From left: Public art commissioners Bob Miller and Marsha Chamberlin. (Photos by the writer.)

Turnout was lower than hoped – as only one resident attended the meeting held on Oct. 22 at Clague Middle School, though about 10 people came to a forum at Bryant Community Center the previous week. A fourth event will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 30 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Ann Arbor Open @Mack cafeteria, 920 Miller Ave.

John Kotarski, who had attended all the forums, felt the events had achieved their purpose of achieving a presence in the community, and introducing residents to different kinds of public art. Bob Miller advocated adding an online element for soliciting more input. Commissioners discussed the possibility of using the city’s new A2 Open City Hall, a blog-type feature that allows people to get information and give feedback on specific projects.

Commissioners took action on other projects, voting to approve a $910 budget for the dedication of a new mural at Allmendinger Park – an event to take place on Sunday, Oct. 28 from 2-4 p.m. The mural was designed by Mary Thiefels of TreeTown Murals, incorporating artwork and found objects from the community.

Also approved was the location of a sign for the Herbert Dreiseitl water sculpture in front of city hall, though there was concern about the placement of a fence there. The city has decided to put the mesh metal fence on a section of the pedestrian bridge overlooking the sculpture. Some commissioners are frustrated that this safety issue wasn’t raised earlier, when it might have been addressed by the sculptor as part of the site design. Marsha Chamberlin, AAPAC’s chair, noted that Dreiseitl intended people to interact with the water that runs down from the fountain. “What’s driving this process – the aesthetics of the piece or risk management?” she asked. She ultimately abstained from the vote, stating ”I want to go on the record of being ornery about this.” It was approved by all other commissioners present at the meeting.

Commissioners were also updated on a range of other projects that are in various stages of development. The process has begun for soliciting artists for work at the East Stadium bridge and for an ongoing mural program. The deadlines for submitting statements of qualifications (SOQs) are in November. Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator, expects to post another SOQ – for artwork at Argo Cascades – next month. And legal staff is reviewing a request for proposals (RFP) for art at a rain garden being built at Kingsley and First.

Seagraves also reported that installation of a $150,000 hanging glass sculpture at the Justice Center lobby will be delayed a few months, until March or April of 2013. Fabricators selected by the artist Ed Carpenter aren’t available to do the work as soon as expected.

Another potential project emerged during the meeting. Chamberlin noted that the city has about 100 old aluminum canoes that it’s planning to get rid of. She said that Cheryl Saam, facilities supervisor for the city’s canoe liveries, had raised the possibility of using the canoes for some kind of community art project. After getting feedback from other commissioners that this is an idea worth pursuing, Chamberlin said she’d work up a more formal proposal for consideration at a future meeting.

As part of the Oct. 24 meeting packet, AAPAC got a budget update of Percent for Art funds, showing a balance of $1.533 million. Of that, $847,104 has been earmarked for previously approved projects, leaving about $686,000 unallocated. [.pdf of budget summary]

One notable topic was not discussed at the meeting – a public art millage that’s on the Nov. 6 ballot. Several commissioners are involved in advocating for the millage, but have taken a conservative approach to dealing with it during their regular business, and AAPAC meetings have not included discussion on the topic since the August 28, 2012  meeting. That approach stands in contrast to a recent park advisory commission meeting, when one of the park commissioners spoke during public commentary to urge support for the parks millage renewal.

Public Outreach

John Kotarski gave a report on AAPAC’s series of outreach meetings, as part of an effort to engage the community better about public art. He delivered the report on behalf of Connie Rizzolo Brown, who’s spearheading this effort but who was running late for the Oct. 24 meeting.

This new approach uses four quadrants of Ann Arbor that are designated in the city master plan’s “land use elements” section: west, central, south and northeast. [.pdf map of quadrants] Two or more of the nine AAPAC members are responsible for each quadrant, charged with soliciting input from residents in selecting public art.

Three meetings have been held in October to kick off this effort. About 10 or so people attended each of the first two meetings, held at the Ann Arbor Art Center and the Bryant Community Center. The third meeting at Clague Middle School, which The Chronicle attended, had less of a turnout. Councilmember Sabra Briere showed up, but no one else came until about 20 minutes after the meeting’s start, when the two commissioners there – Kotarski and Brown, along with public art administrator Aaron Seagraves – had already packed up and were ready to leave. They stayed and talked to the resident for about 15 minutes.

At AAPAC’s Oct. 24 meeting, Kotarski told commissioners that the meetings so far had achieved their purpose: To make a presence in the community, and to introduce the many faces of public art. It lets residents know that AAPAC is making an effort, he said. At the final meeting held at Clague, Kotarski said the one resident who attended didn’t want to spend tax dollars on public art. The man had presented his view, and Kotarski felt the resident had left the meeting feeling that his view had been heard.

The final meeting – for the west quadrant – will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 30 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Ann Arbor Open @Mack cafeteria, 920 Miller Ave.

Later in the meeting, Bob Miller suggested exploring how to incorporate an online component into the process, to increase participation. He noted that in the past, AAPAC had received hundreds of responses to its online surveys. Marsha Chamberlin pointed out that the high number of responses were because a previous commissioner had alerted a large network of artists in the community via email, asking them to do the survey. “So it was a little bit of a biased sample,” she said, and distorted the response. [Chamberlin was referring to former AAPAC chair Margaret Parker.]

The group discussed using A2 Open City Hall, a new feature on the city’s website that’s used to share information about projects and solicit feedback. Seagraves was tasked with looking at that possibility and reporting back at AAPAC’s next meeting.

Allmendinger Mural

A public dedication of the new mural at Allmendinger Park is planned for Sunday, Oct. 28 from 2-4 p.m. at the park. The city commissioned Ann Arbor muralist Mary Thiefels of TreeTown Murals to do the work, which incorporates found objects and artwork by students at Slauson Middle School as part of mosaics on pillars of the park’s building.

In addition to the previously approved $12,000 budget for the project, at their Oct. 24 meeting AAPAC was asked to approve an additional $810 to cover the costs of the dedication ceremony. The total budget for the event is $910, with $100 coming from funds remaining in the original project budget. The event budget will pay for food, music, printing & postage, decorations, podium rental, and a plaque.

Responding to a Chronicle query after the meeting, Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator, explained that the source of that additional $810 hasn’t yet been determined. It will come from either the Percent for Art pooled funds for parks projects, or from funds allocated for administration, he said.

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously voted to approve funding for the Allmendinger Park mural dedication ceremony.

Dreiseitl Sign & Fencing

The topic of a sign for the Herbert Dreiseitl water sculpture in front of city hall has been discussed at multiple AAPAC meetings. It came up again on Oct. 24.

Proposed sign for Herbert Dreiseitl sculpture on pedestrian bridge in front of city hall.

The city has decided to install a metal mesh fence along the pedestrian bridge overlooking the sculpture, for safety reasons. Separately, AAPAC has been working on a descriptive sign for the piece. At their Sept. 26, 2012 meeting, commissioners were presented with a schematic showing the sign positioned on top of the fence. [See image to the right.] Some commissioners had objected, saying that the sign and fence detracted from the artwork. Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator, promised to see if any alternative locations could be offered.

On Oct. 24, commissioners were presented with a second possibility – keeping the mesh fence in place, but positioning the sign atop an adjacent concrete wall. [.jpg of drawing that shows alternative location]

Commissioners had previously approved text for the sign. [.pdf of text for the sign] The sign’s graphic design has not been completed.

Bob Miller and Marsha Chamberlin both expressed frustration that the city now wanted to put up a fence. They felt that if safety was a concern, that issue should have been raised earlier in the process so that it could have been addressed as part of the project’s overall design. ”What’s driving this process – the aesthetics of the piece or risk management?” Chamberlin asked.

Malverne Winborne was surprised that the issue hadn’t been brought up before –  as it seemed to him an obvious concern that the city would have. Tony Derezinski, who also serves on city council, said no one had mentioned it, as far as he knew. He noted that he is a member of the city’s insurance board, indicating that it would have been a logical topic for that group.

Miller wondered where the safety concern would end. People could climb the sculpture, or someone in a wheelchair could roll over the edge, he noted – there would always be potential safety issues. At some point, personal responsibility should be a factor. Winborne said he agreed with that, but he also was aware that we live in a litigious society.

Aaron Seagraves, Ann Arbor’s public art administrator.

John Kotarski and Derezinski both felt it was a city decision – not something for AAPAC to decide. Chamberlin agreed that it’s the city’s call, but argued that AAPAC’s role is to protect the integrity of the artwork. She noted that years ago, when a large sculpture at Sculpture Plaza was refurbished, for example, there was a lot of discussion about whether to paint it. [The Arch by David F. Heberling – located in the small city park at Fourth and Catherine – was removed, repaired and painted in 2007-08.]

Chamberlin recalled that when she talked with Dreiseitl after his sculpture’s dedication in October of 2011, he told her that he had intended for people to interact with the water – and children were playing in it that night, she said. With that in mind, the surfaces had been treated so that they’d be less slippery, she reported. Kotarski said he could confirm that – he had walked down the watery surfaces himself, to see how slippery they were, and he didn’t slip. That convinced him that there’s not a risk, but he still felt the decision should be left to the city staff.

Chamberlin wondered who was making these decisions at the city. She wanted to make an inquiry about the fencing. Matt Kulhanek, the city’s facilities supervisor, is making the call, Seagraves said. Derezinski cautioned that if AAPAC makes an inquiry about it, they should “be prepared to accept the answer.”

“I’m not going to take this lying down,” Chamberlin replied. AAPAC might have to accept the fence this time, she added, but they need to be very clear in the future that it’s not acceptable.

Miller asked if transparent glass could be used, rather than metal mesh. Seagraves reported that maintenance would be a concern with glass. He noted that Dreiseitl preferred having the sign attached to the top of the fence, rather than the alternate option.

Outcome: Commissioners voted to support the placement of the Dreiseitl sign atop the new fence on the pedestrian bridge. Marsha Chamberlin abstained, stating ”I want to go on the record of being ornery about this.”

Kingsley Rain Garden Art

Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator, reported that in September a request for proposals (RFP) was forwarded to the city’s legal staff for review regarding artwork for a rain garden that the city is building at the corner of Kingsley and First.

John Kotarski questioned why an RFP was being used, rather than an SOQ (statement of qualifications). For other projects – like artwork for Argo Cascades and East Stadium bridges – AAPAC is using an SOQ, he noted. That approach solicits a pool of artists from which finalists are selected. The finalists are paid a stipend to develop a proposal that’s then selected. He felt that was the proper way to proceed. With no stipends, he said, serious artists wouldn’t respond.

John Kotarski

Seagraves explained that with this particular project, AAPAC wanted an artist to work hand-in-hand with the landscape architect who’ll be designing the rain garden. They don’t want a design done prior to that, he said. Another factor is that the city procedurally can’t issue a contract with an artist directly from an SOQ – the SOQ usually leads to an RFP. So in this case, an RFP was being used instead, skipping the SOQ step.

There was a fair amount of confusion about how the process would work. Seagraves eventually explained that the process would actually work like an SOQ. A task force will use the RFP responses to choose a group of finalists, who’ll then be interviewed before the task force recommends someone for the project. Unlike typical RFPs, however, none of the artists will be asked to develop a specific design for the project, he said. The task force recommendation will be forwarded to AAPAC for review – and if approved, at that point the city will develop a contract with the artist for the work.

Kotarski said it sounded like the city would be hiring the artist’s services, much like an artist in residence. In that light, he said it made sense to him to proceed in this way.

Outcome: This was not a voting item. 

Canoe Art

At the end of the Oct. 24 meeting, Marsha Chamberlin floated an idea for a possible art project to pursue. She noted that the city has about 100 old aluminum canoes that it’s planning to get rid of. She reported that Cheryl Saam, facilities supervisor for the city’s canoe liveries, had raised the possibility of using the canoes for some kind of community art project. One idea is to cut the canoes in half and stand them upright, to serve as a base. The visual analogy is a crèche made from an old bathtub, Chamberlin said. They could be painted, embellished, or transformed in any way – the common theme would be the canoe. The project could involve artists, the general community, or both. The final artwork could be sold, donated as a fundraiser, or used as installations throughout the city.

Chamberlin wanted feedback from other commissioners to see if this was something they’d like to pursue. There was general agreement among the five other commissioners who attended the meeting, so Chamberlin said she’d work on a more formal proposal for a future meeting.

Outcome: This was not a voting item.

State & Ellsworth Roundabout

A roundabout is being built at the intersection of South State and Ellsworth, and AAPAC plans to incorporate public art into the project. Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator, told commissioners that they needed to select a “champion” for the project.

Bob Miller volunteered, saying he wanted to tie in the roundabout art into a corridor study of South State that’s underway. [See Chronicle coverage: "Sustainability Goals Shape Corridor Study."]

There was some discussion among commissioners about the importance of integrating artwork not just at the roundabout, but throughout the length of the corridor as well. Marsha Chamberlin suggested developing a “visual database” of ideas that could be drawn on, showing how artwork could be integrated into the design of fencing, road dividers and signs, for example. Otherwise, art will just be “plopped” onto a site, she said.

Miller said he’d touch base with Jeff Kahan, the city planner who’s working on this corridor project, to see how AAPAC can coordinate with it.

Outcome: This was not a voting item.

Other Project & Budget Updates

Aaron Seagraves gave several brief project updates during the meeting. Here are some highlights:

• Justice Center lobby sculpture: The $150,000 project will be delayed for a few months because the fabricators selected by the sculptor – Ed Carpenter – aren’t available until later this year. The installation of the hanging glass work now isn’t expected until March or April, rather than January. The sculpture, called “Radius,” was approved by city council in May of 2012 based on AAPAC’s recommendation.
• East Stadium bridge artwork: The statement of qualifications (SOQ) has been issued for artwork at the new East Stadium bridge and nearby areas. [.pdf of SOQ-837] The deadline for submissions is Nov. 30 at 10 a.m. The $400,000 budget for that project was recommended by AAPAC in March of 2012.
• Mural program: Also issued is a statement of qualifications (SOQ) to select a pool of artists for future mural projects. [.pdf of SOQ-835] The deadline for submissions is Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. AAPAC had approved this approach at its June 27, 2012 meeting, to facilitate faster development of mural projects.
• Argo Cascades: The city attorney’s office has signed off on an SOQ for artwork at Argo Cascades. Seagraves expects that the SOQ will be released in November. [SOQs for the city are posted online here.] AAPAC approved a $150,000 budget for that project in April of 2012.
• Forest Avenue Plaza: Seagraves reported that Marsha Chamberlin and Bob Miller had met with park planner Amy Kuras earlier in the month, and would be meeting again in November with other task force members who’ll be selected from the neighborhood. AAPAC voted at its Aug. 22, 2012 meeting to move ahead on a public art project for the plaza, located next to the Forest Avenue parking structure near South University.

Seagraves also provided commissioners with a budget summary on Percent for Art funds, showing a balance of $1.533 million. Of that, $847,104 has been earmarked for previously approved projects, leaving about $686,000 unallocated. [.pdf of budget summary] There was no discussion of the budget.

Commissioners present: Connie Rizzolo Brown, Marsha Chamberlin, Tony Derezinski, John Kotarski, Bob Miller, Malverne Winborne. Also Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator.

Absent: Cathy Gendron, Theresa Reid, Wiltrud Simbuerger.

Next regular meeting: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. at city hall, 301 E. Huron St. [Check Chronicle events listing to confirm date]

The Chronicle relies in part on regular voluntary subscriptions to support our artful coverage of publicly-funded programs like the Percent for Art, which is overseen by the Ann Arbor public art commission. Click this link for details: Subscribe to The Chronicle.

View of the water sculpture by Herbert Dreiseitl, looking down from the sixth floor of city hall on June 27. There was no water running on this particular day. (Photos by the writer.)

Commissioned by the city from German artist Herbert Dreiseitl and dedicated in October of 2011, the work was designed to use rainwater collected from the roofs of city hall and the adjacent Justice Center. But water has flowed through the fountain only sporadically. The original water pumps clogged and malfunctioned, and are being replaced with a new pump. Yet even when that new pump is functioning, the two tanks, which can hold a total of 2,300 gallons of water are currently dry, and no water is available at this point to run through the sculpture.

