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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-05-28 Arts Culture Commission MinutesEdina Art and Culture Commission Meeting Meeting Minutes City of Edina, Minnesota Edina City Hall Community Room May 28, 2015 4:30 P.M. I. Call to Order Chair Meifert called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. II. Roll Call Commissioners Present: Kandace Ellis, Cheryl Gunness, Dana Lappin, Barbara La Valleur, Daniel Li, Ray Meifert, Anne Miller, Kitty O'Dea, and Steve Suckow Commissioners Absent: None Staff Present: Michael Frey, General Manager, Edina Art Center Students Representatives Absent: Sophia Munic and Jack Ready III. Approval of Meeting Agenda Chair Meifert noted the meeting agenda had been circulated and asked if there were requests for additions or changes. Mr. Frey stated that there is not a report from the General Manager and that item can be removed from the agenda. Chair Meifert confirmed that there is not a report from the Ways & Means Committee and therefore that item should be removed as well. Commissioner Ellis stated that there is a small item from the Music in Edina and therefore suggested that item be considered under Reports. Commissioner La Valleur stated that there is an action item under Public Art Edina. The Arts and Culture Commission approved the May 28, 2015 Agenda as amended. Ayes: Kandace Ellis, Cheryl Gunness, Dana Lappin, Barbara La Valleur, Daniel Li, Ray Meifert, Anne Miller, Kitty O'Dea, and Steve Suckow. Motion carried. IV. Adoption of Consent Agenda A. Approval of Minutes — Regular Meeting of April 23, 2015 8,_Generat_managees_Repere C,Music—in-Edina D,Publie-Art—Edina E. Ways 4_ Means Chair Meifert asked if there were changes or corrections to the minutes of the Regular Meeting of April 23, 2015. Commissioner La Valleur stated that she found the level of detail to be too much and confirmed the agreement of the Commission. Commissioner Suckow noted under the Consent Agenda, the third paragraph, it should state, "...from which it wants to get money from gain donations." On page three, the last paragraph, it should state, "Member La Valleur stated that the The Arts and Culture Commission approved the Consent Agenda as amended. Ayes: Kandace Ellis, Cheryl Gunness, Dana Lappin, Barbara La Valleur, Daniel Li, Ray Meifert, Anne Miller, Kitty O'Dea, and Steve Suckow. Motion carried. V. Community Comment No comments made. VI. Reports/Recommendations A. Edina Film Festival Chair Meifert stated that at the last meeting, members of the Edina Film Festival Committee presented their current status to the Commission. He reported that since he has received an email from John Swon in which the position of the EFF Committee is that they could not accomplish the four factors that would make the festival successful and therefore do not believe the Edina Film Festival should continue. The Chair suggested that perhaps the Edina Film Festival should become a working group of this Commission but noted that he would first want to obtain the permission of John Swon because of his creation of the event. He advised of a few individuals that he believes could be a great addition to the working group, should that become a reality. Commissioner O'Dea stated that she was closely involved as a member of the EFF Committee and worked with the group, noting that she previously made a recommendation that the event should not continue in its current format. She stated that there are numerous film festivals throughout the metro and therefore the market is saturated. She stated that the focus of the event could not be agreed upon and therefore she felt that the event did not have a purpose for continuing. Commissioner Ellis stated that she appreciated both points of view and recognized that it is hard to let something go. She acknowledged the large amount of time and funding needed for the event and the small amount of return that is gained through the event. Chair Meifert stated that the largest budget component for the event had been the theater rental, which had a cost of $6,200. He stated that perhaps the best route would be to refocus the event and rather than showing a multitude of films focus on local independent films or student projects. Commissioner La Valleur stated that there are opportunities to use the library or blow up screen used by the Parks Department. She noted that another opportunity would be to hold a movie night at the Grandview facility if the space is available when the project is completed. Commissioner Suckow stated that perhaps the event be geared towards a niche stating that the event could be a program or series, focusing on film making, rather than holding a festival. Chair Meifert stated that the original purpose was to generate funds for the Art Center. Commissioner Suckow stated that another opportunity would be for students to show their films and perhaps a mentor could be provided for the event. Chair Meifert stated that he would like to continue to research the ability for the Edina Film Festival to move forward with a new focus as a possible working group for the Commission. He