01/30/2020 Public Art and Design Board Meeting Minutes January 30, 2020
City of Clearwater
Main Library- Council Chambers
100 N. Osceola Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33755
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Meeting Minutes
Thursday, January 30, 2020
2:00 PM
Special Meeting
Main Library - Council Chambers
Public Art and Design Board
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City of Clearwater
Public Art and Design Board Meeting Minutes January 30, 2020
Roll Call
Present 5 - Chair Jerri Menaul, Vice Chair Eric Seiler, Board Member Neale A.
Stralow, Board Member Michael Potts, and Board Member Jonathan
Barnes
Absent 1 - Board Member Jennifer Barbaro
Also Present - Christopher Hubbard - Cultural Affairs Coordinator, Patricia O. Sullivan
- Board Reporter
1. Call To Order
The Chair called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. at the Main Library, wished
all a Happy New Year and welcomed new Board Member Barnes. Cultural
Affairs Coordinator Christopher Hubbard said the City Council soon will
schedule approval of a Creative Pinellas representative for the Board.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily
discussed in that order.
2. Approval of Minutes
2.1 Approve the September 12, 2019 Public Art and Design Board Meeting Minutes.
Member Stralow moved to approve the minutes of the September 12,
2019 Public Art & Design Board meeting as submitted in written
summation. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda: None.
4. New Business Items
4.1 Review a request from FYI Community Partnership, Inc. in the amount of$50,000 for a
public art initiative in the Lake Belleview Community along South MLK Jr. Avenue.
FYI Community Partnership, Inc. was founded in 2015 to implement
initiatives and provide access to resources that empower families in an at-risk,
under-served community to strengthen individuals and enable them to
improve their socioeconomic status. In the Lake Belleview Community, FYI
developed a series of public art interventions including painting storm drains,
rain paint, and wall murals to enhance residents' access to public artwork.
Funding of$50,000 was requested from the Public Art Discretionary Fund to
be used toward securing an artist, purchasing supplies and painting a wall
mural at the corner of Howard and Ewing streets at 909 Howard Street. FYI
secured the property owner's permission to paint a mural on the business.
Maranda Douglas, Executive Director of FYI Community Partnership, Inc.,
provided a PowerPoint presentation on the agency's family and youth initiatives
supporting the Lake Belleview Community. She said the University of South
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City of Clearwater
Public Art and Design Board Meeting Minutes January 30, 2020
Florida worked with FYI on a community needs assessment that surveyed
about 1,000 residents, more than half of respondents felt social disconnection.
She said the community supported arts and craft opportunities, FYI wanted to
bring more murals to the community which submitted more than 100 mural
design drawings. She said the agency also engaged the community to create
sketches for storm drains, that painting project at key locations along S. Martin
Luther King Jr. Ave. was 75% completed. Another project had painted an
intersection.
Ms. Douglas said community art projects helped reduce blight and increase
property values. She introduced the agency's media director Aliyah van
Duyne. She said the agency worked with City staff and had received a starter
grant from the Pinellas Community Foundation and support from businesses
such as Walmart, Popeyes, and Dunkin'Donuts. She said the agency
organized residents to give back to their community. She said additional
support was needed to hire artists and pay for supplies.
Mr. Hubbard said staff had worked for years to get approval to paint the
Woodlawn, S. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue intersection, the art was a pilot
project. If funds are approved, Neighborhood Services Coordinator Juliahna
Green and he will partner with the agency to make certain they have necessary
resources.
It was recommended that FYI Community Partnership contact Sherwin
Williams and Home Depot programs for paint and supply donations.
Appreciation was expressed for the agency's grassroot efforts.
Member Seiler moved to recommend approval of the FYI Community
Partnership, Inc. request for $8,500 for a public art initiative along S.
Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in the Lake Belleview Community. The
motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
4.2 Provide direction for the Call to Artists for Sculpture360: Season X.
The ninth exhibition of Sculpture360 featured Tampa Bay artists exclusively.
Though supportive of local artists, this strategy could result in a limited number
of responses. Staff was seeking direction for the program's tenth exhibition.