Saying that people have asked him why the fountain isn’t working, commissioner John Kotarski asked whether Dreiseitl intended the sculpture to reflect the seasonal rain cycle. Kotarski said he previously hadn’t heard that narrative applied to the sculpture, until it was mentioned in the report by Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator. Kotarski was appointed to AAPAC well after the sculpture was approved.

Cathy Gendron, who was serving on AAPAC when the project was recommended for approval in 2009, said her expectation had been that water would be a standard part of the piece. She wondered whether something had changed during the engineering process. She noted that it was the first project undertaken by the commission after its formation as part of the city’s Percent for Art program. [It is also the city's largest public art expenditure to date, costing over $750,000.]

Kotarski praised the project, calling Dreiseitl a world-renowned sculptor and noting that Ann Arbor now has something in its public art collection that other cities would love to have. But he called for a full report of the project ”with all of its glory and all of its warts,” so that AAPAC could find out and learn from what has happened.

Commissioners agreed to compile a list of questions to be forwarded to the project’s design team. There was no formal action taken regarding the kind of report that Kotarski requested.

Later in the meeting, commissioners did take action on two items related to AAPAC’s mural program: (1) approval of the final design for a mixed-media mural at Allmendinger Park; and (2) approval of a statement of qualifications (SOQ) to seek potential artists for future murals.

Also at the June 27 meeting, AAPAC vice chair Malverne Winborne made a strategic planning proposal that he had first floated at the commission’s retreat in February. The idea is to approach a plan for public art by looking at quadrants of the city, to help guide the selection of projects and ensure that all parts of the city are represented. Commissioners were supportive of the general concept, but ultimately tabled the item for further discussion at their July 25 meeting.

Two other items were tabled until that July meeting: (1) a discussion on a possible endorsement policy for privately funded art projects; and (2) action on two new proposed public art projects, at the Forest Avenue Plaza in the South University area, and at the future roundabout at South State and Ellsworth.

Commissioners also discussed plans for AAPAC’s participation in the July 16 Townie Street Party. The event is hosted by the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair as a kickoff to the annual art fairs, which run this year from July 18-21. AAPAC has a table in the “Creative Connections” tent. Hannah Nathans, a University of Michigan student intern with the city, has painted a five-foot-tall poster evoking a well-known mural on East Liberty Street by Richard Wolk. It’s intended to be an interactive feature – people can poke their faces through cut-out holes and get their pictures taken.

Dreiseitl Sculpture: When the Water Runs Dry

As part of the June 27 AAPAC meeting packet, Aaron Seagraves – the city’s public art administrator – included an update on the water sculpture by Herbert Dreiseitl, which is not yet completed. From the written report:

Administrator met with the sculpture design team and Project Manager on May 24th to address the completion of sculpture water feature. The design team was charged with the completion of the entire water feature. Water feature was fully functioning for about two weeks in June. Then, the micro-water pumps providing water to the “glass pearls” at the top of the sculpture clogged and malfunctioned. The water feature will be redesigned to eliminate the chance of further clogging. A larger single water pump will replace the micro-pumps – the new pump is on order.

Due to the rate of evaporation that has been observed, and the water tank capacity, it is very likely the water feature will not be flowing following extended dry, hot conditions. The flow of the water feature will mimic the rainfall in the area, as rainwater is the only source of water for the feature. To increase the supply of water to the sculpture, a supply connection between the sculpture’s water tanks and the much larger rain garden cistern is being investigated by city staff. The sculpture was not designed to intake rainwater from the cistern.

During the June 27 meeting, John Kotarski – who joined AAPAC this January – told commissioners that he had some questions about the Dreiseitl fountain, and that other people had been asking him questions, too.

Responding to Kotarski, Seagraves explained that stormwater is collected from the roofs of both the city hall and the new Justice Center building, and stored in two water tanks that hold a total of 2,300 gallons. That water is filtered and pumped through the Dreiseitl fountain.

Public art commissioner John Kotarski.

Kotarski asked whether the artist intended for the fountain to be dry during the warmest summer months. Seagraves replied that it’s certainly designed to be that way, but he didn’t know the artist’s intent. [Seagraves was hired about a year ago, after the project was well underway.]

AAPAC chair Marsha Chamberlin said that question had never addressed, as far as she knew. Cathy Gendron, another commissioner who was serving on AAPAC when the project was approved in October of 2009, said she also didn’t know. She had emailed former AAPAC chair Margaret Parker about it, but hadn’t yet received a reply. [Parker was also chair of the task force that recommended selection of Dreiseitl for the project. It had then been recommended for approval by AAPAC, and ultimately was authorized by city council.]

Bob Miller asked about leaks in the tanks – because he’d heard that was a problem. Seagraves reported that no leaks have been found. He confirmed for Miller that evaporation might account for the fact that there’s no water at this point.

It’s one thing if the narrative of mimicking the seasonal rain cycle is intentional, Kotarski said. But he’d never heard that narrative before. Chamberlin said she didn’t think the commission had known to ask that question – it hadn’t been raised.

Theresa Reid asked Kotarski: In what spirit are his questions being raised now? Kotarski replied that people are asking him questions like “What’s wrong with the fountain?” and Why isn’t there any water?” He said he’s not sure it makes a lot of sense to people.

Kotarski then praised the project. Dreiseitl is a world-renowned sculptor, he said, and Ann Arbor now has something in its public art collection that other cities would love to have. It’s the best example of local sourcing for a major piece of art that he’s ever seen, with a lot of Michigan artists involved and a lot of money spent in Michigan. [The fabrication of the sculpture was handled by a Michigan firm, and Quinn Evans Architects – project managers for the new Justice Center building and city hall renovations – also oversaw the design and construction of the Dreiseitl work.] All of that is very good, Kotarski said.

But there are some troubling aspects that he’d like to get cleared up. “I’m wondering if it would be possible to do an investigation and report on this,” he said.

Chamberlin replied that she and Gendron shared his interest, and they’d pursue it with Parker. However, she said she chafed a little at the word “investigation.” No one had tried to be deceptive, she noted.

Kotarski said he simply wondered whether best practices were followed, or whether they could have done better. Malverne Winborne, who also joined AAPAC after the Dreiseitl project had been approved, framed it this way: As part of the commission’s learning process, what could be improved? Gendron noted that Dreiseitl had been the commission’s first project – and the largest one to date – since the Percent for Art program was established.

Kotarski stressed that he wasn’t trying to lay blame. But he does think there needs to be a written report that looks at what happened, good and bad. The sculpture is a conceptual work about the preciousness of water, he said – it’s not just decorative. But they need to be truthful about all aspects of the project, he added.

Ann Arbor public art commissioner Cathy Gendron.

Winborne suggested that commissioners identify specific questions that they would like to have answered. He volunteered to collect those questions and forward them to Seagraves and the design team.

Gendron said she’d like to know if the artwork is actually designed to be dry during part of the summer. If so, the city should find out what its options are to remediate or change the piece. When the project was presented to AAPAC, she said, it never occurred to her that the fountain would be dry part of the summer. She assumed a water sculpture would have water. Perhaps something transitioned during the engineering process, she said.

It had been a highly technical project, Chamberlin observed, so it’s possible that the engineering changed at some point in the process. But there are documents from early on in the development of the project that should clarify the original intent, she said.

Reid noted that if the water sculpture is dry in the summer and doesn’t run water in the winter because of the freezing temperatures, “that’s a little disappointing.”

Kotarski reiterated his view that it’s a great project, and there’s an opportunity to look at it ”with all of its glory and all of its warts.” Such a report would show that AAPAC is learning. It would be a mistake not to do that, he said.

By way of background, Dreiseitl had made a presentation to Ann Arbor city council in July of 2009, prior to the project’s approval. From The Chronicle’s report of that presentation:

The sculpture would consist of a large, upright piece made of two rectangular metal plates standing close together, facing Huron Street. Water would flow down the front piece, which would be concave at the top and transition to a convex shape at the bottom. The water would flow from the top and drain out the back, continuing on toward the building like a river. Tanks connected to the center’s rain garden would store and filter water so it could be circulated through the sculpture repeatedly.

Dreiseitl’s models showed a bridge over the river-like part of the sculpture, as well as a couple of benches alongside it. He explained that he wanted to integrate his work with the surrounding architecture and landscape.

There were references to the sculpture’s water element throughout that presentation. For example: ”Some wanted to know if it would be possible to climb the large vertical piece. The answer seemed to be no, as Dreiseitl explained it would be too steep and the water cascading down it would complicate things (although he joked that a practiced rock climber might be able to scale it).”

The water element is also key to the project’s funding. The Percent for Art ordinance designates 1% of each city government capital project be set aside for public art, up to a cap of $250,000 per capital project. The ordinance also stipulates two ways that public art funds can be used. Art can be funded if it’s integrated into or stands on the site of some capital improvement project – but the Dreiseitl work isn’t funded that way. Another way to fund art with Percent for Art money is with “pooled” money from capital projects with locations that don’t lend themselves to siting art. But art that’s funded that way must relate in some fashion to its funding source. The Dreiseitl sculpture had a $750,000 budget created from pooled funds from other capital improvement projects: drinking water ($210,000), sanitary sewer ($510,000) and stormwater ($30,000) funds.

Outcome: This was not an action item, so there was no vote taken. Next steps involve commissioners sending questions about the Dreiseitl project to Malverne Winborne, AAPAC’s vice chair, who will then forward those questions to the project’s design team.

Mural Program

Two agenda items related to AAPAC’s mural program: (1) approval of the final design for a mixed-media mural at Allmendinger Park; and (2) approval of a statement of qualifications (SOQ) to seek potential artists for future murals.

Mural Program: Allmendinger Park

AAPAC originally selected Ann Arbor muralist Mary Thiefels of TreeTown Murals for the Allmendinger Park mural at its Jan. 25, 2012 meeting. It’s the first mural in a pilot program that was spearheaded by former AAPAC member Jeff Meyers and approved by the commission in November 2010, with the intent of creating at least two murals per year in the city.

Illustration by Mary Thiefels of her proposed mural at Allmendinger Park, provided in AAPAC’s June 27, 2012 meeting packet.

The final design has been changed from Thiefels’ original proposal, based on feedback from a mural task force, and is more abstract than the original. [.pdf of final mural design]

Thiefels’ project includes working with students at Slauson Middle School and incorporating their work into her design – more than 60 students created self-portraits that will be part of the mosaics on pillars of the building at Allmendinger Park. The mosaics will also feature other found objects relevant to the community – examples include keys, pottery shards, animal bones, and fossils – and pieces of colored glass. Commissioners will take part, too. They had received a letter from Meg Crawley, a member of the mural task force, asking for their own donation of objects for the mural.

An initial $10,000 budget for the mural later had been increased to $12,000, with $7,200 of that amount to be paid for with a grant from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation.

The commission’s annual art plan for fiscal year 2013 – which begins July 1, 2012 – allocates an additional $40,000 to fund two more murals. No locations or artists have been selected for those projects.

At the June 27 meeting, there was minimal discussion about the Allmendinger mural. AAPAC chair Marsha Chamberlin described the vote as a formality, noting that commissioners had previously approved the budget and overall concept. This final design had been vetted by the mural task force, she said, and Thiefels has already signed a contract for the work with the city.

Outcome: Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the final design for the Allmendinger Park mural. It does not require city council approval.

Mural Program: Creating a “Pool” of Muralists

In a separate item, commissioners were asked to approve a statement of qualifications (SOQ) that will be issued by the city. [.pdf of mural SOQ] The objective, as stated in the SOQ, is to “find professional muralists and other artists whose work meets a set of standards and to pre-qualify them for City of Ann Arbor mural projects to be contracted in 2012 to 2014.”

General expectations cited in the SOQ include: (1) work experience in mural artwork, or other media of a similar type; (2) proficiency in 2-D or surface mounted media and art fabrication; (3) the ability to work together with oversight bodies, project managers and city staff; and (4) the ability to work on location and complete an artwork installation in a timely manner.

Marsha Chamberlin, chair of the Ann Arbor public art commission.

The idea is to pre-select a pool of potential muralists, to expedite the process for choosing an artist for mural projects in the next two years. Requests for proposals (RFPs) for specific mural projects would be sent only to a subset of the artists in the pre-selected pool.

Some commissioners advocated soliciting artists more frequently than a two-year period, and suggested having a “rolling registry” for artists. AAPAC chair Marsha Chamberlin cautioned that this could delay the selection process – the intent is to shorten the timeline. She noted that each time an SOQ is issued, it needs to be vetted by the city attorney’s office, and that can take several months. The city attorney’s office also vets each request for proposals (RFP), which will be required for each specific mural project.

Malverne Winborne supported the proposed SOQ. As an argument against having a rolling registry or more frequent SOQs, he noted that it takes staff and commission time to process responses, and their resources are limited. ”We have to merge the creative process with public financing,” he said.

After additional discussion, Cathy Gendron proposed directing Aaron Seagraves – the city’s public art administrator – to investigate refreshing the pool annually with the same SOQ. Seagraves said he’d have to check with the city’s procurement staff to see if it’s possible to issue the same SOQ without running it through the city attorney’s office again.

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the initial SOQ, and directed Seagraves to investigate the possibility of refreshing the pool of artists annually, using the same SOQ.

Strategic Planning

At AAPAC’s four-hour planning retreat in late February, Malverne Winborne had suggested dividing the city into zones or quadrants, to help guide the selection of projects and ensure that all parts of the city are represented.

Winborne made a more formal proposal on June 27. He proposed using the four quadrants that are designated in the city’s master plan “land use elements” section: west, central, south and northeast. [.pdf of quadrant map] There are nine commissioners, including Tony Derezinski, who also represents Ward 2 on Ann Arbor city council. Excluding Derezinski, the other eight commissioners would be “champions” of a quadrant – two per quadrant.

Public art commissioner Malverne Winborne.

He also proposed that the Percent for Art budget be divided so that funding would be available for projects in each quadrant.

In the past, AAPAC has appeared to be doing projects out of convenience, Winborne said. This would be a way to make sure that each section of the city is represented, in terms of public art.

Specifically, he proposed two goals: (1) in the next three years, each city quadrant shall have, at a minimum, one new public artwork; and (2) one new public art program will be developed that will result in public art in each of the city areas; or one artist will be selected to produce a public art design, or public art series, that can be produced in each of the city quadrants. [.pdf of full proposal]

Bob Miller wondered how this approach would impact the availability of funds for larger projects – that was a concern for him. Winborne suggested that AAPAC should remain flexible, but that the quadrant approach could serve as the general guideline for developing projects. The important thing would be that AAPAC didn’t override the guidelines too often, he said, or it would defeat the purpose of having an egalitarian approach.

Cathy Gendron pointed out that this strategy would entail saying “no” to the city – she noted that most proposals are driven by city staff and relate to specific capital projects, like the Justice Center, East Stadium bridges, and Argo Cascades.

Marsha Chamberlin told commissioners that she, Winborne and Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator, had discussed this proposal for over an hour before the AAPAC meeting. She said the major issues that it addresses are: (1) making sure the public art program is implemented citywide; (2) ensuring that Percent for Art funds are spent; and (3) ensuring that neighborhoods are represented. Commissioners who are assigned to specific quadrants can develop relationships with neighborhood associations and other organizations, to get input on priorities for those areas, she said.

John Kotarski called it a brilliant idea, but he wondered why funding had to be allocated specifically for each quadrant. He liked the idea of commissioners having to pitch projects for their quadrants – it would force them all to be engaged in bringing forward the best ideas.

Chamberlin noted that allocating funds for each quadrant would ensure that each area gets funding. Winborne added that if residents know that money is available, it sends them a message that they “can play too,” he said.

Miller said he’d like to get input from other commissioners who weren’t at the June 25 meeting, including Derezinski. He moved to table the proposal and bring it back for discussion at AAPAC’s meeting in July.

Outcome: Commissioners voted to table the quadrant proposal. They will reconsider it at AAPAC’s July 25 meeting.

Endorsement Policy

At AAPAC’s April 25, 2012 meeting, Dave Konkle and Tim Jones had spoken during public commentary regarding a large Whirlydoodle installation they hope to build. Jones had invented the devices as miniature wind generators, with LED lights that vary in color depending on wind speed. About two dozen are currently placed around the downtown area. A large-scale installation would help people to visualize wind currents and prompt a discussion about alternative energy, he said.

Public art commissioner Theresa Reid.

