CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the Public Art Exploratory Task Force recommendation to create a Naperville Arts Committee and a Naperville Arts Program
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DEPARTMENT: Community Services
SUBMITTED BY: Pam Gallahue, PhD, Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
Under New Business at its December 15, 2020 meeting, the City Council directed staff to begin meeting with Century Walk to define a working relationship and present a recommendation for a public art program in 2021.
At its March 16, 2021 meeting, the City Council received the Century Walk Long-Range Plan for Public Art but tabled any discussion until such time staff, the SECA Commission, and the proposed Public Art Task Force review and bring a recommendation to the City Council.
DISCUSSION:
Exploratory Task Force (ETF)
Staff partnered with members of the SECA Commission to create a group of interested parties and subject matter experts to evaluate processes related to public art in Naperville, explore opportunities for improvement, and develop a public art program recommendation to present to the City Council.
The resulting Exploratory Task Force is made up of the members below:
1. Melvin Kim with a transition to Judy Brodhead (SECA Chair)
2. Brand Bobosky (Century Walk)
3. Debbie Venezia (Century Walk)
4. Sangeeta Pande (Century Walk)
5. Tony Andrews (Art of Inclusion)
6. Shannon Greene Robb (SECA Commission)
7. Anna Lankisch (Student Representative from The Alive Center)
The ETF received staff support from Special Events Coordinator, Dawn Portner and Community Services Director, Pam Gallahue. In addition to meeting and agenda management, staff issued an RFI requesting guidance on how to develop a municipal public art program and researched established programs in the following 15 municipalities:
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El Cerrito, CA Boise, ID Roswell, GA Rockford, IL Auburn, WA |
Loveland, CO Naples, FL Flossmoor, IL Des Moines, IA Roanoke, VA |
East Lansing, MI Tacoma, WA Wichita, KS Elgin, IL Albuquerque, NM |
April 20, 2021 - Inaugural ETF meeting
At its first meeting, the ETF discussed the ultimate goal of developing a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable public art program, defining the relationship and responsibilities between the City and Century Walk, and creating a way to promote/support/grow public art in a way that people from all areas, ethnicities, economic levels, genders, and lifestyles feel welcome and able to participate.
Jennifer Evans, Aurora Public Art Director, was invited to discuss Aurora’s program and specifically speak to how it was started, how it has evolved, and lessons learned.
The ETF also discussed creating different subcommittees to focus on specific program areas, develop recommendations, and report back. The subcommittees would meet outside of the ETF meetings and membership appointments would include subject matter experts, community partners, and other individuals not on the ETF so as to not be subject to Open Meetings Act requirements. Recommendations for subcommittee topics and members were due to staff by mid-May to be approved at the May 26 ETF meeting.
Lastly, the ETF discussed the Long-Range Plan for Public Art that was presented to the City Council and agreed to submit questions to Century Walk.
ETF meetings, subcommittees, and deliberations
The ETF met for a second and third time in May and June.
Given the progress made at the meetings, the large number of questions submitted regarding the Long-Range Plan for Public Art, the struggle to find individuals for the subcommittees, the transition to a new ETF chair, and the commitment to present a recommendation to the City Council in October it was decided that Long-Range Plan questions would be provided to the subcommittees to include in their deliberations and recommendations.
At its June meeting, the ETF approved the creation of the following three subcommittee topics and associated memberships.
Vision
• Chair, Sun Kwok (Art of Inclusion)
• Erin Franczyk (Creative/Art Director - Brand Development)
• Ryder Stejskal (The Alive Center)
Program Administration
• Chair, Melvin Kim (Former SECA Commission Chair)
• Nancy Chen (SECA Commission)
• Nikole Langham (Former Gallery Director at North Central College)
• Sue Omanson (Naperville Park District)
• Philip Buchanan (Resident/Businessman)
• Nina Vittori (Century Walk)
Arts Curation
• Chair, Shannon Greene Robb (SECA Commission)
• Katie Wood, (Downtown Naperville Alliance)
• Dustin Thacker (DuPage Children’s Museum)
• Peter Thaddeus (Youth Outlook)
• Jacque Clermont (SECA Commission)
• Brittany Malatt (Naperville Park District)
• Marquell Oliver (Artist community)
The subcommittees met in July, August, and September. The ETF did not convene during the time the subcommittees were meeting.
Subcommittee recommendations
Vision
This subcommittee, led by Sun Kwok from Art of Inclusion, met on July 29 and August 28. The group examined public art holistically and recognized that it includes, but is not limited to, paintings, performance art, projection art, digital media, murals, sculptures, and online. It should be seen as a cultural amenity that draws visitors to Naperville, enhances the quality of life of residents, inspires the imagination, include projects at all price points, and welcomes artists of all genders, lifestyles, and economic levels.
