ARTS COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
February 25, 2004 at 7:00 p.m.
Brentwood Business & Technology Center
101 Sand Creek Road, B
Brentwood, Ca 94513
CALL TO ORDER:
Chairperson Joe Trebino called the meeting to order at 7:10
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
All stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL:
At roll call the following Commissioners were present: Chairperson Joe
Trebino, Vice Chairperson Jim Bryant, and Commissioners William Weber,
Saunie Fridley, Clayton Woolley and Sandra Gill. Commissioners Patrick
McCarran, Helen Myers, Chris Robinson, Ron Beatty and Barbara Guise were
absent. City Council liaison and Vice Mayor Annette Beckstrand was also
present.
Staff persons present were Craig Bronzan, Director of Parks and
Recreation; Poldina Scherff, Recreation Services Manager; and Angela
DiNicola, Administrative Assistant.
PRESENTATION:
Presentation by the California Association for the Advancement of
Recording and Music Arts (CAARMA)
This presentation was delayed until later in the agenda due to problems
with the Power Point program.
AGENDA REVIEW: No comments or changes requested to the agenda.
CITIZEN COMMENTS: No citizen comments.
CONSENT CALENDAR:
1. Approval of minutes of regular meeting of January 29, 2004.
2. Accept monthly budget report and motions for purchases (P. Scherff/A.
DiNicola)
3. Approval of Art Commission Committee matrix (A. DiNicola)
Chairman Trebino asked for a motion to approve the Consent Calendar if
no one had changes. Vice Chairperson Bryant moved to approve the Consent
Calendar, motion was seconded by Commissioner Saunie Fridley. Motion
carried.
OLD BUSINESS:
4. Update on Shakespeare Festival (J. Melloni). Ms. Scherff gave this
report on behalf of Ms. Melloni. The contract with the Shakespeare
Festival performance company is now in place and is being reviewed by
the City Attorney and City Manager. They have secured the Performing
Arts Center at Liberty High School for Saturday, April 3rd in the
evening, and on Sunday, April 4th for a matinee. The play is Romeo and
Juliet and will be free. Everything is going well and once the contract
is signed the advertising campaign will start. Subcommittee members are
Jan Melloni, Kermit Sveen, Commissioners Sandra Gill and Chris Robinson
who will meet Monday, March 1st at 4:30 p.m. at the Tech Center. Flyers
will be sent out to the Commissioners along with the other advertising.
Two students from Liberty will be hired to run the lights for the
performances.
5. Review of the Arts Commission tour of Brentwood (Joe Trebino).
Chairperson Trebino said the tour was very informative he appreciated
Ms. Scherff driving them. Commissioner Gill agreed and said it was a
delightful 2 ½ hours and she thoroughly enjoyed it. She commented that
as they went on the tour keeping in mind sights for public art, she felt
it was important to start with areas that are highly visible. She
mentioned the Aquatic Center street corner, major intersections and
walls that are unattractive, would be enhanced with art work. She
suggested the Commission consider putting the Farmer statue on the
corner of Pippo and Balfour.
A comment was made that Commissioner Robinson started a list of possible
locations to place public art. Chairperson Trebino said this should be
handled by a subcommittee who could prioritize the locations. He then
appointed a subcommittee consisting of Commissioners’ Robinson, Gill and
Chairperson Trebino.
Commissioner Guise arrived at 7:15 p.m.
6. Update of Budget Information received (P. Scherff).
Ms. Scherff asked for Director Bronzan’s assistance in answering the
Commissioner’s questions regarding encumbered funds on the Arts
Commission budget. After explaining the budget he suggested this item be
put on the agenda for March and request accountant Tina Clark attend to
further clarify. Chairperson Trebino asked if funds not spent during the
fiscal year roll over to the following year and was told it does.
Commissioner Bryant asked for explanations about the donations and
another question was asked if the $80,000 from Shea Homes had been
transferred into the budget. Director Bronzan said they would address
these at the March meeting when Ms. Clark attends. Vice Mayor Beckstrand
suggested having a categorical report rather than a chronological report
which might be clearer.