Konkle is the city’s former energy coordinator who now does consulting work for the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority as energy programs director. On April 25, he told commissioners that a display of 1,000 Whirlydoodles – possible at the former landfill at Platt and Carpenter – would result in Ann Arbor having more wind generators than any other city in the world, and would bring the city national attention. The two men asked AAPAC to endorse the proposal, but commissioners did not act on it or discuss it in depth at that meeting.

The issue of whether AAPAC should develop an endorsement policy was an agenda item at the June 27 meeting. Theresa Reid said she felt it would be more trouble than it was worth for AAPAC, and she made a motion stating that AAPAC’s policy would be not to endorse or otherwise recommend private projects.

John Kotarski noted that the city’s public art ordinance recommends the promotion of private projects, and suggests that AAPAC seek donations or encourage the private sector to support public art. From the ordinance [.pdf of Ann Arbor's public art ordinance]:

1:837. ­ Oversight body.
(1) The oversight body shall be the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission as established by Section 1:238 of Chapter 8.
(2) The oversight body shall:
…
(E) Raise funds above and beyond the funds for public art that are included as part of a capital improvement project or that are in a pooled public art fund, interact with donors of funds or art works on behalf of the City, and foster public/private partnerships to support public art;
…
(I) Provide advice to and assist both potential donors of art and other governmental entities regarding possible public locations for placement of art when such art cannot be placed on any City property or incorporated into a capital project of the City.

Rather than rejecting the idea of endorsements immediately, Kotarski said he’d feel more comfortable thinking through the ramifications of endorsements and making a policy that’s consistent with the ordinance. It might be that they end up deciding not to make endorsements, but he wanted to think it through more thoroughly.

Other commissioners expressed agreement, and Reid withdrew her motion. She made another motion to table the discussion until AAPAC’s July 25 meeting.

Outcome: Commissioners voted to table discussion of an endorsement policy until their July meeting.

Townie Street Party

Part of the June 27 meeting was spent discussing plans for AAPAC’s participation in the July 16, 2012 Townie Street Party.

This poster, standing about five feet high, was painted by Hannah Nathans, a University of Michigan undergraduate who’s working as an intern with the city. It’s based on a mural by Richard Wolk on East Liberty near State Street. The poster will be part of the Ann Arbor public art commission’s booth at the July 16 Townie Street Party.

The event is hosted by the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair as a kickoff to the annual art fairs, which run this year from July 18-21. AAPAC has a booth in the “Creative Connections” tent. Hannah Nathans, a University of Michigan student intern with the city, has painted a five-foot-tall poster evoking a well-known mural on East Liberty Street by Richard Wolk. The poster is intended to be an interactive feature – people can poke their faces through cut-out holes and get their pictures taken. [Wolk's original mural was painted for David's Books, formerly located at South State and Liberty. The mural features stylized portraits of Woody Allen, Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Hesse, Franz Kafka, and Anaïs Nin.]

John Kotarski, who serves on AAPAC’s PR committee, noted that they had a $250 budget for the Townie Street Party, and he suggested using a portion of that to pay Nathans for her work. There was discussion about whether this would be allowed under terms of her internship. Marsha Chamberlin, AAPAC’s chair who is also president of the Ann Arbor Art Center, said her understanding is that it’s not allowed – based on the art center’s experience using UM interns, who receive college credit for their work.

Cathy Gendron, who chairs the PR committee, was concerned about setting a precedent with other volunteers who contribute significant time and effort. She wondered if there would be another more appropriate way to thank Nathans.

Malverne Winborne suggested holding a volunteer appreciation event in the future. Other commissioners seemed enthusiastic about that general approach.

Kotarski also noted that he had proposed asking people at the Townie Street Party to sign a petition in support of public art, but that Gendron had felt it would be too confrontational. Chamberlin said she appreciated the intent, but noted that they had run into problems previously when a commissioner sent out emails urging friends to take action.

A commissioner is a public official, Chamberlin said, and needs to take a balanced approach. A petition has a kind of political implication to it. Kotarski said he felt it would be like signing a birthday card, or putting a button on that says “I support public art.”

Commissioners discussed other alternatives, such as collecting email addresses for people to receive newsletters from AAPAC.

Outcome: There was no action item on this issue.

New Projects

Project intake forms – the first formal step in the process to seek funding – have been submitted for two proposed public art projects: (1) at Forest Avenue Plaza, next to the Forest Avenue parking structure near South University; and (2) at a future roundabout at Ellsworth and South State.

Both projects are being proposed by city staff, as part of broader projects. The Forest Avenue Plaza proposal was submitted by Amy Kuras, the city’s park planner, and Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. The city has held two public meetings to seek input on improving the small plaza, and has about $40,000 in funding for the project. The intake form stated that the city would like additional public art funding – suggested at between $10,000 to $20,000 – for artwork to be placed in the plaza.

The roundabout is a major capital project at one of the busiest intersections south of town, with construction planned for the summer of 2013. Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator, told commissioners that there’s some interest from one of the local Rotary clubs in partnering with the city to add public art and landscaping to the roundabout.

These items came up on the agenda near the end of AAPAC’s June 27 meeting. Theresa Reid felt there weren’t a sufficient number of commissioners present to have a meaningful discussion. [At this point, only five of the nine commissioners were present.] She also felt that new projects should also be discussed in the context of the proposed quadrant approach to selecting public art locations. She moved to table action on the items.

Outcome: Commissioners voted to table the proposed new projects at Forest Avenue Plaza and the Ellsworth/State roundabout.

Communications, Updates

Several items were brought up during the meeting in the category of updates or general communications from commissioners and Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator.

Communications, Updates: DIA Inside|Out Program

John Kotarski reported his communications with Kathryn Dimond, community relations manager at the Detroit Institute of Arts. By way of background, a DIA representative had met with AAPAC in October 2011 regarding a partnership with Ann Arbor for the institute’s Inside|Out program. The program involves installing framed reproductions from the DIA’s collection at outdoor locations on building facades or in parks. The original proposal was for Ann Arbor to participate this year, but it’s now likely to happen in 2013.

Kotarski said he had proposed getting schools involved in helping select the artwork that would be installed locally. At the June 27 meeting, he told commissioners DIA officials liked that idea, but wanted to coordinate it themselves, possibly with an online contest on the DIA website.

A community is selected to participate in the program during one of two three-month periods each year: From April through June, or from July through September. Kotarski said he had suggested the July through September timeframe. Other commissioners felt that wouldn’t be the best period for students to be involved, since they’d be out of school most of that time. Kotarski said he’d contact Dimond again and convey a preference for the April through June period instead.

Bob Miller wondered what it would take for Ann Arbor to start its own version of this program. Kotarski expressed enthusiasm for that idea, and commissioners indicated they would take it up at a future meeting.

Communications, Updates: Public Commentary, Minutes

At the beginning of the June 27 meeting, commissioners discussed some housekeeping items. Theresa Reid suggested that Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator, take less detailed minutes “for [his] own sanity.” She indicated that a greater level of detail can lead to more conflict, with commissioners potentially disputing what’s recorded.

AAPAC chair Marsha Chamberlin said Seagraves has been getting varied advice about the level of detail that’s needed. It would certainly make it easier if only motions and votes were recorded, she said.

Raising a separate issue, John Kotarski said he’d like to add a slot on the agenda for public commentary at the end of each meeting, in addition to the time that’s available at the beginning of the meeting. That would be consistent with the practice of the city council and other commissions, he said. It’s the chair’s prerogative, he said, but he didn’t think it would take that much more time in the meeting. [Kotarski is correct – the city council and most city commissions offer opportunities for public commentary at the start and end of each meeting. The standard time per individual is three minutes.]

The intent is for people to have the opportunity to give input prior to a decision by AAPAC, then to provide feedback after that decision is made, he said. Bob Miller suggested that Seagraves find out what other commissions do in terms of time limits and other rules, then report back to AAPAC.

No one from the public attended the June 27 AAPAC meeting.

Communications, Updates: State Street Corridor

Aaron Seagraves asked if any of the commissioners wanted to be part of the city’s State Street corridor study. [For background, see Chronicle coverage: "South State Corridor Gets Closer Look"]

Marsha Chamberlin wondered what the role of a commissioner would be. Seagraves indicated it would be to provide input as the group develops recommendations for improving the corridor. Responding to other questions, he said he wasn’t sure of the project’s timeframe, or how it fits into the city’s North Main corridor task force.

Bob Miller indicated that he’d be willing to get involved with the State Street project.

Communications, Updates: Other Projects

In the written report from Aaron Seagraves, updates were given on several ongoing projects:

• Justice Center: The contract with artist Ed Carpenter is complete, and Carpenter will be working on a final design. [Chronicle coverage: "City Council OKs Justice Center Art"]
• Argo Cascades: A task force has completed review of a draft statement of qualifications (SOQ), which was sent to the city attorney’s office for legal review on May 25. [Chronicle coverage: "Art Commission OKs Argo Cascades Project"]
• East Stadium bridges: Seagraves is working to request the completion of legal review for the artist request for proposals. AAPAC had approved the RFP and a $400,000 project budget in April. [Chronicle coverage: "RFP for E. Stadium Bridges Art Approved"]
• Kingsley & First rain garden: The project’s task force met in early May. A public forum will be planned after the building on the property is demolished, likely at the end of July or later. Input from that forum will be used in developing the SOQ draft. [Chronicle coverage: "W. Kingsley House Finally To Be Demolished"]

The status of additional projects was provided in a two-page “project tracker” spreadsheet, but not discussed at the meeting.

Communications, Updates: Budget

Also provided in written form, but not discussed, was a summary of funds available in the Percent for Art program. [.pdf of budget summary]

Of the $1,367,148 in available funds, $851,233 has been earmarked by AAPAC for future projects, including artwork for East Stadium bridges ($400,000), Argo Cascades ($150,000); and the Justice Center ($147,468).

That leaves $515,914 for additional projects. The majority of that amount is in “pooled” funds from sewer projects ($358,345) and the streets millage ($129,251).

Commissioners present: Marsha Chamberlin, Cathy Gendron, John Kotarski, Bob Miller, Theresa Reid, Malverne Winborne. Also Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator.

Absent: Connie Rizzolo Brown, Tony Derezinski, Wiltrud Simbuerger.

Next regular meeting: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. at city hall, 301 E. Huron St. [Check Chronicle events listing to confirm date]

The Chronicle relies in part on regular voluntary subscriptions to support our artful coverage of publicly-funded programs like the Percent for Art, which is overseen by the Ann Arbor public art commission. Click this link for details: Subscribe to The Chronicle.

AAPAC selected Ann Arbor muralist Mary Thiefels of TreeTown Murals for the project at its Jan. 25, 2012 meeting. The final design has been changed from her original proposal, based on feedback from a mural task force, and is more abstract than the original. An initial $10,000 budget later had been increased to $12,000, with $7,200 of that amount to be paid for with a grant from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation.

Thiefel’s project includes working with local schools and incorporating ideas from students into her design – creating  mosaics on the pillars of the building at Allmendinger Park. This is the first mural in a pilot program that AAPAC hopes will eventually create several murals in city neighborhoods. The commission’s annual art plan for fiscal year 2013 – which begins July 1, 2012 – allocates an additional $40,000 to fund two more murals. No locations or artists have been selected for those projects.

In a separate vote, commissioners approved a statement of qualifications (SOQ) that will be issued by the city. [.pdf of mural SOQ] The objective, as stated in the SOQ, is to “find professional muralists and other artists whose work meets a set of standards and to pre-qualify them for City of Ann Arbor mural projects to be contracted in 2012 to 2014.” General expectations cited in the SOQ include: (1) work experience in mural artwork, or other media of a similar type; (2) proficiency in 2-D or surface mounted media and art fabrication; (3) the ability to work together with oversight bodies, project managers and city staff; and (4) the ability to work on location and complete an artwork installation in a timely manner.

Some commissioners advocated soliciting artists more frequently than a two-year period. Ultimately, commissioners voted to approve the initial SOQ, and directed Aaron Seagraves – the city’s public art administrator – to investigate the possibility of refreshing the pool of artists annually, using the same SOQ.

This brief was filed from the basement conference room at city hall, 301 E. Huron, where AAPAC held its June meeting. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

Draft of a schematic showing the Ann Arbor public art commission's process, from ideas through implementation. Other steps include decision-making, task force work, artist proposals, and selection. The flow chart is being designed by Hannah Nathans, a University of Michigan undergraduate who's working as an intern with the city. (Photos by the writer.)

Ideas included public art at the planned South State and Ellsworth roundabout, projects in underserved neighborhoods, the traffic island at the Washtenaw split with East Stadium, the dog park at Ellsworth and Platt, the non-motorized path along Washtenaw Avenue, and the skatepark at Veterans Memorial Park. About $500,000 is available in unallocated Percent for Art funds, with an estimated $200,000 to $300,000 coming in to the program annually from upcoming capital projects.

The discussion led some commissioners to speculate on the possibility of changing the composition of AAPAC to increase the number of commissioners, so that more people would be available to handle the work. Another possibility  they discussed was making the public art administrator’s job a full-time position. Currently, the public art administrator’s job is defined as 20 hours per week, with additional hours added for management of specific projects. After some discussion, it seems unlikely that commissioners will pursue either of those options at this time.

The commission handled two action items during the May 23 meeting. Connie Rizzolo Brown was recommended to represent AAPAC on a new city task force for the North Main/Huron River corridor. The task force had been established by the city council at its May 7, 2012 meeting with 10 members, then expanded at the council’s May 21 meeting to include four additional members. The council vote to add an AAPAC representative had passed on a 6-5 split, with some councilmembers concerned that the group was getting too large.

At their May 23 meeting, art commissioners also voted to fully fund the mural project at Allmendinger Park for $12,000. Previously, an initial $10,000 budget later had been increased to $12,000, with $7,200 of that amount to be paid for with a grant from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. But the city council first must formally accept the grant, and that’s not expected to happen until its June 18 meeting. Meanwhile, Percent for Art funds will be allocated to the project so that a contract can be executed with artist Mary Thiefels. The foundation grant will eventually reimburse the program for this project.

Also discussed at Wednesday’s meeting were the upcoming Golden Paintbrush awards, which will likely be presented at the city council’s June 18 meeting. The awards recognize local contributions to public art. This year, former AAPAC chair Margaret Parker will be among those artists honored.

North Main/Huron River Task Force

At the Ann Arbor city council’s May 21 meeting, councilmember Tony Derezinski (Ward 2) lobbied successfully to add a member of the city’s public art commission to a task force that had been created by council to study the corridor along North Main Street and the Huron River. Derezinski is also a member of AAPAC.

The task force was established by the city council at its May 7, 2012 meeting, with 10 members in the following areas: one member of the park advisory commission, one member of the planning commission, one resident representing the Water Hill neighborhood, one resident representing the North Central neighborhood, one resident from the Old Fourth Ward, one resident representing the Broadway/Pontiac neighborhood, two business and property owners from the affected area, and one member of the Huron River Watershed Council.

At its May 21 meeting, the two sponsors of the resolution that created the task force – Ward 1 councilmembers Sabra Briere and Sandi Smith – proposed adding three additional representatives: a member of the city council, someone from the boating/fishing community of river users, and a representative from the Huron River Citizens Association.

Derezinski then proposed an amendment to add an AAPAC member to the task force, too. After some discussion – and concerns that the task force was growing too large – the AAPAC addition was passed by council on a 6-5 vote.

At AAPAC’s May 23 meeting, Derezinski told commissioners that “basically, we need someone at the table.”

Connie Rizzolo Brown, pictured here at AAPAC's April 2012 meeting, volunteered to be the commission's representative on a North Main/Huron River corridor task force.

The task force is charged with delivering a report to the city council more than a year from now (by July 31, 2013) that describes “a vision to create/complete/enhance pedestrian and bike connection from downtown to Bandemer and Huron River Drive, increase public access to the river-side amenities of existing parks in the North Main-Huron River corridor, ease traffic congestion at Main and Depot at certain times of a day and recommend use of MichCon property at Broadway; …”

Earlier than the due date for the main main report is a Dec. 31, 2012 deadline for the task force to make recommendations on the use of the city-owned 721 N. Main parcel.

