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MINUTES OF THE CHANDLER ARTS COMMISSION MEETING TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2022 5:00 PM Commissioners Present: Kathleen Escobedo, Michelle Hirsch, Tim Wiant, Farhana Ahmed, Julie Ray, José Benavides Commissioners absent: None Staff Present: Peter Bugg, Caroline Hudson-Naef, Michelle Mac Lennan CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 5:06 PM by Michelle Hirsch UNSCHEDULED / SCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCES / CALL TO PUBLIC - None APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE JANUARY 18 MEETING: a) Kathleen made a motion to approve the minutes as written. Tim seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. ACTION AGENDA a) Discussed the finalists for the Fire Department project. Peter proposed that the commission choose the four sculptors as finalists. Michelle Hirsch asked if the selection process would work the same as the recent Police Department project, to which Peter answered that it was. Peter also recommended that the artists propose artworks that are not specific representations of the officer who the work is memorializing, so that the artwork can be more broadly meaningful. José stated that this information needed to be made clear to the finalists before they submit their proposals. Kathleen made a motion to approve Nicholas Rascona, Rachel Slick, Bobby Zokaites, and Gabriel Vinas as finalists for the Fire Department project. Michelle Hirsch seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. b) Discussed the juror for the CUSD art show selection. Michelle made a motion to table the decision until next month when more commissioners will know their availability. Julie seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. c) Discussed the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023. Kathleen noted that the date at the top was incorrect and asked if it was better for the Arts Commission to have more money in their fund than less, to which Peter answered yes. Tim suggested partnering with the Friends of the Library for the Downtown Library mural project. Michelle Hirsch asked if another authority approves the Arts Commission budget, and Michelle Mac Lennan clarified that the Arts Commission holds the final say on how money allocated to public art is spent. Michelle Hirsch asked if more money should be allocated to spend this fiscal year; Michelle Mac Lennan answered that more spending would put staff beyond their bandwidth for what they could accomplish in a year, but that the proposed projects reflect a healthy, achievable growth over previous years. Kathleen made a motion to approve the budget as amended. Tim seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. BRIEFING ITEMS a) Ongoing public art projects a. Peter shared that the Police Department project is moving along and that he is working on a contract with artist Nicholas Rascona. b. Caroline shared a presentation of inspirational projects similar to what the goal of the Neighborhood Public Art project is, and recommended that the commissioners consider projects that do not necessarily result in a permanent work of art. Julie mentioned that she would love to see other types of projects beyond visual art, and noted that most examples were Our Town projects funded by the NEA. Peter said that is one reason why we are planning budgets in advance, to be prepared to apply for grants like that. Michelle Hirsch shared that she was excited for this project and the opportunity to connect with a neighborhood that feels ignored. She was inspired by the examples and was looking forward to the Arts Commission’s openminded approach. José agreed, and mentioned that he has participated in projects like this before. Farhana shared that temporary artworks could be a good way of engaging the community and has seen other examples like this before. c. Peter shared some potential locations for the IN FLUX signs made by Lily Reeves, which are near AJ Chandler Park, the Chandler Center for the Arts, and between the Chandler Senior Center and the Downtown Library. The commissioners gave some input on these locations, and Peter and Lily will continue to refine and will present some finalized locations next month. b) Maintenance Projects a. Peter shared that the tile benches at Sunset Library have been repaired, and that hopefully we now have a contact we can use for these repairs in the future if needed. b. Peter shared that there is a new vitrine for a work in the permanent collection, Don Reitz’ Skirted Vessel. This new vitrine will allow us to display the piece. c. Peter presented information on purchasing Nicholas Rascona’s Roommates sculpture. He said that the Arts Commission has already paid $6,500 to Nick and would owe another $500 if removed. If they wanted to buy it, the Arts Commission would pay Rascona $9,000. Peter expressed that he was neutral, but that other City representatives would like a sculpture in that location, and that the Arts Commission would need to find a replacement if removed. Kathleen asked if this would fit into the budget, and Peter said that it would. Kathleen and Michelle Hirsch expressed interest in keeping the sculpture. Tim stated that Roommates is a known quantity, and that the Arts Commission would be spending the same amount of money to purchase it as to replace it with something else. Peter will make this decision an action item next month. d. Peter shared a brief proposal to commission some public art in conjunction with an exhibition early in 2023. MEMBERS COMMENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS - José shared that former Arts Commissioner Laurie Fagan is hosting a closing reception for her exhibition at Walter Gallery on Friday and invited the other commissioners to attend. - Michelle Hirsch is participating in the CIVIC program and expressed interest in the cohort learning about Chandler’s public art. CALENDAR a. Next regular meeting will be March 15, 2022 in person INFORMATION ITEMS Current Exhibitions a. Vision Gallery – Diego Perez: Hattitude and Creative Drive – Jan 15 – March 26, 2022. Opening Reception: Friday, January 14, 6-8pm b. Chandler Center for the Arts Gallery – Radical Happiness: Lex Gjurasic – Jan 15 – April 9, 2022. Reception: Feb 26, 1-3pm Upcoming Exhibitions a. Vision Gallery – Chasing Ghosts – April 2 – June 18, 2022. Opening Reception: Sat, April 2, 4-6pm b. Chandler Center for the Arts Gallery – CUSD 2022 - April 20 – May 12, 2022. Reception: Wed, April 27, 5:30pm in the Bogle Theater Upcoming Events a. State of the City address – Chandler Center for the Arts – Thu, Feb 17, 5:30pm. b. Make and Take: Painted Flower Pots – CCA Gallery – Sat, Feb 26, 1-3pm c. Lex Gjurasic Artist Talk, Thu, March 31, 5:30-6:30pm, Virtual ADJOURNMENT a) At 6:13 PM, Tim made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Julie seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. ________________________________ ____________________ Michelle Hirsch, Chair Date