7. Review and approval of Public Art Guidelines Flow Chart (J. Trebino).
Chairperson Trebino turned this subject over to Director Bronzan.
Director Bronzan talked about the flow charts which were included in
each of the Commissioner’s packets and presented the four different
scenarios.
Director Bronzan explained there will be two committees working on the
art project. One will be the Public Art Subcommittee comprised of
members of the Arts Commission and Council members. The other will be
the Public Art Committee which will include a City Council
representative, one city staff member as identified by the City Manager,
the Chairperson of the Art Commission and the Developer. When the Arts
Manager is hired, he/she will oversee the process, make sure that
reports are up to date and know where funds are disbursed for each
project. The Arts Manager will be responsible for writing contracts,
will track funding, and will have a separate budget report on art
projects from developer funds. Of the funds received for the art
projects, 80% will go towards fees and art work, and 20% is the
administrative fee which will go back into the Commission’s budget; 10%
for staff, and 10% will allow for program money to educate and advertise
in the community.
Chairperson Trebino asked the Commissioners to consider whether or not
they would be interested in serving on the Public Art Committee and/or
if they know anyone in the community that would like to serve on it.
Commissioner Bryant moved to accept the flow charts as presented.
Commissioner Guise seconded the motion, motion carried unanimously.
Director Bronzan asked this to be added to the March agenda to appoint
people to serve on the committee and suggested artists, historians, or
people with knowledge about the community and art. He also reported that
the first developer who will pay the percentage for art is Pulte who is
planning a development of 530 homes and has been in contact with staff
to schedule a meeting to receive more information on public art.
Commissioner Guise asked about the Brighton Station project. Director
Bronzan said this is in the works and they have not started building at
this time.
8. Approval of purchasing plaques for outgoing Commissioners (J.
Trebino)
Director Bronzan explained that it is traditional with the Parks and
Recreation Department that when people leave at the conclusion of their
term to present them with a plaque. He said that the City will take care
of this to make sure the Commissioners are recognized.
NEW BUSINESS:
9. Discussion on Commission helping financially with Concerts in the
Park (P. Scherff).
Ms. Scherff gave the Commission an overview of the concerts planned for
the summer of 2004. She said they have a very diverse line up and still
have some open slots available. One of the final concerts will be a
September 11th tribute and the All American Boys Choir will return for
this commemorative event. She gave a brief run down on some of the types
of bands who will perform; a local band, Jazz, Country, Soul, and
Polynesian. Commissioner Woolley gave her a name of a Reggae band, “Red
Dye Five” for her to contact. She has submitted a preliminary budget to
Director Bronzan and a letter to the Chamber of Commerce. In the past
they’ve made a donation of $10,000 for the concerts but haven’t had a
response yet. She also said there is approximately $3,000 left from the
previous year. She requested $8,000 from the Art Commission for the
year. They will also request funds from the City. The Parks and
Recreation Department will absorb the staffing responsibilities for the
concerts. Chairperson Trebino asked if the money donation to the
concerts could come out of the $80,000 from the Shea Homes and Director
Bronzan concurred. Commissioner Gill moved that the Commission donate
$8,000 to the Concerts in the Park. Commissioner Woolley seconded the
motion, motion carried unanimously.
At this time the presentation by the California Association for the
Advancement of Recording and Music Arts (CARMA) was presented.
Information packets on the company were handed out and the program was
presented in Power Point format by Brian Espinosa who is a partner in
the Company. He introduced the President and co-partner, Chris James,
and Ollie Mamaril, Secretary, who gave the narrative for the
presentation. Mr. Mamaril gave the history of the company and said their
non-profit 501(C3) status was approved. The company would like to
provide recording opportunities for music arts, schools, and local
musicians by providing resources for practice, presentation and
performance. They ultimately want a sound treated building to
accommodate offices, practices and recording studios in the community.
Their goal is to educate and mentor musicians on the recording process.
The facilities will be open to young musicians as well as more mature
groups. He passed around pictures of a recent event sponsored at the
Contra Costa Fairgrounds, listed their sponsors and discussed some of
the bands they have worked with. They are planning a second annual band
fund-raiser and also plan to do smaller shows throughout the year in the
Bay Area. The group would like to establish relationships with the Arts
Commission and other similar associations in the local area for support.
