STAFF REPORT
Town Council, August 26, 2010

Public Art Advisory Board Annual Report (PR11-05)
Summary of recent activity and actions made by the Public Art Advisory Board
Speaker:  Ms. Carol Aupperle, Public Art Advisory Board Chair 

From:  Michael J. Bajorek, Assistant Town Manager
Prepared by:  Denise Dickens, Public Art Coordinator
Approved by:  Benjamin T. Shivar, Town Manager
Approved by:  Mike Bajorek, Assistant Town Manager

Executive Summary: Providing representation for Cary citizens, the Public Art Advisory Board gives advice and makes recommendations to Town Council and staff on matters relating to the administration, acquisition and inclusion of public artworks in Cary. The Board conducts monthly meetings and may serve on specific project subcommittees.  

Background:  The Public Art Advisory Board consists of nine (9) members appointed by Town Council with representation from local visual arts organizations, working artists, architects, the private development community and the general public. Council Liaison is Jennifer Robinson.  The Cary Teen Council actively participates on the Board with representation from three liaisons who volunteer many hours of service and provide youth perspective.  Current members are listed along with their term ending year.

Carol Aupperle, Chair (2010)
Jennifer Blakeslee (2012)*
Eric Forehand (2010)*
Venny Holcomb (2012)*
Pat Hudson (2012)
Sheila Morris (2011)*
Carl Regutti (2010)
Smythe Richbourg (2011)
Gray Rinehart (2011)*

* First Term expires

The Board conducted 11 regular meetings and attended a Council Work Session specifically with the Public Art Consultant Jennifer Murphy.  Board members served on and attended 4 artist selection panel meetings and collected citizen input on public art projects at festivals and events during 2009-2010.  The Board has reviewed 16 public art projects and donations of artworks.  

The Board adopted the following focus areas and goals for 2010:

1. Public Art Master Plan - Work with staff to accomplish the recommendations of the Council-adopted Public Art Master Plan.  Facilitate achievement of the vision and 26 recommendations of the Public Art Master Plan.
2. Public Art Projects - Continue to advise & recommend public art where appropriate to enhance citizen quality of life.  Contribute to the achievement of an aesthetically pleasing and economically successful community by evaluating and recommending public art judiciously.
3. Education – Work with staff on public art education programs.  Build a community where citizens and businesses alike recognize public art projects and the value of public art to our shared community vision.

Report:  The Board’s Goal 1 (Public Art Master Plan - Work with staff to accomplish the recommendations of the Public Art Master Plan and to facilitate achievement of the vision and 26 recommendations of the Public Art Master Plan) was implemented through the following activities:

1. The Board worked with Public Art Consultant Jennifer Murphy to review the progress of the Town’s Public Art Master Plan and to move the Town toward the next steps with Policy/Ordinance development.   Ms Murphy worked with the Town to write the current Public Art Master Plan, which was adopted in 2001.  She reviewed plan processes and procedures, looked at Best Practices for processes and recommended steps to move Cary forward.  Ms Murphy affirmed that Cary has shown successes and has done a great job of administering the program.  She also noted that Cary is doing most of the 26 recommendations in plan. 
2. Board members attended a Council Work Session with Ms Murphy to gather Council comments and ideas on the Public Art Master Plan’s recommendations and accomplishments so far, to review processes and to make recommendations for procedures and policies.
   

   A summary from Council Work Session minutes 1/26/2010 with Public Art Consultant:

   • Consider creating an Ordinance/Policy
   • Consider adding design and engineering expertise to the Public Art Advisory Board
   • Consider Charrette process as part of the concept development phase
   • Consider Update Public Art Master Plan (10 years old)
3. The consultant is working on a summary of observations and recommendations and a draft policy, which the board plans to study and use as a basis for moving forward.

The Board’s Goal 2 (Public Art Projects – Continue to advise & recommend public art where appropriate to enhance quality of life. Contribute to the achievement of an aesthetically pleasing and economically successful community by evaluating and recommending public art judiciously) was implemented through the following activities:

1. The Board prioritized 10 potential projects for the FY11 Capital Improvement Project (CIP) and Capital Improvement Budget (CIB).  The Board used the six Vision Layers and evaluation criteria from the Public Art Master Plan to evaluate and rank projects for inclusion in the Public Art Work Plan and theCIB/CIP budget process. 
2. The Board reviewed the following current Town projects:
   
   Walker Street Extension Project Public Art  -  The Board reviewed and made a recommendation on the public art concepts presented by the Design Team Artist Vicki Scuri, OBS Landscape Architects and URS Engineering.
   