AAPAC chair Marsha Chamberlin noted that several commissioners had expressed interest in being on the task force. Cathy Gendron, who’s been talking with developer Bill Martin about a possible public/private partnership along the North Main corridor, said she probably shouldn’t do it since her term ends later this year and she’s not seeking reappointment. Gendron has served on AAPAC since its formation in 2008.

Connie Rizzolo Brown, who has served on AAPAC since early 2009, noted that her term also ends in December 2012, but she wanted to volunteer for the task force. She is a principal of Rizzolo Brown Studio, an Ann Arbor architectural design firm. Chamberlin noted that Brown – who leads AAPAC’s projects committee – has been interested in gateway projects for a long time.

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously voted to recommend that Connie Rizzolo Brown be nominated for a position on a task force to study the corridor along North Main Street and the Huron River. That recommendation will be forwarded to mayor John Hieftje. Appointments are expected to be made at the council’s June 4 meeting.

Funding for Allmendinger Mural

Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator, brought forward an item asking the commission to allocate full funding to the Allmendinger mural project from the Percent for Art program. AAPAC selected Ann Arbor muralist Mary Thiefels of TreeTown Murals for the project at its Jan. 25, 2012 meeting. An initial $10,000 budget later had been increased to $12,000, with $7,200 of that amount to be paid for with a grant from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation.

However, the foundation grant must first be formally accepted by the Ann Arbor city council, and that hasn’t happened yet, Seagraves said. It is expected to be on the council’s June 18 agenda. In order to move ahead with the project and execute a contract with Thiefels, Seagraves asked commissioners to approve full funding of the project from Percent for Art funds, with the understanding that $7,200 of the funding would be reimbursed with the community foundation grant after it’s accepted by the council.

Wiltrud Simbuerger, who leads the mural task force, said Thiefels has already started working on the project, even without a contract. Marsha Chamberlin noted that AAPAC had been contacted by the community foundation regarding the grant about a year ago – it’s taken a long time to process.

Thiefel’s project includes working with local schools and incorporating ideas from students into her design – creating  mosaics at the top and bottom of pillars on the building at Allmendinger Park. This is the first mural in a pilot program that AAPAC hopes will eventually create several murals in city neighborhoods. The commission’s annual art plan for fiscal year 2013 – which begins July 1, 2012 – allocates an additional $40,000 to fund two more murals. No locations or artists have been selected for those projects.

Outcome: Commissioners approved funding for the Allmendinger mural, with planned reimbursement from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation grant.

Communications: Golden Paintbrush Awards, Townie Party

During her report from the public relations committee, Cathy Gendron gave an update on plans for the Golden Paintbrush awards. The annual awards are presented at a city council meeting and recognize local contributions to public art. Though all of the winners have not been publicly announced, AAPAC’s discussion made it clear that one of the awards will be given to Margaret Parker, AAPAC’s former chair who left the commission when her term ended last year.

Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator, indicated that he hadn’t yet been able to confirm that the awards were on the June 4 city council agenda. Marsha Chamberlin, AAPAC’s chair, told commissioners that Seagraves wouldn’t be able to attend the June 4 meeting because he’ll be out of town – he’s getting married on June 2. Commissioners discussed moving the awards to the June 18 meeting, to accommodate his schedule. He said he’d check with the award winners to see if they can attend on the 18th, and also if it’s possible to place the presentation on the city council agenda for that meeting.

After the city council presentation, a reception for the Golden Paintbrush winners is planned in the atrium of city hall, at 301 E. Huron. Commissioners discussed inviting others who’ve been instrumental in public art activities, including members of various AAPAC task forces.

Gendron also noted that the PR committee is preparing for this year’s Townie Street Party, held on Monday, July 16 at Ingalls Mall. It’s an annual event hosted by the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair prior to the art fairs, which this year run from July 18-21. Gendron hoped that other commissioners would help shoot video at the party, talking to people about why public art is important.

Bob Miller noted that he’d been recruited to AAPAC as the result of meeting commissioner Malverne Winborne at last year’s Townie Street Party.

Communications: Update from City Council

In addition to the discussion about the North Main corridor task force, Tony Derezinski told commissioners that the May 21 city council meeting had included a proposed budget amendment that would have “tickled” the public art commission’s work. But that amendment was defeated, he said. [For a close look at budget deliberations on this and other amendments, see Chronicle coverage: "Debate Details: Ann Arbor FY 2013 Budget."]

The budget amendment, brought forward by Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3) and Jane Lumm (Ward 2), would have eliminated $307,299 in transfers to public art. It was rejected on a 2-9 vote, with support only from Kunselman and Lumm. It stipulated that the transfers from various city funds into the public art fund would not take place, “notwithstanding city code” – a reference to the city’s Percent for Art ordinance. The Percent for Art ordinance requires that 1% of all capital improvement projects, up to a cap of $250,000 per capital project, be set aside for public art. The amendment would have prevented the transfer of $60,649 out of the drinking water fund, $22,400 out of the stormwater fund, $101,750 out of the sewer fund, and $122,500 out of the street millage fund.

The council had re-debated its public art ordinance most recently at its May 7, 2012 meeting, in the context of a sculpture for the Justice Center lobby, which was ultimately approved.

At AAPAC’s May 23 meeting, Derezinski said he’d told his fellow councilmembers that this amendment was part of a continued way of “nibbling us by ducks” – alluding to other previous attempts to scale back the Percent for Art program. He said he would have used the expression “death by a thousand cuts,” but felt that was too bloody for the council.

Strategic Planning

Commissioners spent much of their May 23 meeting talking about strategic planning, picking up on a four-hour retreat they had held in April. [See Chronicle coverage: "Shaping Ann Arbor's Public Art Landscape."] They had originally intended to schedule a second retreat, but opted instead for tackling the topic at a regular meeting.

AAPAC chair Marsha Chamberlin began by saying that although the commission has previously talked about developing a master plan, she felt that the term “strategic plan” was more appropriate and was a better way to capture what AAPAC was trying to do. She brought a draft of a strategic plan, as a way to start the discussion. [.pdf draft strategic plan]

Wiltrud Simbuerger proposed thinking of the strategic plan in terms of a plan of action. That might include allocating a certain percentage of funds to particular types of projects – gateway projects, or public art in neighborhoods, for example. Another approach would be to allocate percentages of funding to large, medium or small projects, as defined by budget size. She’d also like to see a mix of long-term and short-term projects, and for AAPAC to be proactive in their work, not just responsive to proposals that are submitted by others.

Cathy Gendron expressed some concern about whether the allocation of funds to a certain type of project would dictate its size. Does that tie AAPAC’s hands? Simbuerger said the intent would be to guide AAPAC’s work generally, but that they could stray from those general strategies based on community input or when opportunities arise.

Bob Miller asked about the funding outlook – what are the projects for Percent for Art revenues next year? Theresa Reid pointed to the city’s capital improvements plan (CIP), saying there are more than $1 billion worth of projects in that. She said AAPAC should be made aware of things like the CIP, which could directly impact their work. [While it's true that the most recent CIP – for the fiscal years 2013-2018 – identifies $1.13 billion in projects over that period, funding for a large portion of those projects has not been identified. To some extent, the CIP is considered a "wish list" of projects that city staff believe are needed. (.pdf of FY2013-2018 CIP)]

Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator, said that in general, he’d estimate the Percent for Art program would bring in between $200,000 to $300,000 annually. [The program currently has about $500,000 in funds that have not yet been allocated to specific projects. About $629,000 in additional funds are set aside for projects that are underway, as summarized in the annual plan that AAPAC approved at its March 2012 meeting. (.pdf of FY 2013 annual public art plan)]

Gendron cautioned that commissioners need to keep in mind the constraints of the funding sources. [A percent of the budget for each city capital project – up to $250,000 per project – goes toward public art. But money earmarked for the Percent for Art program must be used for public art that somehow relates to the original funding source. For example, the Herbert Dreiseitl water sculpture in front of city hall was paid for in part using Percent for Art funds from stormwater capital projects, because the city contends that the sculpture is "related to the purposes" of the stormwater fund.]

Commissioners spent a portion of the session brainstorming about projects they’d like to get started in the next three years. Suggestions included public art at the planned South State and Ellsworth roundabout, projects in underserved neighborhoods, the traffic island at the Washtenaw/East Stadium split, the dog park at Ellsworth and Platt, the non-motorized path along Washtenaw Avenue, and the skatepark at Veterans Memorial Park.

Also discussed was the typology of projects that AAPAC would like to pursue. Ideas included projects that are interactive, creative and connective with the community. Connie Rizzolo Brown cautioned that the commission shouldn’t be too specific in its direction, however. Development of specific projects should be the purview of task forces that are created for that purpose, and for the artists who are selected, she said.

Reid suggested that over the next month, commissioners should circulate more ideas via email to discuss at their June meeting. She also said she worried about capacity. With only nine commissioners and a part-time administrator, how much work could they shoulder? There was some discussion about the process of adding commissioners – it would require the city council to amend the Percent for Art ordinance, which sets forth the number of AAPAC members. Brown ventured that councilmembers might not be inclined to do that. [Tony Derezinski, who serves on both AAPAC and city council, had left the meeting early and was not part of the discussion at this point.]

Chamberlin noted that although the position of public art administrator is only a 20-hour-per-week job, Seagraves can also work additional hours as project manager for specific art projects. A project manager’s hours are funded from the Percent for Art dollars allocated to those projects. For example, Seagraves will be the project manager for the art installation at the Justice Center, which was approved by city council at its May 7, 2012 meeting.

Miller asked whether it would be possible to make the public art administrator’s job a regular 40-hour-per-week position. Chamberlin said it would take a lot of politicking and lobbying of city council, and it’s not likely something AAPAC should pursue at this point. However, as more projects are completed and councilmembers view the program as successful, she said, the council could probably see a rationale for making it a full-time job. Miller noted that if the administrator works more hours, AAPAC can get more accomplished.

Commissioners present: Connie Rizzolo Brown, Marsha Chamberlin, Tony Derezinski, Cathy Gendron, Bob Miller, Theresa Reid, Wiltrud Simbuerger. Also Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator.

Absent: John Kotarski, Malverne Winborne.

Next regular meeting: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. at city hall, 301 E. Huron St. [Check Chronicle events listing to confirm date]

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Ann Arbor public art commissioner Wiltrud Simbuerger, showing other commission members some proposals from artists for a mural at Allmendinger Park. A local artist, Mary Thiefels, has been selected for that project. (Photos by the writer.)

The group unanimously recommended selecting Ed Carpenter of Portland, Oregon for a $150,000 art project in the lobby of the city’s Justice Center, located at the corner of East Huron and Fifth Avenue. A task force had recommended the selection of Carpenter’s proposal from three finalists. It’s a sculpture called “Radius”.

Carpenter plans to create a hanging sculpture of dichroic glass, aluminum, stainless steel and lighting, including LED spot and flood lighting. Among the reasons for recommending Radius, the task force cited the sculpture’s metaphor: That the activities in the Justice Center have a “rippling” effect throughout the community, which echos the water sculpture by Herbert Dreiseitl that’s located in the plaza outside the building.

The Justice Center, a new building next to city hall, houses the 15th District Court and the Ann Arbor police department. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the city council for approval.

In other action, the art commission voted to select Ann Arbor muralist Mary Thiefels for a mural project to be located on pillars at a building in Allmendinger Park. A task force had recommended her selection from among four finalists. Her proposal entails asking neighborhood residents for artifacts to create mosaics at the top and bottom of the pillars. The task force recommended that they continue to work with Thiefels on designing the remainder of the mural in the middle sections of the pillars.

Commissioners liked the concept of “found object” mosaics, but questioned whether the $10,000 budget was sufficient. They ultimately voted to approve selecting Thiefels for the project, contingent on her submission of a revised proposal and budget, with additional input from the task force. This project is the first one in a pilot mural program started last year by former commissioner Jeff Meyers.

AAPAC also discussed possible artwork for four sites connected to the East Stadium bridges, which are being reconstructed. The two commissioners who serve on a task force for that project – Wiltrud Simbuerger and Bob Miller – indicated that the budget recommendation will likely be at least $250,000 for artwork there. The task force is currently developing a request for proposals to be issued in the coming weeks.

In the context of developing their annual art plan for fiscal 2013, which by ordinance must be delivered to the city council by April 1, commissioners decided to hold a retreat next month. In addition to shaping the annual plan, the aim of the retreat is to develop a master plan that would provide a broader conceptual framework to guide AAPAC’s decisions. Input from an online survey of the public will also be used – the survey remains open until Feb. 20, and has garnered more than 400 responses so far.

Commissioner Appointments

Marsha Chamberlin, the commission’s chair, began the Jan. 25 meeting by welcoming two new commissioners: Bob Miller and John Kotarski. Kotarski had been appointed by the city council at its Jan. 9, 2012 meeting to replace outgoing commissioner Margaret Parker. He has been a media consultant who previously worked for the Mount Clemens Schools. His three-year term expires Jan. 9, 2015.

At the city council’s Jan. 23, 2012 meeting, Bob Miller was appointed to replace Cheryl Zuellig, and Chamberlin was reappointed for a second term. The terms for Miller and Chamberlin run through December 2015. Chamberlin is president of the Ann Arbor Art Center. Miller has worked as a real estate agent and homebuilder, and has a fine arts degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Both Miller and Kotarski have attended AAPAC meetings over the past few months as observers.

Chamberlin reported that mayor John Hieftje has identified another candidate that he intends to nominate for approval by the city council, but she didn’t want to identify that person publicly until the nomination was made. The person would replace Elaine Sims, whose term expired at the end of 2011.

Justice Center Artwork

On the Jan. 25 agenda was an item to consider approval of artwork proposed for the lobby of the city’s Justice Center, located at the corner of East Huron and Fifth Avenue.

A rendering of Ed Carpenter’s proposed “Radius” sculpture in the southwest corner of Ann Arbor’s Justice Center lobby. This image was revised from earlier drawings by the artist to include more glass, at the request of a selection task force. (Links to larger image)

A task force had recommended the selection of Ed Carpenter’s proposal – a sculpture called “Radius” – from three finalists for the $150,000 project. Members of the task force who recommended Carpenter are Elaine Sims, Margaret Parker, Spring Tremaine, Karl Daubmann, Maureen Devine, Laura Rubin, Ray Detter, Margie Teal, Homayoon Pirooz, and Aaron Seagraves.

It will be the second major installation funded with money from Ann Arbor’s Percent for Art program, which captures 1% of each city capital project – capped at $250,000 per project – for public art. The first major installation is located in the plaza outside of the Justice Center and in front of city hall: A bronze water sculpture by the German artist Herbert Dreiseitl, that cost more than $750,000.

Carpenter’s proposal calls for creating a hanging sculpture of dichroic glass, aluminum, stainless steel and lighting, including LED spot and flood lighting. The intent of the artwork is to reflect how the work of the courts and police radiate out into the community. The Justice Center houses the 15th District Court and the Ann Arbor police department.

The task force cited several reasons for their choice. Among them:

• The artwork uses a great deal of the space in the lobby and makes the best use of the site.
• The reflective nature of the glass used in the design will incorporate direct lighting and reflective light, which will be visible from both indoors and outdoors, during the day and at night.
• The colored glass and moving reflections will add a mediating softness and color to the architecture of the lobby.
• The art’s metaphor that work within the Justice Center has a rippling effect throughout the community; the “ripple” metaphor is consistent with the Dreiseitl sculpture.

In his proposal, Carpenter wrote:

Like ripples from a stone tossed into a pond, “Radius” emanates outward through the Justice Center lobby, a reminder of the interconnectedness of the public with the agencies serving them, and suggesting a network of cause and effect in the public realm.

“Radius” is designed to involve as much of the lobby as possible, radiating from the southeast corner, visible from inside and outside, day and night. [Editor's note: The sculpture will be located in the lobby's southwest corner.] Lighting contained in its hollow center will illuminate gleaming glass and anodized aluminum details, creating elegant views of its expansive forms.

When sun strikes, dichroic glass elements will project and reflect colored light deep into the space in luminous compositions, slowly moving through the lobby in response to the arc of the sun and the passing of clouds.

Justice Center Artwork: Commission Discussion

John Kotarski noted that the task force had cited some issues they wanted the artist to address. Had the artist responded? Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator, said Carpenter had submitted new renderings showing additional glass in the sculpture, which the task force had requested.