Mr. Hubbard said as the pool of sculpture artists in the Tampa Bay region was
limited, he recommended the March Call to Artists for Season X require
Florida residency. New sculptures will be installed in October. Artists were
paid $3,000 for the temporary loan of artwork.
Consensus was for Sculpture360: Season X to feature a sustainability
recycling theme and be limited to Florida artists.
4.3 Election of Officers
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Public Art and Design Board Meeting Minutes January 30, 2020
Member Seiler moved to reappoint Jerri Menaul as Chair. The
motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
Member Barnes moved to reappoint Eric Seiler as Vice Chair. The
motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
5. Old Business Items
5.1 Review current Public Art and Design Board Discretionary Fund balance.
As of December 30, 2019, unencumbered funds in the Public Art and Design
Discretionary Fund totaled $100,785. Encumbered funds for the Clearwater
Arts Alliance "Thinking Outside the Box" traffic signal box grant totaled $9,000.
Mr. Hubbard said with today's $8,500 award to FYI Community Partnership,
Inc., the unencumbered fund balance was $92,785.
5.2 Approve an application and guidelines for Public Art & Design Discretionary Fund grant
assistance for projects led by neighborhood and community organizations and arts
advocacy agencies.
In recent months, the Division of Cultural Affairs received funding assistance
requests from neighborhood and community organizations and arts
advocacy agencies. Staff developed an application and guidelines to codify
the process of reviewing funding requests.
Member Seiler moved to approve the application and guidelines for
Public Art & Design Discretionary Fund grant assistance for projects
led by neighborhood and community organizations and arts advocacy
agencies. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
5.3 Review a verbal update from the Clearwater Arts Alliance to fund their proposal for Phase
5 of"Thinking Outside the Box."
On September 12, 2019, the Public Art & Design Board approved the
Clearwater Arts Alliance request to fund Phase 5 of"Thinking Outside the
Box," a signal box wrap program. The City Council approved the request on
January 16, 2020.
Mr. Hubbard said for its signal box wrap program, the Clearwater Arts Alliance
had identified 4 neighborhoods that met Master Plan requirements and was
looking for 2 additional neighborhoods. No neighborhood was prohibited from
applying for the program.
5.4 Review a verbal update from staff on the Morningside Recreation Center public artwork.
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City of Clearwater
Public Art and Design Board
Meeting Minutes January 30, 2020
Mr. Hubbard said installation of the Guy Kemper mosaic at the
Morningside Recreation Center during the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend
received positive feedback. The mosaic included parts of the original art
project. The mosaic provided a nice pop of color and complemented the
center's overall design. A tour will be scheduled.
6. Director's Report
Mr. Hubbard provided an update on Imagine Clearwater; plans should be at
60% in February. The project, estimated to cost up to $70 -million, will contribute
a maximum $200,000 to the Public Art & Design Discretionary Fund for public art.
It was noted the City's maximum contribution was based on an arbitrary
number and not reflective of the project's quality and 50 -year legacy. It was
stated increased funding for public art was necessary to reflect Imagine
Clearwater's size, scope and visibility. It was stated up front prep work for
public art was necessary for this important generational opportunity.
In response to questions, Mr. Hubbard said: 1) Imagine Clearwater information
and updates were posted on the City website; 2) Staff was working with Parks
& Recreation to identify a location for public art for the Crest Lake Park
makeover; an interactive splash pad was still considered; and 3) After the
Learning Tree is removed during Main Library renovations, the base will be
ground with an aesthetically pleasing swirl that will satisfy safety concerns. The
public art will be returned to the Main Library after renovations are completed.
7. Board Members to be Heard
8. Adjourn
Member Stralow expressed concern FDOT (Florida Department of
Transportation) had provided minimal public art on the US 19 overpass
at Gulf -to -Bay Boulevard, especially when compared to overpasses in
Tampa. He said the public art LED lighting under the US 19 overpass was
deteriorating; it should have had a multiple decade design and performed
better. He said the lighting required replacement.
The meeting adjourned at 2:45 p.m.
City of Clearwater
Chair
Public Art & Design Advisory Board
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