   Bus Shelter Public Art – The Board reviewed and made a recommendation on the public art concept and designs presented by artist Susan Harbage Page.  After the artist’s residency and research phase, Ms Page developed a series of six designs for the C-Tran shelters.  The designs are based on the patterns of historic wallpaper and architectural detail found in older Cary buildings.   Each of the six different bus routes has its own pattern etched on the safety glass windscreens with C-Tran blue benches.  A decal on each shelter will have information about the pattern’s source along with a brief description of its place in Cary’s history.
   
   Black Creek Greenway Public Art -  The Board reviewed design modifications for the pedestrian greenway bridge plinths presented by artist Brad Spencer.  The new plinth designs complement the other two public art sites along the greenway, which include the brick benches at the corner of Chapel Hill and Maynard roads and wing-walls at the pedestrian tunnel Lowes driveway entry.
   
   
3. The Board reviewed and made recommendations on the following projects that can address neighborhood identity and were initiated by organizations and businesses:
   
   

   Fairview Village Shopping Center Art Work Placement Request for “Wheel of Life” steel and bronze sculpture by artist Charles Pilkey for Fairview Village Shopping Center.  The shopping center is located at the corner of Ten-Ten Road and Holly Springs Road.  This piece will be privately owned and maintained. 

   Parkway Professional Art Work Placement Request for “Elan” a 14’ tall and 10’ wide fiberglass with a bronze finish sculpture by artist Elisa B. Chalem.  This piece will be privately owned and maintained. 

   Hospice of Wake County worked with artist Jim Gallucci for a signature artwork for the round a bout at their new facility in Cary.  The Board reviewed “Time Passage,” the sculpture designed for Hospice. This piece will be privately owned and maintained.   
   

   Developer Wilfong Properties, LLC for Searstone Retail worked with artist Michael Stutz to install a sculpture of a horse head titled “Hot Rolled Equus,”  which thematically honors the history of this location where a horse stood in Sears’ farm pasture prior to this land’s development.  This piece will be privately owned and maintained.

4. The Board reviewed temporary placements for the following:

   MacGregor Park HOA and Sculpture in the Landscape has three temporary sculptures they would like to place in their development.  A PowerPoint presentation was presented to show the locations and the pieces under review.

   CVA Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition (OSE)  10 proposed sculptures will be temporarily placed on the Town Hall Campus August 2010 – June 2011.   There are a wide variety of pieces and the artists are from several different states.

   CVA Temporary Artwork Placement of two sculptures, with the first piece called “Point Balance” by artist Phil Hathcock placed at Ashworth Village and the second piece at Syracuse Plastics of North Carolina by artist Mike Roig titled “Occulaire.” They will be on view for one year.

5.  The Board reviewed donations of artwork to the Town:

   Two Metal sculptures by artist Jeff Hurr were being donated for Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve.  The pieces “Swallowtail” and “Mayfly” complement the other pieces by the same artist already located in the Stevens Nature Center gardens at the preserve.

   A large painting and pastel by artists Don Mertz and LD Lori White were reviewed and recommended as additions to the Town’s collection.

Goal 3 (Education – Work with staff on Public Art education programs and build a community where citizens and businesses alike recognize public art projects and the value of public art to our shared community vision)was implemented through the following activities:

1. Board and Teen Council liaisons collected citizen comments on current downtown projects, as well as future capital projects, during the Lazy Daze and Spring Daze festivals and Cary at Sunset event. 
2. Provided outreach to community groups and citizens on the Town’s public art projects at Heart of Cary Association meetings, Cary Rotary Club meetings, Teen Council Board & membership meetings, and Cary Visual Art Board and committee meetings.
3. Board participated in the dedication for Walnut Street Park, which incorporates a brick promenade “Imaginary Garden” by artist Barbara Grygutis that has just won national recognition as Best In Class for the Paving/Landscaping 2010 Brick In Architecture competition by the Brick Industry Association. 
4. Board participated in the groundbreaking for the renovation of Old Cary Elementary school into the Town’s new arts center.  Public Art is integrated throughout the project.
5. Board participated in public meetings where public art was the topic and contributed to general public meetings where public art could contribute to the project.
6. Although Board members are not serving on the Sustainable Site Design Standards Review Committee, the Board’s Staff Liaison is a part of the TOC Staff review process and will provide drafts and updates as they become available for review.

Fiscal Impact:  No fiscal impact.

Staff Recommendation:  Council accepts the report of the Public Art Advisory Board.