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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCPAAC Minutes 11.14.23Carmel Public Art Advisory Committee (CPAAC) Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, November 14, 2023 Carmel City Hall Caucus Room Call to Order Committee Co-Chair Julia Saltsgaver called the meeting to order at 5:00 PM. Attendance Members Present in Person: Julia Saltsgaver, Karen Poysner, Jill Reese, Luci Snyder and Cathy Strawn. Additional City Representatives in Person: Jeff Worrell, Common Council; Jessica Komp, Deputy Clerk. Virtual Attendees: Donna Tutwiler, Carmel Public Art Advisory Committee; Henry Mestetsky, Carmel Redevelopment Commission Guest Attendee: Ann-Marie Shambaugh, Current in Carmel Minutes Minutes from the August 15, 2023 meeting were approved – 4 votes in favor (Saltsgaver, Reese, Snyder, Tutwiler), 2 abstained (Poysner & Strawn not present at August meeting.) Intake Forms The committee next proceeded with the discussion of one (1) new intake form for “Taking Flight”. This is a new sculpture to be placed in the roundabout at Main Street and 4th Avenue, by artist Jason Klimoski of Brooklyn, NY. Description of “Taking Flight” from Intake Form The sculpture depicts an upsweep of books taking flight. At night, individual books will light up in a variety of colors. The piece projects not only the recognizable library symbol of books but opens the concept of a portal which includes an endless range of learning materials and assets. Discussion of Chosen Location The chosen location of the “Taking Flight” sculpture was discussed by the committee, which is the roundabout at Main Street and 4th Avenue, between the Carmel Clay Public Library and Carmel High School. Members of the committee were unanimously in favor of the location, stating that it was perfectly fitting for a sculpture of books to be placed there. Committee Feedback The committee was in favor of the process used to search for this piece. A national search for an artist was conducted through an RFQ process, in which 132 applications were received. 3 finalists were chosen to make representations to a committee comprised of two city consulting advisors and city and library representatives. Ultimately, Jason Klimoski’s piece was selected. Although the CPAAC is in favor of the “Taking Flight” piece, the members of the committee stated that they would have liked to have been involved earlier in the process. As an advisory committee, the CPAAC should have been involved in an actual advisory capacity, and not just asked for feedback after the decision had already been made. During the discussion, Cathy Strawn asked why the piece came in at a price of $430,000, when the original budget had been $400,000. Henry Mestetsky explained that the original budget was an aspirational quote. Through the process of this piece being fabricated, Mr. Mestetsky worked with the studio and made it clear that we wanted all of the subcontractors involved in the process to be under one contract, so we have one person to go after if things don’t go right. The artist contract incorporates all that incidental work, from the concrete needed for the foundation to the wiring for the electrical. This caused the price to go up by $30,000. Donna Tutwiler stated that she thought the process through which the piece was searched for was very positive, and that she received lots of public feedback in agreement with that. Ms. Tutwiler asked who the selection committee had been comprised of. Co-Chair Karen Poysner stated that she had spoken with Mayor Brainard a few months prior, and was told that Paula Stoeke of the Seward Johnson Atelier and artist Arlon Bayliss made up that group. Henry Mestetsky stated that library representatives were also shown the piece ahead of time. Julia Saltsgaver stated that a submission process achieved a very nice result. This is a process that the CPAAC has asked for, but she is disappointed that once again, the CPAAC’s input was not sought out at a point where that input would matter. This viewpoint has been shared with Mayor-Elect Finkam, and Ms. Saltsgaver will be speaking with her more about it. Luci Snyder shared that she has shown pictures of this sculpture to 8 or 9 people and the response has unanimously been that this piece is amazingly appropriate, both for the library and for the high school on the other side of the street. They also responded that the illumination of the books is magnificent. Ms. Snyder also stated that the Diwali holiday had just passed, and she was reminded of the input various members of the CPAAC had received from Carmel residents of Indian descent, and how that input should have been considered in the design of the “Indian Heritage” sculpture. Unfortunately, once again, the CPAAC was not asked for input on that piece until the design had already been finalized. Donna Tutwiler echoed that sentiment as she had recently seen a news piece regarding the celebration of Diwali, noting that many of the points made in the news piece were points made by our Carmel residents. Jill Reese stated that she likes the aesthetic of “Taking Flight”. Although the process used to select this piece did produce a good outcome, she is optimistic that Mayor-Elect Finkam will have an approach to public art in Carmel that looks different than what we’ve seen, including a comprehensive master plan. Karen Poysner stated that she has spoken with the Mayor-Elect and she does want to meet for a discussion with this arts committee. Cathy Strawn stated that the process and the ordinance failed in terms of what this committee was created to do, and what it was actually invited to do. Julia Saltsgaver added that the ordinance and those governed by it failed. Bill Cooler was unable to attend this meeting, but he sent an email to the group regarding the article in the November 4th, 2023 edition of Current in Carmel entitled “$430K sculpture planned between library, CHS”. Mr. Cooler’s email stated that he fully supports the RFQ search process, but according to this article, all decisions regarding the selection of this piece and its placement have already been made, therefore holding a CPAAC meeting to discuss such would produce no change in those decisions. The committee agreed with Bill’s assessment, but decided to hold this meeting anyway, to have their input put on record. The committee gave their full recommendation and support of this piece and its chosen location. The final vote was unanimous amongst the present members - (6 votes in favor, 0 opposed.) Additional Discussion Karen Poysner asked when installation of “My Sixteen-Year-Old Jazz Dreams” would be completed outside the Palladium. Henry Mestetsky stated that the concrete had been poured, but another piece that goes around the concrete has been delayed. A part of the drum set is also being repaired. Additionally, there will be a gramophone piece across the sidewalk that will play music by all of the musicians featured in “Jazz Dreams”. Mr. Mestetsky is working with Arlon Bayliss on that. These musical pieces were picked out by Chris Lewis, who runs the Songbook Foundation. This gramophone was not originally part of the “My Sixteen-Year-Old Jazz Dreams” cost that was approved by the CPAAC. It may be a few more months until installation of all components is complete. Adjournment Ms. Saltsgaver adjourned the meeting at 5:18 PM.