Given the many community benefits of all types of art and recognizing that the City Council has supported art via capital SECA Grant Fund awards, the subcommittee reviewed the Century Walk Long-Range Plan and still identified the following items that are absent from Naperville’s commitment to art that need to be addressed:
1. A formal municipal-led arts program and arts committee
2. An application/review/approval process to showcase artists of all levels
3. Guidelines for promoting diversity and inclusion
4. Funding for community artists
5. A resource for artists regarding application, permitting, location, funding
6. Definitive ownership determination
7. A map of approved locations for different pieces/performances
8. Artist agreements
9. Life cycle standards
10. An annual program review and evaluation
11. Mechanism to gain public opinion about art pieces/variety
12. An annual report to the City Council regarding initiatives
13. A placemaking strategy
Vision recommendation
1. Form a Naperville Arts Committee to create and implement guidelines for public art in Naperville.
2. Create a Naperville Arts Program, to be managed by the Naperville Arts Committee, designed to inspire imagination, reflect diversity, and promote an inclusive community through public art experiences.
Program Administration
This subcommittee, led by former SECA Chair Melvin Kim, met on September 1 and September 8. The group first focused on creating a Naperville Arts Committee (NAC) and on September 21, 2021 presented the following guidelines regarding membership requirements, term limits, and staff support to the ETF:
1. The NAC shall not be designated as a board/commission in order to allow it meet at any time, not be restricted to Open Meetings Act guidelines, and not add to the City’s number of boards/commissions
2. The NAC shall have a diverse composition of 11 members showcasing a mix of artists or individuals with a professional background or formal education in the arts; those experienced in the areas of organizational management including, but not limited to, law, finance/fundraising, and community relations; and lay people serving in an at-large capacity. Membership on the NAC will first be offered to individuals who have served on the ETF or a subcommittee
3. NAC members shall serve two staggered three-year terms [consistent with current City boards/commissions]
4. The Special Events Coordinator will serve as staff liaison and provide support as necessary
At the same meeting, the subcommittee also suggested that the NAC develop processes to address the gaps identified by the Vision subcommittee, perform a thorough examination to find any other deficiencies and propose appropriate solutions, and manage a new Naperville Arts Program that will inspire the imagination, reflect diversity, and promote an inclusive community through public art experiences.
Program Administration recommendation
1. Guidelines, duties, and responsibilities for the Naperville Arts Committee
Arts Curation
This subcommittee, led by Shannon Greene Robb, SECA Commissioner, met on September 1 and September 8. This group concentrated on the application process, projects that can be completed in 2022, and potential funding opportunities.
For special events, the City has an annual application timeframe but also has a process to review/approve events that are proposed once the application cycle closes.
Similar to special events, the Arts Curation subcommittee believes it is critical to have a structured application process, but also a mechanism for artists to approach the Naperville Arts Committee and participate in the Naperville Arts Program outside of the application window. Like the other groups, the subcommittee asked questions regarding the Century Walk Long-Range Plan and found curation and application details were not included.
As such, the subcommittee proposed the following two tracts:
1. City-initiated Curation - Call for Projects and Artists
When deemed appropriate, the Naperville Arts Committee will announce an Annual Call for Projects and begin to accept applications for evaluation. Applications may include requests for a resume, examples of work, artist statement, budget, etc. The NAC shall catalog all artists and/or proposals.
2. Community-initiated Curation - Response to Projects and Artists
Beyond initiating the Annual Call for Projects, the NAC shall have the responsibility to provide guidance and direction for public art displays initiated by community members throughout the year.
To ensure a robust and dynamic arts collection, the subcommittee recommends developing an application which includes, but is not limited to, questions and evaluation criteria in the following areas:
1. Qualities and purpose of art
2. Intentionality of design
3. Thought process of impact
4. Diversity
5. Originality / Redundancy
6. Conservation / Long-term Care
7. Public Safety and Accessibility
8. Clear Agreements / Public Liability
9. Location
The NAC will not request any funding for 2022. Instead, it will primarily focus on determining membership, drafting program rules/guidelines, and creating a website and social media presence.
The NAC will also partner with staff to facilitate low/no cost projects such as First Fridays in the Downtown and beautification initiatives as well as research grant opportunities.
Arts Curation recommendation
1. City-initiated Curation process
2. Community-initiated Curation process
Exploratory Task Force Recommendations to the City Council
On September 28, the ETF (one member was absent) reviewed and discussed the subcommittee recommendations and unanimously approved all proposals which are now being presented to the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No funding is requested for 2022. However, after the NAC has demonstrated project and artist diversity, community inclusivity, program transparency, and garnered community interest it may be appropriate to apply for a SECA grant in 2023 or 2024 for a capital project or several small projects.