John Kotarski at his first meeting as a public art commissioner on Jan. 25.

Marsha Chamberlin asked whether the budget reflects those changes. [The budget of $150,000 includes a $9,000 line item for dichroic glass elements. Other major line items are for fabricated anodized aluminum elements ($35,000), installation ($20,000), lighting/electrical ($12,000), structural site work and ceiling refinishing ($12,000) and artist's wages/overhead ($25,700).] Seagraves said the artist had indicated that extra glass could be accommodated within the original budget.

Wiltrud Simbuerger wondered how quickly the work would be completed. There would be a six-month timeline, starting from the point of approval by the city council, Seagraves said.

Chamberlin noted that after the council approves the project, it typically takes an additional two months for the city attorney’s office to draw up a contract. She speculated that the six-month period would start sometime this summer, after a contract with the artist is signed. Kotarski asked whether it really takes two months for legal staff to prepare a contract. That’s been the commission’s experience, Chamberlin replied.

Chamberlin said she liked the project, and found it intriguing. Kotarski agreed, saying he especially liked the theme of the work. It puts the police and justice system at the center of the community, “as it should be,” he said. The ever-changing color and light reflects the community’s diversity, he added. It’s elegant, and light – it won’t disrupt the area at all. He also liked the fact that people can sit under it. Visitors are part of the center, and radiate out, he said – the artist ties this all together.

Connie Brown thanked the task force members for their work.

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of Carpenter’s Radius sculpture for the Justice Center lobby. The recommendation will be forwarded to city council for a vote.

Mural Project at Allmendinger Park

The art commission was asked to vote on selecting Ann Arbor muralist Mary Thiefels for a mural project to be located on pillars at a building in Allmendinger Park.

A task force had recommended her selection from among four finalists. Members of the task force include Wiltrud Simbuerger, Connie Pulcipher, Aaron Seagraves, Mariah Cherem and Hannah Smotrich.

This is the first project in a mural pilot program originally proposed by former AAPAC commissioner Jeff Meyers. Following Meyers’ resignation in mid-2011, Simbuerger has taken the lead on this project. At the Jan. 25 meeting, she briefly outlined the proposals for four finalists chosen by the task force. In addition to Thiefels, other finalists were (1) Robert Delgado of Los Angeles, Calif.; (2) Bethany Kalk of Moorehead, Kentucky; and (3) Jefferson Nelson of Liberty Center, Ohio.

The task force decided to recommend Thiefels not because hers was the best artistic treatment, but because of her proposal’s involvement of the community, Simbuerger said. Thiefels’ proposal entails asking neighborhood residents for artifacts to create mosaics at the top and bottom of the pillars. In a sense, it would create a “library” of the neighborhood, Simbuerger told commissioners, and the task force really liked this concept. They also liked the fact that Thiefels has a concrete plan for how to execute the community involvement aspect of her project. [.pdf of narrative portion from Thiefels' proposal]

However, task force members had some issues about the imagery that Thiefels proposed for the middle of the columns, Simbuerger said. In her proposal, Thiefels described it this way:

My timeless design for the Allmendinger park will inspire all who encounter it year round. Each of the 12 pillars represent a month of the year, 3 pillars to a season. Seasonal activities illustrate the diversity and popularity of the park.

In the spring, lilac bushes blossom, children come out of hibernation to play hide and go seek, birds nest again in the oak and hickory trees, the playground comes alive with activity and laughter. On the summer pillars kites fly and sports abound, like basketball, volleyball, tennis, baseball, and soccer. On the fall pillars you see, colors changing, tree climbing, dog walking and frisbee tossing, sunny day picnics, and morning martial arts. Winter offers cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snow angels.

I will paint these illustrations onto a third of each pillar space. The remaining area will be made up of tile or glass mosaic and a section of collected and found materials.

I intend to use striking and strong imagery, illustrating the activities with visual confidence. The figures, birds, and trees, could be painted in Kara Walker style silhouettes (to see visuals of Kara Walker’s work, visit: http://learn.walkerart.org/karawalker). They can be heavily modeled and detailed or played down (painted more like a wood block, stencil or silhouette). Grays and earth tones can be used instead of blacks to better harmonize with the surroundings.

Right now, those images might work if you’re close to them, but not necessarily if you’re driving by or looking at them from a house across the street, Simbuerger said. So the task force recommended that they continue to work with Thiefels on designing the remainder of the mural on the middle sections of the pillars. Thiefels is willing to do that, but her new proposal isn’t yet completed, Simbuerger said.

Mural Project at Allmendinger Park: Commission Discussion

John Kotarski began by saying he really liked the proposal, especially because it involves the neighborhood and because Thiefels is a local artist. It’s important to build a sustainable community of local artists, he said. Kotarski agreed that the task force should continue to work with her on developing the project.

Image depicting Mary Thiefels’ mural proposal at Allmendinger Park.

Connie Brown liked the collaboration between the task force and Thiefels – that’s a good process, she said, and will result in a richer design.

Tony Derezinski also liked the concept, and noted that members of the Allmendinger family still live in this area. He reported that his wife used to work in the Allmendinger building at First and Washington. [The historic brick building contains offices now, but was originally the Allmendinger piano and organ factory.]

Commissioners discussed other projects that Thiefels had completed, including murals in Hillsdale, Dexter and downtown Ann Arbor – a mural depicting Michigan veterans, located in the alley on West Liberty between Ashley and Main. AAPAC had selected Thiefels for a 2011 Golden Paintbrush award from the city for that mural.

Marsha Chamberlin questioned whether the $10,000 budget was sufficient, considering the time and effort that would be required. Simbuerger agreed that it wasn’t much, but noted that it’s an amount low enough so that it doesn’t require the city council’s approval. Connie Brown clarified that the mural pilot program – approved by AAPAC in November 2010 – had designated a maximum $10,000 per project with the idea that multiple projects could be completed relatively quickly.

Simbuerger noted that the funding limit puts constraints on the types of materials that might be used, essentially limiting it to paint because of the cost. Bob Miller wondered whether there was any flexibility to add to the budget for materials.

Derezinski asked whether Thiefels is experienced at making bids on projects like this. Chamberlin reported that Thiefels has a company – TreeTown Murals – and has completed several projects. Chamberlin said she trusted that Thiefels could finish the project as proposed, within the amount budgeted. But it felt like AAPAC was setting up the program to encourage artists to cut corners, she added.

Chamberlin recalled that when Susan Skarsgard did the Imagine/Align project – a linear planting of daffodils at The Arb – it had been a major undertaking. Among other things, Thiefels’ project would entail cataloguing all of the contributed items to be used in the mosaic. It would be lovely to eventually have a story on the building’s wall to document the items, Chamberlin said.

Brown noted that this is a pilot program, so AAPAC could change it if they needed to.

Miller suggested that the commission ask Thiefels to submit a revised budget, one that would realistically reflect her work. At that point, the commission could discuss whether other funding might be available. After further discussion, Malverne Winborne made a friendly amendment to accept Thiefels as the artist for this project, contingent on her working with the task force to submit a revised proposal and budget.

Outcome: Commissioners voted to select Mary Thiefels for the Allmendinger mural project, contingent on asking her submission of a revised proposal and budget, with additional input from the task force. Work on the mural is expected to begin this summer.

Artwork for East Stadium Bridges

Wiltrud Simuerger gave an update on artwork for the East Stadium bridges project. The task force, which she leads, now includes Dave Huntoon, Joss Kiely, Nancy Leff, Jim Kosteva, Bob Miller and Aaron Seagraves.

The group met and talked about possible locations for artwork, Simbuerger said, within AAPAC’s framework of making it a high visibility project for a range of users – motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. They identified four locations: (1) on the East Stadium bridge itself; (2) on a fence in Rose White Park; (3) at the terminus of White Street, north of the bridge; and (4) on the stairs and underpass at South State Street. Artwork at any of these sites could be seen differently by various users, she said, depending on their velocity.

From left: Ann Arbor public art commissioners Bob Miller and Malverne Winborne.

The task force is developing a request for proposals (RFP) that will incorporate one or more of these locations. The proposal should also introduce an overarching theme, ensure the artwork’s high visibility, and address the diverse nature of the site, she said.

After the draft RFP is approved by the task force, it will be presented to AAPAC for consideration. Simbuerger said the task force is inclined to suggest a budget of $250,000 because it will be a high-visibility project: “That’s why we really recommend putting in some money.” Miller added that the amount suggested might be even higher.

Malverne Winborne clarified with Aaron Seagraves that $100,000 in funding was available directly from the bridge reconstruction budget, as the Percent for Art earmark. Other Percent for Art funds could be tapped, as long as the artwork relates directly to the original funding source. For example, artwork for the bridge could be funded with some of the $529,251 that’s available for public art from street millage projects.

Connie Brown said it’s difficult to allocate money for these kinds of public art projects without having a sense of how the projects fit into a broader plan. Marsha Chamberlin replied that the commission’s annual art plan is designed to provide that kind of guidance. [.pdf of current annual art plan, for fiscal year 2012]

The annual plan gives a list of projects and potential sites for public art, Brown said. It doesn’t provide an overall framework, one that answers the question of what the public art program hopes to accomplish more broadly for residents, she said.

John Kotarski agreed. Without a “conceptual narrative,” it’s hard to say whether a project is worth investing $100,000 or $400,000, he said. It’s challenging to evaluate sites by location, without a broader narrative or theme. Without that framework, he said, people might ask whether the Percent for Art program is just decorating the city.

Brown described it as the difference between being reactive or proactive. The commission needs an upper-level vision, she said.

Winborne noted that a budget for the East Stadium bridges artwork didn’t need to be set that night. Even after the task force makes a recommendation, a draft RFP would need to be reviewed by the city attorney’s office, he said. So the commission has time to discuss these issues further.

Strategic Planning

The discussion of the East Stadium bridges project – and the need for a broader conceptual framework to guide AAPAC’s decisions – led to talk of developing a master plan, in addition to the commission’s annual art plan.

Marsha Chamberlin pointed out that the commission’s approach has been from the bottom up, but they need to also look at it from the top down. They could look at what they’d generally like to achieve in the next three years, for example, then evaluate how specific projects would fit those goals.

Chamberlin initially suggested using part of AAPAC’s Feb. 22 meeting to talk about a master plan. But after further discussion, commissioners reached a consensus that a half-day retreat would be a better approach. Chamberlin proposed asking the mayor to expedite his nomination of the new commissioner, so that person could participate in the retreat. Connie Pulcipher of the city’s systems planning unit will be asked to facilitate. She has led AAPAC through similar exercises in the past, most recently in October 2011 to help commissioners prep for a Nov. 14 working session with city council.

No date has yet been announced for the upcoming retreat.

Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator, informed commissioners that he’ll be making a presentation at a March 12 city council working session to give an update on the Percent for Art program. He noted that AAPAC needs to pass its next annual plan – for FY 2013 – in March, so that it can be presented to the city council by April 1, as required by the Percent for Art ordinance.

At AAPAC’s Dec. 13, 2011 meeting, Seagraves had led a discussion regarding the next annual plan. As a follow-up to that meeting, he’d subsequently surveyed commissioners via email about their priorities for the coming year. At the Jan. 25 meeting, he presented results of that survey, which five of the eight commissioners had completed.

Based on the survey input, Seagraves identified priorities in several categories for the city’s 2013 fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013:

• Streets: (1) the southeast corner of Main & William; (2) the intersection of Main & Huron; and (3) the median at Washtenaw & Stadium.
• Water & Sewer: (1) dams – Barton, Superior; (2) manhole covers; (3) interpretive signs regarding sewer “lead throughs” in parks.
• Programs: (1) crosswalk designs; (2) banners; (3) bus stops.
• Other: (1) roofs at the farmer’s market; (2) Douglas Park on Washtenaw Avenue; and (3) Miller’s Creek streambank.

Seagraves noted that in addition to priorities from commissioners, results from a public online survey could be used to guide the annual plan. The online survey, which launched earlier this month, will run through Feb. 20. So far, about 400 responses have been received, Seagraves said.

John Kotarski said he didn’t complete the survey because he’d had trouble figuring out what kind of responses were being sought. Connie Brown said she didn’t complete it either – she’d been frustrated that the questions didn’t fit into a broader framework.

Wiltrude Simbuerger suggested using this for the basis of discussion at the retreat, but not relying on the survey results exclusively to develop the annual art plan.

Commissioners present: Connie Rizzolo-Brown, Marsha Chamberlin, Tony Derezinski, John Kotarski, Bob Miller, Wiltrud Simbuerger, Malverne Winborne. Also Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator.

Absent: Cathy Gendron.

Next regular meeting: Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. at city hall, 301 E. Huron St. [confirm date]

The Chronicle relies in part on regular voluntary subscriptions to support our coverage of publicly-funded programs like the Percent for Art, which is overseen by the Ann Arbor public art commission. Click this link for details: Subscribe to The Chronicle.

Carpenter’s proposal calls for creating a hanging sculpture of dichroic glass, aluminum, stainless steel and lighting, including LED spot and flood lighting. The intent of the artwork is to reflect how the work of the courts and police radiate out into the community. The Justice Center houses the 15th District Court and the Ann Arbor police department. The recommendation will be forwarded to city council for approval.

Also at the Jan. 25 meeting, the art commission voted to recommend the selection of Ann Arbor muralist Mary Thiefels for a mural project to be located on pillars at a building in Allmendinger Park. A task force had recommended her selection from among four finalists. Her proposal entails asking neighborhood residents for artifacts to create mosaics at the top and bottom of the pillars. The task force recommended that they continue to work with Thiefels on designing the remainder of the mural on the middle sections of the pillars.

Commissioners liked the concept of “found object” mosaics, but questioned whether the $10,000 budget was sufficient. They ultimately voted to approve recommending Thiefels for the project, contingent on asking her to submit a revised proposal and budget, with additional input from the task force.

This report was filed from the second floor city council workroom at city hall, at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

A mock-up section of the sculpture by Herbert Dreiseitl that's commissioned for the entrance to the Ann Arbor municipal center. The piece is made of bronze, with blue glass lights embedded. In this photo, water is flowing over the section, as it will when installed. (Photo courtesy of Quinn Evans Architects)

One issue: How to proceed with recommending a replacement for Jeff Meyers, who resigned from AAPAC in June, mid-way through his three-year term. The main concern among commissioners is who can take over leadership of a new mural program that Meyers had initiated. Margaret Parker indicated she’ll also be leaving the commission in the coming months, creating another vacancy on the nine-member commission.

The mayor, John Hieftje, is responsible for making nominations to AAPAC. Those nominations also require confirmation by the full city council. On Wednesday, AAPAC commissioners discussed the need for better communication with Hieftje, and said they hoped to find out what criteria he was using to make the selection – the most recent appointment Hieftje made to AAPAC was done without their input, after he rejected someone they’d recruited. Communication has also been lacking regarding Meyers’ resignation – in a phone interview with The Chronicle following AAPAC’s July meeting, Meyers said the mayor hasn’t acknowledged his resignation.

In other topics at Wednesday’s meeting, commissioners briefly discussed a written update they’d received about the Herbert Dreiseitl water sculpture being built for the entrance to the municipal center. Installation is still on track for next month.

Also in August – at city council’s Aug. 4 meeting – winners of the annual Golden Paintbrush awards will be honored. AAPAC selected the winners, who are recognized for their contributions to public art, via an online poll last month. This year, winners are: (1) Krazy Jim’s Blimpie Burger, for the Snow Bears sculptures they build each winter in front of their business at Packard and South Division; (2) Mary Thiefels and Treetown Murals for the mural outside the Alley Bar along West Liberty; and (3) Peter Allen & Associates, for rock sculptures on North Main Street.

Commissioner Resignation, Mural Program

Jeff Meyers, who was appointed to a three-year term on the Ann Arbor public art commission in early 2010, sent a formal notice of resignation to mayor John Hieftje in June. The news was discussed at the July 27, 2011 AAPAC meeting, as commissioners considered who might take over leadership of a task force for a new mural program that Meyers had initiated.

His resignation was foreshadowed at AAPAC’s June 2011 meeting, which he did not attend. AAPAC chair Marsha Chamberlin had told other commissioners that Meyers wanted to relinquish his leadership of the mural program – she said he felt like the project had stalled. That announcement prompted some commissioners to speculate on whether Meyers was still interested in serving on AAPAC, noting that he hadn’t attended a meeting since April. [The May AAPAC meeting coincided with a public forum for the mural project, which Meyers did attend.]

