was built on a
Superfund site and an interpretive center was created to educate about the site.
Combat Paaer: Peter has a call into Chamber about in kind donations of lodging and is also waiting to
hear back from the Compass Center. VJ has info on a hotel that provided free lodging for a past
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Renton Municipal Arts Commission Minutes
Page 4 of 4
March 1,2011
performance at Carco Theatre. Combat Papers wants to do a public demonstration. They are here April
27 through May 4 and it would be good to tag on to currently scheduled events Downtown such as the
Spring Festival.
' The volunteer banquet is March 30;Commissioners are encouraged to attend to meet other City
volunteers.
SIFF/Renton FilmFrenzv: Jerri attended the planning meeting;she encouraged everyone to sign up to
volunteer at siff.net. Britt attended the Host Committee meeting and shared the goals and outline with
the Commissioners.
Art Show: The show received positive comments from state legislators and Pat Pepper. Other
members of the Renton legislative delegation are interested in artwork for future sessions.
Commission Bud�et: The only new expense is for the art display lights.
2011 Art Grant Pro�ram: The Art Grant Review Committee recommendation matrix was presented.
Nine applications received;all but one were former applicants. Jerri mentioned that this new applicant
(Restoration of the Arts) is located in South Seattle and have not performed in Renton in the past. VJ
offered the possibility of performing at Carco Theatre. Discussion ensued about the applicants.
COMMISSIONER SARAH ELDRIDGE MOTIONED TO ACCEPTTHE RECOMMENDATION,SECONDED BY
COMMISSIONER WESLEY VAN DOREN. COMMISSIONERS CONCURED, MOTION CARRIED.
1%for Art Pro iects:
Lo�an Ave N—Denise reported that there may be some additional costs for the installation of the
artwork. There is discussion about who pays for the concrete installation. In the future,we will require
the artist to provide a cost estimate for all phases of the artwork including the design,fabrication and
installation.
Wesley mentioned the checkerboard at end of airport and asked if there could be art there.
Fundraisin�: Sarah suggested that the artist forum could inctude a presentation by Benson Shaw and
could raise some funds. Peter suggested that the process of devefoping public art might be interesting
to other artists.
NEW BUSINESS:
Parking Garage Graphics: Fred showcased the actual architecture poster and a photoshopped picture of
the posters in the display cases at the parking garage. Fred presented the banner design for approval.
FRED LUND MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE BANNER DESIGN. DENISE ZULLIG AND JERRI EVERETT
SECONDED. COMMISSIONERS CONCURED, MOTION CARRIED.
Adiournment: The March 1,2011, meeting was adjourned at 7:06 p.m. The neut meeting will be held
on April 5,2011,at 4:30 pm.
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