stated that he will first speak with John Swon to determine if he is interested in allowing this discussion to occur and will then reach out to the three individuals he knows within the community to determine their level of interest in assisting in this process. He noted that he could provide an update to the Commission at the next meeting. Mr. Frey provided background information on the creation of the Edina Film Festival, which originally had the purpose of fundraising for the Art Center. He acknowledged the saturation of the metro with film festivals and did not believe that the film festival would be a great idea. He stated that perhaps the better idea would be for a movie night, or series with discussion - something of that nature. He described the steps that would be needed in order to form a new working group. Commissioner Gunness agreed that the Commission should focus on ideas that could grow and become stronger rather than attempt to bring the film festival back to life. It was the consensus of the Commission not to move forward with the Edina Film Festival. B. 4th of July Parade Chair Meifert stated that the Commission does have a spot in the parade and he secured a 30 foot 1960's vintage firetruck for the Commission to ride on. He stated that he and his daughter could ride on the vehicle but he would like additional volunteers from the Commission. Commissioner Li volunteered. Commissioner Suckow stated that perhaps he and his children could ride on the truck. Commissioner O'Dea stated that perhaps some high school kids could ride on the truck and play instruments to tie into the arts. She and Commissioner Ellis stated that they would be willing to make some calls to determine if there is any interest. Commissioner Suckow stated that perhaps additional people could walk next to the truck and pass out materials or public art ballots. Chair Meifert stated that he would bring photographs of the truck and asked the Commission members to reach out to another other possible interested parties in order to bring that information back at the next meeting. C. Grandview Update Mr. Frey stated that a City Council worksession occurred on May 19th and that the Economic Development Manager is preparing notes from the meeting in order to make a formal presentation to the Council in June or after. D. Public Art Edina Commissioner La Valleur stated that Public Art Edina will be making a budget increase proposal for funding in the amount of $16,000, an increase of $6,000 from what is now received. She asked for the support of the Commission regarding this request, as it will move forward to the City Council. Mr. Frey stated that public art has received a line item in the City budget for $10,000 annually for the past several years and public art is requesting an increase in funding. He explained that the Public Art Edina working group has requested the increase and is asking for the support of the Art and Culture Commission for the budget increase. He stated that the City is currently beginning the budgeting process and this request would be brought forward to the Council in June or July. Commissioner La Valleur stated that the additional funding would ensure that the City can remain competitive, noting that if the prize amount is not increased some artists will not continue to submit their sculptures in Edina and will continue to go to other communities. She stated that Public Art Edina is also doing utility wraps and other projects to increase awareness of the arts within the community. Mr. Frey stated that the prize could still be increased even if the Council does not approve the additional funding, noting that there would be additional options for fundraising. Commissioner O'Dea stated that she does not feel that there is enough information in order to support this budget increase request. Mr. Frey stated that there was one artist that had stated that she would not be entering the contest and noted that may not be an accurate picture as that artist had already sold a piece to the City and the contest would no longer be of interest to her. He agreed that perhaps more research should be done in order to gather the necessary information. He stated that perhaps the other cities mentioned by Commissioner La Valleur need to offer a higher stipend in order to get artists to participate in their contest due to location. Commissioner La Valleur stated that she spends a lot of time on Public Art Edina and would not be interested in putting the effort forth to gain the desired information. She stated that they are attempting to gain the additional funds in order to provide a stipend of $1,000 for each sculpture in order to increase the quality of art received. Commissioner O'Dea stated that she would be uncomfortable supporting a request for additional funds when the full scope of information is not known. Motion by Commissioner Ellis and seconded by Commissioner Suckow that the Art and Culture Commission recommend that the City Council increase the current budget for Public Art Edina from $10,000 to $16,000 in order to increase the stipend for each sculpture to $1,000. Ayes: Kandace Ellis, Cheryl Gunness, Dana Lappin, Daniel Li, Barbara La Valleur, Ray Meifert, Anne Miller, and Steve Suckow. Nays: Kitty O'Dea. Motion carried. E. Music in Edina Commissioner Ellis referenced the concert schedule for the summer and stated that the showmobile is back on track for the June 19th event. She provided an update on local concerts and possible fundraising events that could occur at locations such as Braemar or the Art Center possibly in October. She stated that if that were to occur the planning would need to start soon and asked for the input of the Commission. Commissioner O'Dea questioned the status of the shared Commission wide fundraising. Commissioner Lappin stated that city staff are continuing to work on fundraising brochures and the working groups are doing their own fundraising at this time. Mr. Frey stated that the best course of action would be to let Music in Edina create plans for any fundraising event and bringing it to the Commission for approval. F. Review of Bylaws Commissioner Suckow stated that after reviewing the bylaws there were items required on an annual basis, some of which the Commission did at the last meeting, such as appointing the Chair and Vice Chair. He referenced page five and noted that the meeting agenda is supposed to be mailed seven days prior to the meeting. Mr. Frey stated that the bylaws were created with all Commissions in mind and noted that this Commission had previously decided that reports would be due on Monday before the meeting and the packet would then be sent out on Monday. He noted that the bylaws could be amended to reflect such. Commissioner Suckow referenced the language on page six regarding working groups, specifically the election of the Chair and appointment of members, is supposed to be done by the Commission. Commissioner La Valleur stated that Public Art Edina has never had their Chair appointed by the Commission and the process has been reversed, meaning that the Chair is appointed by the group rather than the Commission. Chair Meifert noted that the Commission could easily approve the members of working groups. Commissioner O'Dea stated that it was her understanding that the bylaws were created equally across the board for all City Commissions and was unsure if the Commission could have a say in amending those. Commissioner Suckow stated that the Commission could easily approve the members of working groups when changes are made to the members. The Commission discussed whether or not the Chair of the working groups should be allowed to be non-Commission members or whether that should only be a Commissioner. Commissioner Suckow stated that now that this discussion has begun perhaps the Commission could review the bylaws to determine if the bylaws fit with how the group is run. Chair Meifert stated that perhaps some of the language related to working groups could be amended as to not appear so intrusive that it may dissuade people from wanting to be a part of or be a working group. Mr. Frey provided clarity noting that members of Boards and Commissions are appointed by the City Council and because a working group would have access to City funds, a member of the Commission must be a part of the working group. He recommended that the Commission make an amendment to some of the conditions, which can be incorporated into the bylaws. He noted that this Commission uniquely functions and therefore a unique amendment could be made to the bylaws. Chair Meifert requested that the working groups present a list of their current membership at the next meeting to be approved by the Commission in order to comply with the bylaws. Commissioner Ellis referenced language related to expenditures that states the Commission must approve expenditures but did not believe that Music in Edina has done that through a formal process. Members of the Commission commented that there were some instances where the Commission approved budgetary items for Music in Edina. Mr. Frey stated that expenditure information can be included in the Commission packet along with the General Manager's Report in order for the Commission to approve that item. He noted that Public Art Edina has never provided a budget to the Commission. Commissioner Suckow asked the Commission to review the duties and goals portions of the bylaws prior to the next meeting as well. He stated that he would be willing to draft amendment language the Commission could review at the next meeting and asked for any input to be provided to him prior to the next meeting. VII. Correspondence and Petitions Chair Meifert asked if there was any correspondence or petitions. None voiced. VIII. Chair and Board Commissioner Comments Commissioner La Valleur wished Karen Kurt, who has been very helpful to the Commission and Public Art Edina and is leaving her position to become the City Manager of Platteville, WI. Commissioner La Valleur reported that there will be a reception honoring the artists for Public Art Edina on June 17th and welcomed all interested parties to attend. Chair Meifert recommended that Commissioner La Valleur take the Commission on a verbal tour of the sculpture