At previous meetings, Meyers – managing editor of the online magazines Concentrate and MetroMode – had expressed frustration about the mural program’s progress. He developed it as a way to generate more public art in the community, and to set up a process by which similar programs could be modeled. Funded by the city’s Percent for Art program, which AAPAC guides, the mural program was unanimously approved by AAPAC in November 2010, with the intent of creating at least two murals per year in the city. It has an estimated budget of $25,000 this year.

Meyers formed a task force, which recommended two sites for the first murals: A building at Allmendinger Park, and a retaining wall along Huron Parkway. AAPAC approved those sites at a special meeting in March, but city staff later determined that the meeting hadn’t been properly noticed, so a second special meeting was called in April and the vote was retaken.

Then, city staff determined that AAPAC’s 2011 annual public art plan, which includes the mural program, hadn’t been officially approved by Ann Arbor city council. Though the plan was approved last year by AAPAC and forwarded to city staff, it was never placed on council’s agenda. [The language in AAPAC's bylaws indicate that a plan must be submitted to council, but does not state that the plan requires council approval. For additional background, see Chronicle coverage:  "What's Ahead for Public Mural Program?"] The council formally received the plan at its June 20, 2011 meeting, when it approved the clerk’s report of communications, of which the plan was a part.

City staff also determined that neighborhood meetings were needed to get input on the sites – those meetings were held earlier this summer. But the city has not yet solicited proposals from artists for the murals, and it’s doubtful that the murals will be completed before winter arrives. Meyers had originally hoped to have both murals finished by September.

Commissioner Resignation, Mural Program – Communication

The mayor is responsible for making nominations to the nine-member public art commission. Those nominations also require confirmation by the full city council.

At Wednesday’s meeting, commissioners discussed the need to communicate with Hieftje about possible nominations. Cheryl Zuellig noted that AAPAC had spun its wheels during the last nomination process – it seemed that the commission and Hieftje moved along different, parallel tracks. The commission didn’t know what Hietje was looking for, and AAPAC members had invested a lot of time into recruiting.

[This issue has been discussed at length at previous AAPAC meetings. Last year, AAPAC members had recruited Lee Doyle, a member of the UM President’s Advisory Committee for Public Art who also oversees the UM Film Office. But Hieftje subsequently conveyed that he wanted to appoint someone who resides in Ann Arbor – Doyle lives outside the city. That prompted a long discussion at AAPAC's September 2010 meeting, as commissioners speculated on how to improve the recommendation process for new commissioners. In October 2010, Hieftje nominated Malverne Winborne – an Ann Arbor resident and director of Eastern Michigan University’s Charter Schools Office – without consulting or informing AAPAC about his choice in advance. Winborne is now AAPAC's vice chair.]

On Wednesday, Margaret Parker noted that the Percent for Art ordinance doesn’t stipulate that AAPAC commissioners live in Ann Arbor, but Hieftje had felt it was important. Zuellig indicated that the main issue is for AAPAC to understand what Hieftje’s criteria are, so that AAPAC can make recommendations that are appropriate. [Most AAPAC commissioners live in Ann Arbor. Zuellig lives in Ypsilanti. The issue of her residency was raised by councilmember Marcia Higgins when Zuellig was nominated to AAPAC in late 2008.]

Winborne asked whether AAPAC had any written criteria itself. Parker indicated that she had some documentation, which she said she’d “resurrect.” Commissioners discussed the importance of centralizing these kinds of documents – that’s a project that Aaron Seagraves, the city’s art administrator, will take on.

Commissioner Resignation, Mural Program – Comments from Meyers

In a phone interview with The Chronicle following AAPAC’s July meeting, Meyers said he’d reached a point where he couldn’t justify the time he’d been investing in the mural program and AAPAC, given his job, family and other commitments. Noting that he’d started developing the program nearly a year ago, he said at nearly every turn he encountered seemingly arbitrary requirements, incomplete or contradictory information, and new layers of requirements identified by city staff.

Meyers said he’s passionate about the city’s Percent for Art program and public art in general. But since the Percent for Art program was started in 2007, only one piece – a sculpture at West Park – has been completed, he noted. [Another project – the Herbert Dreiseitl sculpture at the city's new municipal center – is set to be installed in August.] There’s not yet a systematic process in place for moving projects forward, he said, and no clarity from staff or the city council about AAPAC’s role.

One way to improve the situation is for a city council representative to be appointed to AAPAC, Meyers suggested – it seems especially appropriate since AAPAC makes recommendations for the Percent for Art budget. There’s a disconnect when the taxicab commission has a council representative, but AAPAC does not, Meyers said. Having input from city council would help AAPAC understand what councilmembers want from the program. Does the council want AAPAC to initiate projects, or simply facilitate projects that the city identifies? These are the kinds of decisions that should have been made long ago, Meyers said.

Meyers said he plans to produce a written report or attend a future AAPAC meeting to make some recommendations for improving the Percent for Art program. He didn’t attend the July meeting because the status of his resignation was unclear – he said he’s gotten “zero response” from the mayor to his letter of resignation. [Update: On Aug. 1, Hieftje forwarded to The Chronicle a copy of a July 5 email he says he sent to Meyers in response to Meyers' June 21 resignation email. Meyers told The Chronicle he has no record of Hieftje's email. .pdf of emails from Meyers and Hieftje]

Commissioner Resignation, Mural Program – Next Steps

At AAPAC’s July 27 meeting, Parker recommended a next step related to leadership of the mural task force. She suggested that Seagraves contact Wiltrud Simbuerger, a commissioner who serves on the task force but who did not attend Wednesday’s meeting. Parker felt Simbuerger would be interested in championing that program.

Commissioners also discussed the general status of the program. Public meetings held for neighbors of the two proposed sites – at Allmendinger Park and along Huron Parkway, near Huron Hills golf course – were one reason the original timeline had been pushed back. Parker indicated that this was the first time that public meetings had been held prior to the start of a public art project, so it was “breaking new ground.”

Zuellig clarified that there hadn’t been public meetings prior to the city’s commissioning of the Dreiseitl sculpture. No, Parker said, there was a public presentation, but that occurred after Dreiseitl had been chosen to do the work. Parker said the mural project was also the first time that an online survey had been used by the city to get feedback on a public art project. Because parks are involved, the city has a whole process of public input, she said.

Zuellig suggested that commissioners consider whether they should use this same process for all future projects. It seemed to her that the reason these public meetings had been added was because there was negative feedback about the mural program. Parker said that wasn’t her understanding – she thought Meyers had asked to get input from neighbors.

[Public meetings with neighbors had been scheduled at the request of city parks staff, because the murals were being planned for locations at or near city parks. The issue of negative feedback was raised later, and was discussed at AAPAC's April 27, 2011 meeting. From Chronicle coverage:]

Venita Harrison – a management assistant who works for Sue McCormick, the city’s public services administrator, and who currently serves as support staff to AAPAC – mentioned that there might be a problem with the mural program. The city council had never officially approved the 2011 public art plan, she said – until that happened, her understanding was that the project couldn’t move forward.

She said the process of getting city council approval likely fell through the cracks during the transition last year, after former public art administrator Katherine Talcott stepped down from that role. More recently, a councilmember had read media reports about the mural program and raised questions about who had authorized it, Harrison said. They tried to find a record of when the city council had approved the 2011 annual plan – which included the mural program – but the plan didn’t turn up in records of council proceedings.

On Wednesday, Zuellig noted that although the public meetings might have been reactionary, if the feedback was valuable, then AAPAC should consider scheduling similar meetings in a proactive way. She cautioned that AAPAC needs to be mindful about reaching out to a broad group, noting that people often tend to show up to meetings if they don’t like something.

Parker suggested that instead of selecting sites and then seeking neighborhood support, one approach would be to find community or neighborhood groups who are eager to have a public art project in their area.

Parker also asked about the results of online surveys for the two mural sites. Seagraves reported that response had been low – only about 4-5 surveys had been completed for each location. From that small sample, the responses for Allmendinger were supportive, he said, but all responses for the location along Huron Parkway were against it.

Dreiseitl Sculpture, Justice Center Art

As they had last month, commissioners received a written report on the water sculpture designed by Herbert Dreiseitl, which the city commissioned for the outside entrance to the municipal center at Fifth and Huron. The report was prepared by Ken Clein of Quinn Evans Architects, project manager for the municipal center construction and renovation. [.pdf of July 2011 Dreiseitl report]

A wooden mock-up of the base for the Herbert Dreiseitl sculpture being built in front of the municipal center at Fifth and Huron, facing Huron. Installation of the sculpture is expected to occur in August. (Photo courtesy of Quinn Evans Architects.)

Malverne Winborne asked when a formal dedication was being planned. Aaron Seagraves, the city’s art administrator, wasn’t certain, but said that it would likely be part of an overall dedication of the municipal center.

Margaret Parker said AAPAC should be involved in planning the dedication, adding that she keeps bringing it up monthly because no one seems to be acting on it. [At AAPAC's June meeting, Marsha Chamberlin – the commission's chair who also serves on the public relations committee – said the PR committee would be working on a dedication ceremony for the Dreiseitl sculpture. Parker did not attend that meeting.]

Seagraves reported that the sculpture would be a stop on this year’s ArtWalk, which will take place Oct. 21-23. Funds from the Dreiseitl project are being used to pay for an ArtWalk sponsorship, he said. [Last year, the city council approved a budget of $737,820 for the sculpture. The city had previously paid Dreiseitl $77,000 in preliminary design fees. Funding comes in part from the Percent for Art stormwater funds, because the sculpture is designed as part of the site’s stormwater management. An ArtWalk sponsorship is about $350, according to Seagraves.]

The PR committee will handle sign-ups for volunteers to be present at the sculpture during the ArtWalk hours, Seagraves said, and to provide information about the sculpture and the city’s Percent for Art program.

Also related to art at the municipal center, Seagraves said the statement of qualifications/request for proposals was reissued in June for art in the police/courts building lobby, which along with city hall is part of the municipal center. [.pdf of justice center art SOQ/RFP] The project has an artist’s budget of up to $150,000 – the deadline for responses to the SOQ/RFP is Sept. 1. A total of $250,000 had been budgeted for that piece, plus additional artwork in an outdoor courtyard behind the municipal center, facing Ann Street.

Updates from Art Administrator

Aaron Seagraves gave several updates and communications during Wednesday’s meeting.

Updates: Meeting with the Mayor

Seagraves reported that he and AAPAC chair Marsha Chamberlin had met with mayor John Hieftje to give an update on AAPAC’s work and to get the mayor’s ideas about the public art program. They also toured the site of the Dreiseitl installation. In general, Hieftje encouraged AAPAC to do more projects, Seagraves said. When asked by commissioners for specific ideas that Hieftje had mentioned, Seagraves cited the River Art Trail around Argo Pond, which is in AAPAC’s annual art plan for FY2012. He added that he hadn’t brought his notes from that meeting and didn’t remember all of Hieftje’s comments.

Margaret Parker urged Seagraves to communicate more details of the meeting, saying that the mayor is one of the people that AAPAC needs to hear from.

Updates: Art Inventory

CultureNOW, which runs a project called Museums Without Walls, contacted the city about being included in a national online inventory of public art projects. Seagraves said he knows that the city had done an inventory and has a database of public art, but he hasn’t been able to access it yet – he’s working with IT staff to find where it’s located within the city’s computer system.

There was some question among commissioners about whether AAPAC has the authority to make a decision to join this national network. However, they agreed that they couldn’t make a formal recommendation at that meeting, since they did not have a quorum of members. Seagraves said he’d get more information about the project and put a resolution of recommendation on the August AAPAC agenda.

Parker cautioned that Seagraves should find out how much time would be involved in participating, before making a commitment. She also pointed out that the University of Michigan has an extensive online inventory of its public art collection, and that it would be good to have the university participate as well – that would more than double the amount of public art that would be inventoried for Ann Arbor, she said.

Updates: Mural for Avalon Housing

The nonprofit Avalon Housing, which provides affordable housing to low-income residents, recently contacted the city, Seagraves said. The nonprofit is interested in having AAPAC help oversee a mural project for some of Avalon’s properties. Although the properties aren’t owned by the city, he noted, Avalon is supported by public funding, including money from the city’s housing trust fund, the federal HOME program, and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.

Seagraves said he’s asked the city attorney’s office for advice about how to handle a project like this. The project would likely use donations, and the murals would be on private property.

Updates: Open Meetings Act

At a previous meeting, commissioners had raised a question about whether their committee meetings needed to conform to the state’s Open Meetings Act. On Wednesday, Seagraves highlighted two relevant resolutions passed by city council:

City Resolution, passed November 1991:  “All city boards, task forces, commissions, committees and their subcommittees hold their meetings open to the public to the best of their abilities in the spirit of Section 3 of the Open Meetings Act.”

City Resolution, passed December 2000: “… all City committees commissions and authorities, when required to meet in open session, hold all of their meetings in a public building.”

Those resolutions indicate that committee meetings need to be held in a public building, he said, like city hall or the library, and not at a private business. [By way of background, until mid-2009, AAPAC held its regular monthly meetings at the conference room of JJR – a landscape architecture and urban design firm where Zuellig works – until concerns about public accessibility prompted them to move to the seventh floor of the City Center building at Fifth and Huron. The city rented office space there while renovations were underway at city hall. AAPAC now meets back at city hall.]

Updates: Budget

Seagraves briefly reviewed the current Percent for Art budget. The balance at the end of fiscal 2011, which ended June 30, stood at $1.57 million.

Ann Arbor Percent for Art budget. (Links to larger image)

Seagraves noted that the balance doesn’t reflect funding that’s anticipated to be used for the mural project or the proposed Fuller Road Station. [A task force has been formed to look at public art for the Fuller Road Station, although that project – a joint city of Ann Arbor/University of Michigan parking structure, bus depot and possible train station – hasn't been officially approved by city council.]

At the start of FY 2012 – on July 1, 2011 – $292,216 in additional revenues became available for the Percent for Art program. That includes funds from the street millage ($133,772), the parks millage ($11,714), the solid waste fund ($3,910), the water fund ($40,397), the sewer fund ($89,543) and the stormwater fund ($12,880).

The Percent for Art program, established in 2007 by a city council resolution, captures 1% from the budget of all city capital projects, to be set aside for public art. That amount is capped at $250,000 per project. The ordinance stipulates that each public art project must relate to the source of funding – for example, public art funded from the street millage must be located near a street or have a transportation theme. [link to the Ann Arbor city code – click on Chapter 24: Public Art, which lays out the responsibilities of AAPAC.]

Updates: Annual Plan

Seagraves wanted to touch base with commissioners about the 2012 annual art plan. Though most projects that are listed in the plan identify a commissioner who will take the lead on those efforts, he said some projects didn’t yet indicate which commissioner would take that role.

Commissioners clarified that he had been looking at a draft – the final plan did assign commissioners to each project. [.pdf of 2012 annual public art art plan] However, Jeff Meyers had taken the lead on two projects: (1) the mural program, and (2) a possible public art project coordinated with painting of the Manchester Road elevated water tank, which is scheduled to occur in FY2013. Because Meyers resigned from AAPAC last month, other commissioners will need to take on those projects.

Cheryl Zuellig said it was helpful for commissioners to review the status of projects in the annual plan, and asked that Seagraves continue to do that in future meetings.

Committee Reports: PR, Projects

Every AAPAC meeting includes reports from three committees: public relations, planning and projects. The planning committee did not meet during the last month, and had no report.

Committee Reports: PR – Golden Paintbrush

No members of the public relations committee attended Wednesday’s meeting, but a written report announced the results of the annual Golden Paintbrush awards.

From a Chronicle file photo taken in January 2011: One of several rock cairns on the east side of North Main Street in Ann Arbor, near property owned by developer Peter Allen.

Since their last meeting, commissioners had voted online and selected three winners: (1) Krazy Jim’s Blimpie Burger, for the Snow Bears sculptures they build each winter in front of their business at Packard and South Division, (2) Mary Thiefels and Treetown Murals for the mural outside the Alley Bar along West Liberty, and (3) Peter Allen & Associates, for rock sculptures on the developer’s North Main Street property. [Peter Allen had attended AAPAC's January 2011 meeting to propose a sculpture park in the Argo Pond area, funded through the city's Percent for Art program. There's been no action on that proposal; however, a River Art Trail – which would include Argo and Gallup parks – is listed as a potential project in the 2012 annual art plan.]

