03/14/2024 Public Art and Design Board Meeting Minutes March 14, 2024
City of Clearwater
Main Library- Council Chambers
100 N. Osceola Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33755
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Meeting Minutes
Thursday, March 14, 2024
2:00 PM
Main Library - 2nd Floor Board Room
Public Art and Design Board
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Cit of Clearwater
Public Art and Design Board Meeting Minutes March 14, 2024
Roll Call
Present 6 - Chair Eric Seiler, Board Member Jonathan Barnes, Board Member
Jerri Menaul, Board Member Bryan Voliton, Board Member Gregory
Byrd, and Board Member Lisa Bilz
Also Present—Amber Brice —Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager, Nicole Sprague — Deputy
City Clerk
1. Call To Order
The Chair called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m.
2. Approval of Minutes
2.1 Approve minutes from the January 11, 2024 Meeting
Member Menaul moved to approve the minutes of the January 11, 2024
Public Art and Design Advisory 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
Beth Daniels said a signal box at Turner St. and Myrtle Ave. was wrapped
with a student designed award winner. She said Clearwater Arts Alliance is
participating in the art in the park on Saturday. The Arts Alliance is applying
for CRA grants to manage the Sculpture 360 program. She said two public
art walks are scheduled for the coming Saturday.
4. New Business Items
4.1 Discuss potential donation for the Clearwater Beach Marina
A local artist would like to donate a sculpture for the new Clearwater Beach
Marina, which will be completed in 2025. City Management and Clearwater
Arts Alliance have expressed concern about the origins of the sculpture and
not hiring a local or U.S. based artist for the art piece.
Arts and Cultural Affairs Manager Amber Brice said a local artist would
like to donate a marble sculpture of the God of the Sea and requested it
be placed in Coachman Park. The local artist did not create the sculpture but
is willing to pay to have it shipped here to display it and requested a plaque
with his name and the history of the God of the Sea. She said staff
suggested the sculpture would be more appropriate at the new beach
marina.
Discussion ensued with comments made that there is a lot of opportunity
for public art in the new marina without a donation and the sculpture is
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Public Art and Design Board Meeting Minutes March 14, 2024
not particularly relevant to the Clearwater area. It was suggested the
donor seek out a private entity who he could donate the piece to.
4.2 Discuss the Downtown/Gateway Mural Festival
Review designs and placement of murals for the festival
Ms. Brice reviewed the participating establishments. She said there is a
new mural going up in Coachman Park this week as well as on the MSB
parking garage. She said information regarding the mural festival is being
publicized on social media. She said the property owners of the other murals
were asked to share the information online as well.
4.3 Discuss Art in the Park: Coachman Event
The city of Clearwater's second Art in the Park: Coachman event is happening
this weekend March 16th from 10:00am to 4:00pm in Coachman Park. There
will be over 40 artists, artisans and craft vendors at the event and there will be
live painting on one of the mural walls by artist Carlos Pons.
Ms. Brice said the second Art in the Park event is scheduled for Saturday,
March 16, 2024. Spots are free to vendors. Participants will get to see live
mural painting and Sister Cities, Inc. will be there selling drinks as a
fundraiser. In response to a question, Ms. Brice said the city's Public
Communications department posts events across the City's social media.
Discussion ensued with comments made that everyone could share the
city's social media posts regarding events. It was said that if the people on
the Board and their organizations shared posts, the information would be
shared to a wider range of interested people. A suggestion was made to
combine different types of events, like have live music playing while a mural
is being painted.
4.4 Approve Design for Coachman Park Mural Wall
Artist Carlos Pons was selected to participate in the Art Oasis Mural Festival.
Some of the originally interested property owners decided not to participate in
the festival, so Carlos was asked to design a mural for Coachman Park instead.
The board will decide on one of two images.
Ms. Brice said designs were sent by email. She said the majority of the
Board selected the design with gladiolas. It was said the work felt like it was
created with Al and not a good fit.
Member Menaul moved to approve the design with gladiolas. The
motion was seconded and carried with the following vote:
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Public Art and Design Board Meeting Minutes March 14, 2024
Ayes 5: Chair Voliton, Member Barnes, Member Menaul, Member Byrd,
and Member Seiler
Nays 1: Member Bilz
5. Old Business Items
5.1 Update on Timeline for Fire Station 46 Sculpture
The Public Art and Design Board agreed that the sculpture should only contain
the jellyfish images and that the board did not want to add the stingray images.
The timeline has been pushed back from May to approximately June for
installation on this project.
Ms. Brice said the artist had a delay in obtaining the materials and the
sculpture will be installed closer to June 2024.
6. Director's Report
Ms. Brice said intern Mark Wiley is working on an art database where
all public art information can be found in one location. He is working on
a cleaning schedule for current pieces and is researching cleaning and
restoration companies to get pieces on a maintenance schedule. She
said there is new art on the trail at the MSB parking garage. A vibrant
expansion will go on the elevator wall and the wall facing Pierce St. She said
the Americans for the Arts will present the economic impact study to Council
next week. A resolution will go to Council in May to name Clearwater Arts
Alliance as the official arts alliance in the City.
7. Board Members to be Heard
Member Bilz said she attended an art event in St. Petersburg where a
warehouse has individual studio spaces where the public can watch the
artists work. It was a family friendly event and could be replicated in
Clearwater on Hercules Ave. She said St. Petersburg also does a tour of
murals which could be done in Clearwater with a private public
partnership.
Member Byrd said there is little signage on the Pinellas Trail in Clearwater
as opposed to the signage seen in Palm Harbor and Ozona. He said people
are out exploring and there is no indication that Clearwater has much to
offer. Assistant City Manager Dan Slaughter suggested a small sign on the
trail with a QR code and a picture of art that is in close proximity of the trail.
People could scan the code to find out the location and other information
about the art.
Member Bilz expressed a concern regarding the highway sign that
blocks the City of Clearwater sign on the newly constructed pedestrian
overpass on US Highway 19 and Ham Blvd. Mr. Slaughter said the City
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Public Art and Design Board
8. Adjourn
Attest:
Meeting Minutes March 14, 2024
has been in communication with FDOT with hopes they will split the
$16,000 cost to move the FDOT sign over nine feet.
Member Barnes inquired about the underlighting on the overpass bridge
at Gulf to Bay Blvd. and US Highway 19. It was said staff would inquire
as to which entity is responsible for the lighting.
Member Seiler inquired if art sharing would be a possibility. He said he
works with artists that have art that need a space to be displayed. It was
said that the city has rented art before, for example the pieces for
Sculpture 360.
The meeting adjourned at 3:03 p.m.
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Public Art & Design Advisory Board
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Cit of Clearwater