locations at the next meeting in order to inform the Commission. Commissioner O'Dea stated that it would also be helpful for the Commission to see the sculptures. Commissioner Ellis welcomed the Commission and interested parties to attend the first concert in the summer music series provided by Music in Edina on June 19th at 6:30. IX. Staff Comments No comments. X. Adjournment Motion by Commissioner Miller and seconded by Commissioner La Valleur that the Art and Culture Commission adjourn the meeting at 6:12 p.m. Ayes: Kandace Ellis, Cheryl Gunness, Dana Lappin, Daniel Li, Barbara La Valleur, Ray Meifert, Anne Miller, Kitty O'Dea, and Steve Suckow. Motion carried. Edina Arts & Culture Commission Public Art Edina Report May 28, 2015 • Public Art Edina meetings have moved to 6 p.m. at City Hall, still the first Thursday of the month, to accommodate our working members. • Postcard invitations will be shared at the Arts & Culture Commission meeting today for the opening reception honoring our current sculpture artists who have been installing their sculptures the last two weeks. The event, open to the public, is Wednesday, June 17th from 5 to 7 p.m. at Pinstripes. We would appreciate members of EACC attending. • After sending an email to three businesses suggesting that timing would be great to purchase sculptures being removed from last year's exhibit, Amanda Janzen, project manager with Schafer Richardson, builders of the apartment complex next to The Promenade in the site of the former Byerly's parking lot, purchased James Bearden's Dynamic Duo for $7,500. • A call for Edina Artists is being sent for consideration of the next utility box wrap to be located by the new Veteran's Memorial at 50th Street and Woodlawn Avenue. It is open to residents of Edina of any age and can be a graphic design, a painting or photography. • Public Art Edina is requesting an Action Item by the EACC endorsing our request for $16,000 (vs. the current $10,000) to enable us to increase our sculpture artists' stipends from $500 to $1,000 in keeping with the "going rate" of area public art exhibits and to ensure that we continue to receive the best entries for our annual rotating exhibit by recognized artists. • The City Council approved the three sculptures for Centennial Lakes being created by Nick Legeros to honor Northwest employees and Don Nyrop, former Northwest CEO was approved by City Council. Nick and John Horn, former Northwest President who is spearheading the fundraising appeared before council along with Tom Shirley, Centennial Lakes Park Manager. The first two sculptures of the individual children will be installed in June. A dedication and Northwest reunion is planned for Aug. 23rd at Centennial Lakes. Please mark your calendars and attend the dedication. • I was incredibly proud and humbled to be honored as Public Art Edina's Volunteer of the Year at the recent city volunteer awards ceremony. Barbara La Valleur Edina Public Art Chair Chair Meifert stated that it is about location and we are perfectly located. Member Li stated that it would be easier to get audience members in from outside of Edina. Mr. Frey stated that the space does not include the parking garage that is owned by schools or the Eden 100 building. He stated that currently the project is focused only on the former public works site. Chair Meifert Ray asked if one of the choices was all residential and civic versus offices. Member Ellis stated that she recalled only one choice with offices. Mr. Frey stated there had been office space in all three options but now there is office space in only one option. Member O'Dea stated that it was her understanding that there was not a lot of demand for office space so it makes sense to see it shift to residential. Member Ellis asked about the use of the current senior center if this moves forward. Mr. Frey stated that there is conversation about approaching Hennepin County to increase their space for the Edina Library. He stated that the senior center is only 10 to 12 years old and that there was conversation about having the Art Center move into the Senior Center, but that would not meet their needs. Member La Valleur commented that there was also no parking. Chair Meifert stated space for performing arts and theatre is lacking in the community. Member La Valleur stated that she was at a City Council meeting where every council member and the mayor spoke about the importance of having an arts and culture center. Member Li asked if it will be tax incentive financing. Mr. Frey stated that it is his understanding that you cannot use TIF money for buildings but it can be used for infrastructure. The moneys from selling off property could be used. Member Suckow stated that there is an organized and active component in Edina that wants to keep the whole site public and is against private development. Mr. Frey stated that those individuals approached him last night and they made strong points. They would like a recreation facility with a pool. Mr. Frey stated that he would be happy to answer any questions and provide members with documents. Member Ellis stated that what she noticed