Margaret Parker wanted to know when the awards would be presented to city council. Aaron Seagraves, the city’s art administrator, thought it would be on the council’s Aug. 4 agenda. [Golden Paintbrush awards are, in fact, included on the city council's Aug. 4 agenda.]

Parker expressed concern about whether the logistics of the presentation were being handled. It’s the responsibility of the public relations committee. Parker said the Golden Paintbrush presentation to council is one of the best ways to highlight public art. [These art projects aren't funded by the city's Percent for Art program, nor did AAPAC have any input into the projects. They are "public art" in that they are located in venues visible to the public – but on private property.]

Other commissioners indicated they were confident that the public relations committee, which has handled the presentation in the past, would be prepared for it this year, too.

Committee Reports: Projects – Sun Dragon

Connie Brown reported that the city has received estimates from an engineer and fabricator for repair of the Sun Dragon, a sculpture by Margaret Parker made of colored plexiglas that’s attached to a beam holding Fuller Pool’s solar-heated shower. It was damaged in the spring of 2010 by workers who were repairing a beam that supported the piece. Since then it’s been the topic of discussion at several AAPAC meetings, including a lengthy one at the March 2011 meeting. At that meeting, commissioners ultimately voted to approve up to $2,000 to hire a city engineer to: (1) perform a structural evaluation of the Sun Dragon’s support system and the piece itself; (2) to determine if design alternations or changes in fabrication are needed for ease of maintenance; and (3) to provide design and fabrication cost estimates.

Brown said the estimates have been forwarded to Sue McCormick, the city’s public services area administrator, for her review. Brown hoped to bring a recommendation to AAPAC at its August meeting.

Private Donation for Public Art

Neel Hajra, chief operating officer for the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF), recently contacted the city about making an $8,000 donation toward public art from the Richard T. Whitaker foundation, which AAACF manages. Aaron Seagraves, the city’s art administrator, told commissioners on Wednesday that Hajra was looking for suggestions for what might be a good fit for the foundation to support. Seagraves and Marsha Chamberlin, the art commission’s chair, had suggested the public mural program.

The community foundation would like to set up a sub-fund for this donation within the existing AAPAC endowment fund that’s housed with the community foundation.

Commissioners raised several questions and concerns. Margaret Parker noted that the city can only use interest on the principal of the existing endowment fund – would the same be true for the proposed donation? If so, interest on $8,000 isn’t much, she noted. The existing endowment can also only be used for maintenance. In addition, other funds have been set up with the AAACF in the past for specific art projects – these were made by donors before the city instituted its Percent for Art program in 2007, Parker said. Even though those projects are completed, some money remains in those funds – “dribs and drabs,” Parker said. Parker added that the city needs to revisit whether that money can be pooled and spent on other projects.

Donations can be given directly to the city, Parker said. Seagraves reported that he had talked with Abigail Elias of the city attorney’s office, who told him that any donations would need to be approved by city council and would be added to the general fund.

Parker suggested the best way to handle donations would be to set up a public art fund and teach people to give to that, rather than give donations dedicated to a specific project. It’s better to let AAPAC decide how to use the donations, she said. Cheryl Zuellig countered that a lot of people want to know how their money will be spent. The city needs to make it as easy as possible to accept donations – AAPAC should make it a priority to figure out a process, and not to make it overly complicated, she said.

Malverne Winborne agreed: “Let’s find a way to streamline this process.”

Seagraves said he’d get additional information from Hajra about how the sub-fund might be structured, and would get guidance from Sue McCormick – the city’s public services area administrator, who oversees the Percent for Art program – about other issues raised by commissioners.

Communications, Public Commentary

Malverne Winborne, who chaired the meeting in the absence of Marsha Chamberlin, reported that Ann Arbor had been listed No. 6 in American Style magazine’s top 25 ranking of mid-sized cities for art. The magazine’s top five art destinations are St. Petersburg, Fla.; Savannah, Ga.; New Orleans, La.; Charleston, S.C., and Scottsdale, Ariz.

Bob Miller attended Wednesday’s meeting, after talking with some of the commissioners at the July 18 pre-art fair Townie Party, where AAPAC had an information table. During the time available for public commentary, Miller told commissioners that he was interested in learning more about the group. He has a degree from the Art Institute of Chicago, has worked in ceramic sculpture and photography, and is also a builder and realtor. He confirmed for commissioners that he lives in Ann Arbor – they joked that this could make him eligible to serve on the commission, and said they were glad he’s interested in getting involved.

Commissioners present: Connie Brown, Margaret Parker, Malverne Winborne, Cheryl Zuellig. Also Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public art administrator.

Absent: Marsha Chamberlin, Cathy Gendron, Wiltrud Simbuerger, Elaine Sims.

Next regular meeting: Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 4:30 p.m., in the sixth floor conference room at city hall, 301 E. Huron St. [confirm date]

Purely a plug: The Chronicle relies in part on regular voluntary subscriptions to support our coverage of publicly-funded programs like the Percent for Art, which is overseen by the Ann Arbor public art commission. Click this link for details: Subscribe to The Chronicle.

His resignation was foreshadowed at AAPAC’s June 2011 meeting, which he did not attend. AAPAC chair Marsha Chamberlin had told other commissioners that Meyers wanted to relinquish his leadership of the mural program – she said he felt like the project had stalled. That announcement prompted some commissioners to speculate on whether Meyers was still interested in serving on AAPAC, noting that he hadn’t attended a meeting since April. At previous meetings, Meyers – managing editor of the online magazines Concentrate and MetroMode – had expressed frustration about the program’s progress.

Meyers developed the pilot program as a way to generate more public art in the community. Funded by the city’s Percent for Art program, which AAPAC oversees, it was approved by AAPAC in November 2010, with the intent of creating at least two murals per year in the city. It has an estimated budget of $25,000 this year. Meyers formed a task force, which recommended two sites for the first murals: A building at Allmendinger Park, and a retaining wall along Huron Parkway. AAPAC approved those sites at a special meeting in March, but city staff later determined that the meeting hadn’t been properly noticed, so a second special meeting was called in April and the vote was retaken.

Then, city staff realized that AAPAC’s 2011 annual public art plan, which includes the mural program, hadn’t been officially approved by Ann Arbor city council. Though the plan was approved last year by AAPAC and forwarded to city staff, it was never placed on council’s agenda. [See Chronicle coverage: "What's Ahead for Public Mural Program?"] The council formally received the plan at its June 20, 2011 meeting, when it approved the clerk’s report of communications, of which the plan was a part.

City staff also determined that neighborhood meetings were needed to get input on the sites – those meetings were held earlier this summer. But the city has not yet solicited proposals from artists for the murals, and it’s doubtful that the murals will be completed before winter arrives. Meyers had originally hoped to have both murals finished by September.

The mayor is responsible for making nominations to the nine-member public art commission. Those nominations also require confirmation by the full city council.

This brief was filed shortly after AAPAC’s meeting adjourned from the sixth floor conference room of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report on the meeting will follow.

Aaron Seagraves, the city's public arts administrator, and Marsha Chamberlin, chair of the Ann Arbor public art commission, in the entryway atrium of city hall, which is still being renovated. Mosaics by the artist Gerry Kamrowski, formerly at the entrance to city hall, will be installed on the wall behind Chamberlin. (Photo by the writer.)

One of those updates included a report that Jeff Meyers, a commissioner who has launched a public mural program, no longer wants to take the lead in that effort. The pilot program has proposed creating murals at Allmendinger Park and on a retaining wall along Huron Parkway. Because of low turnout at two recent neighborhood forums about the murals, city staff now plan to post an online survey to solicit feedback about the locations.

The commission also got updates on several other projects, including a large water sculpture by Herbert Dreiseitl that’s on track for installation in August. Large bronze plates are being cast at a firm in Warren, Michigan, and site work is continuing in front of the municipal center, where the sculpture will be located.

The commission is also seeking members for a selection committee to choose additional artwork for the lobby of the justice center – the new building at Fifth and Huron that’s adjacent to city hall. (Together, the buildings are known in some circles as the “municipal center.”) A statement of qualifications/request for proposals for the lobby art has been issued, with a deadline for responses extended until Sept. 1. The previous May 31 deadline did not yield sufficient responses for the project, which has an artist’s budget of up to $150,000.

Mural Project

AAPAC chair Marsha Chamberlin reported that Jeff Meyers – who did not attend Wednesday’s meeting – wants to step out of the role he’s had in championing the pilot mural program. She said he feels like the project has been stalemated – it was expected that two murals would be completed by September, and that’s not likely to happen.

The pilot program, developed by Meyers, was approved by AAPAC in November 2010, with the intent of creating at least two murals per year in the city. It has an estimated budget of $25,000 this year. Meyers formed a task force, which recommended two sites for the first murals: A building at Allmendinger Park, and a retaining wall along Huron Parkway. AAPAC approved those sites at a special meeting in March, but city staff later determined that the meeting hadn’t been properly noticed, so a second special meeting was called in April and the vote was retaken.

Then, city staff realized that AAPAC’s 2011 annual public art plan, which includes the mural program, hadn’t been officially approved by Ann Arbor city council. Though the plan was approved last year by AAPAC and forwarded to city staff, it was never placed on council’s agenda. [See Chronicle coverage: "What's Ahead for Public Mural Program?"] The council formally received the plan at its June 20 meeting, when it approved the clerk’s report of communications, of which the plan was a part.

Meanwhile, public meetings were held over the past few weeks to get feedback from residents near Allmendinger Park and Huron Parkway, but the meetings were not well-attended – five people showed up to the Allmendinger forum, and only one person came to the meeting for the Huron Parkway mural. City staff are now designing an online survey to get additional input. A statement of qualifications (SOQ) to start the artist selection process hasn’t yet been drafted.

Cheryl Zuellig called Meyers’ decision unfortunate. Elaine Sims said the original timetable had been overly ambitious. ”The world doesn’t work like that,” she said. Sims also noted that Meyers hadn’t attended the May or June AAPAC meetings, and wondered whether serving on the commission “isn’t working for him.” Chamberlin indicated that’s part of the reason for his decision. She said she hoped he’d come to AAPAC’s July meeting to give the group an update. Wiltrud Simbuerger said she hoped he’d reconsider.

In an email response to a query from The Chronicle later in the week, Meyers said he was still in discussions about possible changes, and deferred comment until an outcome is determined.

Municipal Center: Dreiseitl, Additional Art

Commissioners received a written report on the water sculpture designed by Herbert Dreiseitl. The report – prepared by Ken Clein of Quinn Evans Architects, the project manager for the municipal center construction and renovation – included photos of large bronze plates that were cast the week of June 13 at Wolverine Bronze in Warren, Michigan. Six out of 11 plates were cast, with the remaining five to be cast this week.

The first bronze cast plate for a water sculpture by Herbert Dreiseitl. (Photo courtesy of Quinn Evans Architects.)

Modifications are being made to the site where the sculpture will be installed, in front of the renovated city hall and newly built justice center – together known as the municipal center. One change – removing fill dirt that had been put into a channel during construction – was not in the project’s original scope of work. Responding to an email query from The Chronicle, Clein said he didn’t yet know how much the unanticipated dirt removal would cost, but the extra cost would be absorbed in the overall budget.

Last year, the city council approved a budget of $737,820 for the piece. The city had previously paid Dreiseitl $77,000 in preliminary design fees. Funding comes in part from the Percent for Art stormwater funds, because the sculpture is designed as part of the site’s stormwater management.

The sculpture is expected to be installed in August. Marsha Chamberlin said that AAPAC’s public relations committee would be working on a dedication ceremony for the piece, possibly in September. They plan to coordinate with the city’s grand opening of the entire municipal center, which hasn’t yet been scheduled.

Elaine Sims said the casting looks lovely, but she didn’t recall that it was part of the design that AAPAC had approved. [That approval took place in October 2009. See Chronicle coverage: "Dreiseitl Project Moves to City Council"]

During Wednesday’s meeting, Aaron Seagraves – the city’s new public arts administrator – reported that the statement of qualifications/request for proposals has been reposted for art in the justice center lobby. [.pdf of justice center art SOQ/RFP] From that document:

As visitors and staff enter the lobby of the AAJC, they will pass through a security check point and into the large open lobby area. A blue glass wall spans the length of the entire right side of the lobby area and floor to ceiling windows are on the remaining three walls. The artwork will be located in the southwest corner of the lobby. This corner currently has a public seating bench with a carpeted floor area underneath. Public traffic for the AAJC will be for the 15th District Court, Probation Office and Police Services.

Specific attention needs to be given to the type of piece that can sustain a high traffic volume. This artwork should be a ceiling mounted or suspended piece that will be visible and make an impression looking in from both North Fifth Avenue and Huron Street (southwest corner) during the day and at night with either incorporated or reflected lighting. The artwork should complement the building and surrounding site environment. The artwork should speak to the public purposes of the building, which include public safety, justice, equality and security.

The project has an artist’s budget of up to $150,000 – the deadline for responses to the SOQ/RFP is Sept. 1. A total of $250,000 had been budgeted for that piece, plus additional artwork in an outdoor courtyard behind the municipal center, facing Ann Street.

Sims reported that the municipal center public art task force had met and agreed that they would also serve as the selection committee for art in the lobby of the justice center (also known as the police/courts building) at Fifth and Huron, as well as for art in the outdoor courtyard. However, they’ll also be adding additional people to the selection committee, she said. Individuals have been suggested, and Seagraves is contacting them.

Cheryl Zuellig asked whether they’d be getting a “Joe Resident” to serve on the selection committee. When Sims indicated that Ray Detter fit that description, there was general laughter, and a consensus that he wasn’t an average resident. [Among other things, Detter chairs the city's downtown area citizens advisory council.] Sims noted that Detter does live downtown, as does another task force member, Doug Kelbaugh. [Kelbaugh is former dean of the University of Michigan College of Architecture and Urban Planning, and is currently proposing his services to help the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority with a downtown planning project.]

The person doesn’t have to be a resident, Zuellig said. She had in mind someone who might have cause to use the municipal center – to pay a parking ticket, for example – or someone who worked in the area. The same kind of person is needed for the mural committee, she said. Especially for the Huron Parkway project, nearby residents aren’t necessarily the ones who’ll be most affected – there are many others who drive by that location every day on their way to and from work, she said.

Sims suggested soliciting volunteers on AAPAC’s website, or having a sign-up at the July 18 Townie Party. At that, Zuellig cautioned that they need to think it through – will they select anyone who signs up? Be careful what you wish for, she said. Marsha Chamberlin said they might want to ask people who work at downtown businesses. She noted that Bank of Ann Arbor, for example, has an office just a block away from the municipal center – some of those employees might be interested.

Other Projects: East Stadium Bridges, Townie Party

Several brief updates were given during the meeting from members of the projects, public relations and planning committees.

Other Projects: East Stadium Bridges

Cheryl Zuellig reported that she and Wiltrud Simbuerger had discussed how to move forward on the public art component for the E. Stadium Boulevard bridges construction. They plan to meet with city engineer Michael Nearing to find out about the project’s schedule, and to get more details about funding. [Under the city's Percent for Art program, 1% of any capital project is set aside for public art, with a cap of $250,000. Given the multi-million budget for the East Stadium bridges project, it's likely that the full $250,000 will be available for public art.]

Zuellig said they hope to have enough information by August so that the planning committee can evaluate it and decide whether to move forward.

Other Projects: Townie Party

Commissioners continued a discussion that they’d had at their May meeting about plans for the July 18 Townie Party, an event for local residents held by the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair. The party takes place before the official start of the Ann Arbor art fairs. This year, the art fairs run from July 20-23.

AAPAC will have a table at the Townie Party, and Marsha Chamberlin gave an update from the public relations committee, which is organizing activities and handouts for the event. They’re hoping to have some kind of interactive element, she said. One idea is to take digital photos of people who stop by, and use a software program to insert people’s faces into works of famous art, like the Mona Lisa. Those photos would then be posted on AAPAC’s Facebook page. They’ll also be distributing buttons and bumper stickers promoting public art.

Elaine Sim noted that last year, AAPAC’s table was located next to the University Musical Society, which Sims said had great giveaways. AAPAC needs something to really grab people’s attention, she said.

Cheryl Zuellig urged them to think big. They’re all about public art, she said, so they should have the most visual, thought-provoking presence. If they simply hand out brochures, they’re missing an opportunity. If they’re going to have handouts, she suggested perhaps having performing artists circulate in the crowd to pass out information. Chamberlin said they are somewhat constrained by the event’s organizers.

Commissioners discussed other possibilities, such as having a large screen at the table to display images of the digitally transformed faces-into-artwork images. The public relations committee will continue to take the lead on planning for the event.

Other Projects: Golden Paintbrush Awards

Chamberlin gave a brief update on the annual Golden Paintbrush awards, which honor local contributions to public art. Seven or eight nominations were received, she said, and commissioners will be voting using an online interface. [No additional information was provided on the nominations at Wednesday's meeting.] Winners will be recognized at an upcoming city council meeting.

Administrator’s Update, Percent for Art Budget

Aaron Seagraves attended his first AAPAC meeting last month, but has now settled in to his part-time job as the city’s new public art administrator and gave his first report to the commission on Wednesday.

He presented a budget summary for the Percent for Art program, showing that the program has an estimated $969,219.73 available for new projects in FY 2012, which begins July 1, 2011. [.pdf of Percent for Art budget summary] Commissioners praised the summary as being more readable than previous reports, but they raised some questions, too. For example, the summary lists $240,000 as an estimate for public art at the proposed Fuller Road Station, to be taken out of existing funds that have accumulated in the public art program. However, commissioners indicated that the public art for Fuller Road Station would be funded from public art money that Fuller Road Station generates itself, which would be an additional $250,000 (assuming the project – a large parking structure, bus depot and possible train station – is given final approval by city council).

They also had questions about the amount budgeted for remaining administrative costs – $72,355.15. Elaine Sims suspected that the amount represented the admin budget for two years. Seagraves said he’d check on it and report back.

Seagraves also noted that the city council had formally received AAPAC’s annual art plan earlier this month. [.pdf of FY 2012 art plan] He reminded commissioners that AAPAC’s annual report is due by the end of August – per the city’s ordinance, it’s due 60 days after the end of the fiscal year, which falls on June 30. [.pdf of last year's annual report]

The group discussed the difference between the annual art plan and the annual report, as defined in the Percent for Art ordinance. [.pdf of Percent for Art ordinance]

From the ordinance:

1:837. Oversight Body.
(1) The oversight body shall be the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission as established by section 1:238 of chapter 8.
(2) The oversight body shall:
…
(G) Present an annual report to city council within sixty (60) days after the end of each fiscal year containing:
(i) A report on the status of all public art incorporated into or funded by capital improvement projects in progress or completed during the preceding fiscal year;
(ii) A maintenance report on each work of public art presently under city management detailing maintenance costs for the preceding fiscal year, anticipated maintenance costs for the next fiscal year, and any significant future maintenance concerns, including prioritized recommendations for the maintenance, repair or renovation of particular works;
(iii) A review of the city’s public art with regard to the purposes stated in this chapter;
(iv) A report on the oversight body’s efforts to promote awareness of public art;
(v) A report on donations of art and where such art was placed;
(vi) A report on additional funds raised and how such funds were used; and
(vii) Any other matter of substantial financial or public importance relating to the public art in the city.

Commissioners discussed how to draft the document. Chamberlin said she thought it should include a tribute to Margaret Parker for her years of service. [Parker, who didn't attend Wednesday's meeting, was a driving force behind the creation of the Percent for Art ordinance, and served as chair of the commission before stepping down from that post at the end of 2010.]

Commissioners present: Marsha Chamberlin, Wiltrud Simbuerger, Elaine Sims, Cheryl Zuellig. Also Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public arts administrator.

Absent: Connie Brown, Cathy Gendron, Margaret Parker, Jeff Meyers, Malverne Winborne.

Next regular meeting: Wednesday, July 27 at 4:30 p.m., in the fourth floor conference room at city hall, 301 E. Huron St. [confirm date]

Purely a plug: The Chronicle relies in part on regular voluntary subscriptions to support our coverage of publicly-funded programs like the Percent for Art, which is overseen by the Ann Arbor public art commission. Click this link for details: Subscribe to The Chronicle.

Signs designed by the Ann Arbor public art commission's public relations committee, featuring a QR code for smart phones that directs people to AAPAC's website. (Photos by the writer.)

Seagraves, who started his job earlier this month, had already attended a neighborhood forum for a proposed mural project at Allmendinger Park – five residents showed up, he reported.

That low attendance reflected one theme touching several topics throughout this month’s AAPAC meeting – the need to get the word out about various public art projects. Three nominations had been received so far for the annual Golden Paintbrush awards, with a deadline of May 30. And only two people had responded to a request seeking artists for public art in the lobby of the city’s new municipal center, at the corner of Fifth and Huron. A deadline for submission has been extended through mid-July, in hopes that additional artists will respond.

Commissioners also got updates on the Herbert Dreiseitl sculpture – expected to be installed in front of the renovated city hall in August – and on plans for public art in the proposed Fuller Road Station. Though Fuller Road Station hasn’t been formally approved, a task force is working on placing public art at the structure. The station will be a large parking facility, bus depot and possible train station that would be jointly built by the city of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan.

Finally, commissioners wrapped up the meeting with their only action item: Electing Malverne Winborne as vice chair.

New Public Art Administrator

The part-time position of public art administrator has been vacant for almost a year, after Katherine Talcott, who was hired in early 2009, took the job of art project manager for the city.

Aaron Seagraves, the city of Ann Arbor's new public art administrator.

Aaron Seagraves signed a one-year contract last week for the job, which will average about 20 hours per week.

Seagraves grew up in the Manchester/Clinton/Irish Hills area, and graduated from Northern Michigan University in 2000 with a bachelors degree in drawing and painting. He attended graduate school at the University of Oregon, and in 2009 received a masters degree in arts administration. While working on his graduate degree, Seagraves was the visual arts coordinator for the student union. He joined AmeriCorps in October, working on a children’s health insurance enrollment initiative at the community health center in Jackson, where he lives.

Commissioners welcomed him enthusiastically – at previous meetings, they’ve frequently talked about the need for someone to fill that position.

Annual Public Art Plans: 2011, 2012

At their April meeting, AAPAC had approved its 2012 annual art plan. On Wednesday, Marsha Chamberlin, the commission’s chair, checked to make sure it had been sent to the city council. She was checking because AAPAC was told last month that the city council had never officially approved the 2011 annual art plan. The plan is a document that outlines the year’s anticipated projects funded by the city’s Percent for Art program – by ordinance, it must be submitted annually to city council.

Last year, AAPAC had turned the plan over to city staff, but it never appeared on the council’s agenda. The fact that the city council never acted on the 2011 plan resulted in a lengthy discussion at AAPAC’s April meeting about what that meant for ongoing projects. [See Chronicle coverage: "What's Next for Public Mural Program?"]

On Wednesday, Venita Harrison, a city management assistant who’s been a liaison between AAPAC and the city’s administration, reported that both the 2011 and 2012 annual plans were submitted for initial consideration at the council’s June 6 meeting, with a vote expected on July 6.

Chamberlin asked what the expectations are of AAPAC – should representatives attend the council meeting? Margaret Parker, the commission’s previous chair, said it would be good to attend, in case there are any questions. It’s perhaps even more important to attend, because at least one councilmember has raised questions about the new mural pilot program, she said. Chamberlin suggested that Seagraves also attend the city council meeting, to introduce himself in person to councilmembers.

Public Relations: Golden Paintbrush, Townie Party

Cathy Gendron gave a report from the public relations committee. AAPAC’s redesigned website, long in the works, has been launched, she said. It prominently features an image of a QR code – a marking similar to a bar code, which can be read by smart phones – that directs people to AAPAC’s website. That same image is used in fliers that will be going up around town – “although the rain has been a bit of a problem,” Gendron said. She credited Janice Milhem and Annie Wolock, who serve on the PR committee, for designing the fliers. She also thanked Nancy Stone of the city’s communications staff for assisting with the website redesign.

The website highlights nominations for the annual Golden Paintbrush awards, which recognize local contributions to public art. [.pdf file of nomination form] So far, there are only three nominations, Gendron said, with one more likely to come. The deadline to apply is May 30, but since that’s the Memorial Day holiday, they’ll accept nominations on May 31, Gendron said. She urged commissioners to get the word out about the nominations.

Elaine Sims asked whether artwork that’s been commissioned through the Percent for Art program can be nominated – what if someone from the public nominates a piece? Commissioners weren’t sure, but said it was something they should discuss.

Margaret Parker questioned how the voting would work. Gendron explained that commissioners would vote through an online poll, as they did last year. Parker wondered whether that was appropriate – shouldn’t the vote on the awards happen at a public meeting? After some discussion about whether picking the Golden Paintbrush winners via an online vote might violate the Michigan Open Meetings Act, commissioners asked Venita Harrison, a liaison with the city administration, to check and report back to them about it.

Marsha Chamberlin, chair of the Ann Arbor public art commission, also serves as president of the Ann Arbor Art Center.

Gendron reported that the PR committee is planning for a table in the “Creative Commons” section of the July 18 Townie Party, an event for local residents held by the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair. The party takes place before the official start of the Ann Arbor art fairs. This year, the art fairs run from July 20-23. Commissioners discussed the need to do something more engaging at AAPAC’s table this year, and floated the idea of creating large cutouts of art in which people could insert their faces and be photographed.

The committee is also working on the dedication of a sculpture at West Park, which will be held in conjunction with the park’s re-opening on June 19 from noon-4 p.m. West Park recently received extensive renovations, and the Percent for Art program funded public art there – two metal tree sculptures by Traven Pelletier, located in the new tiered seating near the band shell. Gendron said it would be good if commissioners could attend – Marsha Chamberlin will likely make some brief remarks.

Margaret Parker asked who’s working on a dedication for the Herbert Dreiseitl water sculpture, to be installed in front of the renovated city hall and new justice center at Fifth and Huron. Gendron noted that there’s not yet a firm date for the sculpture’s installation – the date keeps getting pushed back, and is now expected to occur in August. Chamberlin said she thought a dedication might happen this fall.

Projects: Dreiseitl, Justice Center, Fuller Road, Murals

Commissioners reviewed a new project tracking chart that Malverne Winborne developed, and discussed the logistics of how it would be updated each month. They also got updates on several public art projects.

Projects: Fuller Road Station

Connie Brown, who chairs the projects committee, gave an update on the public art task force for Fuller Road Station, a joint project between the city of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan to build a large parking structure, bus depot and possibly a train station on Fuller Road, near the UM medical campus. [For a recent status report on the overall project, see Chronicle coverage: "PAC Gets Update on Fuller Road Station"]

Brown said the task force has been working on a budget, looking at what would remain for the artist after subtracting administrative fees, contingencies and other items. As a capital project, the budget for Fuller Road Station includes $250,000 set aside for the city’s Percent for Art program, to pay for public art on the site. Brown said additional funding for public art will be provided by UM.

Responding to a query from Elaine Simms, Brown listed members of the task force: Brown and Cathy Gendron (AAPAC members), Doug Koepsell (UM project design manager), Larry Cressman (UM representative and former AAPAC member), Connie Pulcipher (city of Ann Arbor staff), Dave Dykman (city of Ann Arbor staff, Fuller Road Station project manager), and Angela Pierro (public representative).

Brown said that before they issued a statement of qualifications (SOQ) for the project, she wanted to know if there were any lessons they could learn from the recent SOQ issued for artwork at the municipal center. It hadn’t received much interest – only two artists responded.

Projects: Justice Center

Margaret Parker, who heads the task force for the municipal center public art, pointed out that the new building next to city hall was now being called the “justice center.” She wanted to know why the city issued an SOQ, rather than an RFQ (request for qualifications). Venita Harrison said that it’s standard for the city – the West Park public art project had been issued as an SOQ too, she noted.

Several commissioners said they hadn’t encountered the term before, and wondered whether the artist community was familiar with it. Harrison said the city followed the same procedure as they did for the West Park public art project, regarding terminology and distribution. [The SOQ form can be downloaded from AAPAC's website.]

Parker noted that two major websites – for the Arts Alliance and ArtServe – hadn’t posted the SOQ. Harrison said both organizations had been sent the item for posting.

After additional discussion, the group decided to extend the deadline from May 31 to mid-July.

Parker was also concerned that no selection committee has been set up for the project – she thought the city would be taking over. “I don’t know who expects whom to do what,” she said. The general consensus from other commissioners was that it’s the role of the task force, which Parker chairs, to handle the selection process.

There was some discussion about whether to stagger the issuance of the SOQ for Fuller Road Station, now that the deadline was pushed back for the justice center. In determining a timeline, Harrison advised factoring in a month for the city attorney’s office to review the SOQ.

Parker asked Seagraves to write an email that could be sent out with the justice center SOQ for broader distribution, one “that’s appealing and in language that’s not acronyms.” He agreed to do that.

Parker expressed uncertainty about whether the task force should serve as the selection committee, or whether a separate selection committee should be recruited. Other commissioners advised her to reconvene the task force and allow that group to decide whether they want to take on that job. Parker agreed to update AAPAC at the June meeting.

Projects: Dreiseitl

A written update from Ken Clein on the Herbert Dreiseitl project was included in the May meeting packet, but received little discussion among commissioners at the meeting. Clein is a principal with Ann Arbor-based Quinn Evans Architects, the building’s project manager. [.pdf of full report]

Casting of the bronze sculpture is expected to occur during the first week of June. The walls that will support the sculpture will be done in early June, with installation of the work anticipated for August.

This was the first major project commissioned by the city through the Percent for Art program, which sets aside 1% of all capital projects – up to a cap of $250,000 – to be used for public art. Last year, the city council approved a budget of $737,820 for the piece. The city had previously paid Dreiseitl $77,000 in preliminary design fees.

Dreiseitl’s sculpture will be on the exterior of the municipal center – the term used to describe the city hall building and the adjacent justice center, which recently opened and houses the Ann Arbor police department and 15th District Court.

Projects: Murals

Parker asked for an update on the mural project being led by Jeff Meyers, who did not attend the meeting – a neighborhood forum for one of the two proposed mural sites, on Huron Parkway, was being held that same evening.

Seagraves reported that he had attended the neighborhood forum for the other proposed site, at Allmendinger Park. Five residents had attended, and he said they were very positive about the project. He reported that the turnout was likely low because postcards mailed to residents announcing the May 18 forum weren’t sent out in time – there’d been a problem with the printer.

Election: Vice Chair

The meeting’s one action item was to elect Malverne Winborne as AAPAC’s vice chair. The position has been vacant since December 2009.

Malverne Winborne was elected vice chair of the Ann Arbor public art commission at its May 25 meeting.

Marsha Chamberlin had been elected chair at AAPAC’s April meeting after serving as acting chair for several months. Former chair Margaret Parker, who still serves on the commission, stepped down as chair in December 2010. She had attempted to relinquish the job for more than a year, but no one wanted to fill that role, or the role of the vice chair.

At this month’s meeting, Chamberlin introduced the topic by saying she’d heard that Winborne had agreed to take the job of vice chair. “Where’d you hear that?” he teased. After Chamberlin noted that she’d been elected at a meeting she didn’t attend, Winborne laughed and said, “I’ll do it!” He received a round of applause.

Winborne, an Ann Arbor resident, is director of Eastern Michigan University’s Charter Schools Office. He was appointed to AAPAC in October 2010.

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously voted to elect Malverne Winborne as vice chair.

Commissioners present: Connie Brown, Marsha Chamberlin, Cathy Gendron, Margaret Parker, Elaine Sims, Malverne Winborne. Also Aaron Seagraves, the city’s public arts administrator, and Venita Harrison, a city management assistant.

Absent: Jeff Meyers, Wiltrud Simbuerger, Cheryl Zuellig.

Next regular meeting: Wednesday, June 22 at 4:30 p.m., in the basement conference room at city hall, 301 E. Huron St. [confirm date]

Purely a plug: The Chronicle relies in part on regular voluntary subscriptions to support our coverage of publicly-funded programs like the Percent for Art, which is overseen by the Ann Arbor public art commission. Click this link for details: Subscribe to The Chronicle.