last night was a willingness to look at the models. Discussion took place regarding the models and the position of the tower. Motion by Member Suckow and seconded by Member La Valleur to acknowledge and commend the City Council for their action and to offer the Commission's assistance. Motion carried by consensus. A. Correspondence and Petitions Chair Meifert asked if there was any correspondence or petitions. None voiced. B. Chair and Board Member Comments Chair Meifert expressed appreciation to members of the Film Festival for coming and stated that the Commission is committed to help them in any way possible. Member La Valleur stated that Public Art chose 10 new sculptures for three areas. She stated that they have noticed in the last few years that they were getting fewer answers to their call and that more are beginning artists. She spoke about Sioux Falls and Hutchinson that pay artists more. She stated that she asked to meet with Council Member Swenson to express her concerns. She stated that doing what we are doing on a $10,000 budget is not supportive of the quality of the exhibit that we want to have. She stated that Council Member Stewart thought that the insurance should be paid for by the City. She also stated that Member Swenson told her that a request needs to be sent now because they are going to be making the choices now and not in November. She stated that she is in the process of filling out the form and will send it to Mr. Frey. She stated that she wanted Commission members to be aware of this issue and that there is no guarantee, but there is support from the City Council. Mr. Frey stated that this would be to increase the budget for Public Art for 2016 and forward. City Staff is preparing the 2016-17 budget currently. Member La Valleur stated she does not have a final figure but thinks it will be at least $15,000. Member Suckow talked about the public exposure helping the artists. Member La Valleur stated that the artist has to pay for installation and de-installation of the sculpture. Mr. Frey stated that some cities pay for delivery and installation. Member La Valleur stated that the City's artists come from a long way and have to pay for transportation and that $500 is inadequate. Committee members agreed and mentioned providing installation and de-installation. Mr. Frey stated that there may be a need to have a conversation with park maintenance to include installation for artwork. Chair Meifert asked if Public Art ever did paintings. He stated it would expose more people, get a wider array of artists and people may purchase a painting versus a sculpture. Member Suckow asked if the Commission was the keeper of the budget. Mr. Frey stated that the Commission does not have a budget but the working groups do. The request should come from the Commission on behalf of the Public Art working group. Discussion took place regarding the budget process. Chair Meifert stated that at one time the Commission was going to make a presentation for more money but that never happened. Member La Valleur stated she felt it would be appropriate to have the request come from the Art and Culture Commission on behalf of the Public Art working group. Discussion took place regarding making this request on behalf of the Public Art working group. Member Suckow asked if the Commission wanted to develop a holistic approach or an endorser approach. He stated that the Commission should look at its role and what it wants the role to be. Member Lappin asked Member La Valleur if she was asking for the Commission to go to the City Council to support her in securing more money. Member La Valleur stated she is asking for the blessing of the Commission to ask for more money. Member Lappin asked if Member La Valleur was asking for a specific amount. Member La Valleur replied she thought between $15,000 and $20,000 but will need to talk to Mr. Frey. Mr. Frey stated that he thinks it would be helpful to approach Sioux Falls and Hutchinson to find out where their money comes from. Member O'Dea encouraged finding things that the City can do in kind by using city resources. Mr. Frey stated that he likes to think of the money that the City gives as seed money. Chair Meifert asked the Commission if they are in favor of supporting Member La Valleur's request. He stated that he would like to see a line item request and a plan B if the Council does not give the money. Member O'Dea asked if there was going to be an action taken. Chair Meifert stated that he thinks the Commission is in agreement but would like to see the line item request. Commission Members indicated they would like to support Member La Valleur. Member La Valleur stated that she doesn't have all the figures yet. Member O'Dea suggested a motion that the Commission support Public Art based on these issues to develop a proposal to go to City Council. C. Staff Comments None D. Adjournment Motion by Member Miller and seconded by Member O'Dea that the Art and Culture Commission adjourn the meeting at 6:07 p.m. Ayes: Kandace Ellis, Barbara La Valleur, Dana Lappin, Ray Meifert, Anne Miller, Kitty O'Dea, and Steve Suckow. Motion carried.