They thanked the Commission for the opportunity to make the
presentation. Chris James said they are looking for building space and
can be contacted at their address, P.O. Box 641, Pittsburg, CA 94565, on
the Internet at www.caarma.org or by phone on their Hotline at (925)
219-9521. Commissioner Woolley asked some questions and suggested that
on the March agenda they discuss forming a subcommittee for performing
arts and music. Chairperson Trebino asked that Commissioner Woolley
prepare a report for this item. Vice Mayor Beckstrand suggested that the
group contact the band director at Liberty High School. She said the
Liberty High School has facilities for band practice but didn’t know of
the availability for CAARMA.
10. Discussion on participating in the Summerset Volunteer Fair (K.
Sveen/A. DiNicola)
Ms. DiNicola said that space has been allocated for the Arts Society and
the Arts Commission at the fair and they could share a table. They are
expecting a large turnout and so far have had about 30 group’s signup.
The Summerset people are also asking for some type of donation for door
prizes. Chairperson Trebino asked if the Commissioners wanted to
participate in the event to be held April 24th and if so, volunteers
would be needed. Chairperson Trebino said he would volunteer to be there
and pass out literature on behalf of the Arts Commission. Commissioner
Fridley also volunteered. Commissioner Guise moved that the Art
Commission participate in the Summerset Volunteer Fair, Commissioner
Weber seconded the motion, motion carried unanimously. Chairperson
Trebino will donate some items from his business and Commissioner Weber
will donate some prints and art work. Commissioner Guise said she can
also obtain items if needed.
11. Discussion on developing a standard response to artists submitting
potentially offensive art work (J. Trebino/B. Weber).
Chairperson Trebino referred the Commissioners to the packet and the
response that was given by Ms. DiNicola on January 26 and subsequently
reviewed by Director Bronzan. He has requested review also by the Art
Gallery Committee and the Arts Commission for approval. Issues that
might be raised for display of art were brought up by Commissioner
Bryant. Commissioner Guise commented on the fact that this building is
not an art gallery, it is a technical office building and this makes a
difference in the types of art that may be displayed. Director Bronzan
suggested the end of the sentence that says “….standards of public
decency” be removed. Commissioner Guise suggested the phrase “a business
office and does not function as a traditional public art gallery” be
used. Commissioner Weber suggested this be put into the new guidelines
so that the artists read it. Chairperson Trebino asked for a motion to
reword the statement. Commissioner Bryant moved that a draft will be
presented at the next meeting to reflect the comments of the Director
and other Commissioners regarding what the standards are for showing art
in the gallery and when approved be incorporated into the artists
application to display art. Motion seconded by Commissioner Woolley,
motion carried unanimously.
Commissioner Bryant then moved that the Curator is responsible for the
review of art work submitted by the artist and the Executive Committee
is responsible for working with the Curator in responding to any
concerns of the Curator, and that the Executive Committee would have the
final say in the matter. Commissioner Gill seconded the motion, motion
carried unanimously.
12. Review of procedures for featured artists (A. DiNicola).
The Commission’s featured artist, Stanley Mouse, read the current Loan
Agreement/Receipt form and questioned the 30% of the sale price to the
City if any of their art work sold. They signed the agreement but
crossed this off. Ms. DiNicola reported that since this is only the
second featured artist that has sold their work this hasn’t come up
before. Since the featured artist is not paid anything to display their
work, she thought the Arts Commission should have a separate agreement
for them. It was decided that since a featured artist’s name is being
used in advertising they shouldn’t be charged for the sale of their
work. Commissioner Guise moved that in the future featured artists whose
names are used in advertising as a “draw” to the show would not be
charged a commission fee on sale of their work in the show. Motion
seconded by Commissioner Weber, motion carried unanimously.
13. Discussion of upcoming art exhibits and receptions (J. Trebino)
Chairman Trebino feels there needs to be more response from the
Commission members in preparation and clean up after receptions and also
to fulfill the commitments for the Saturday openings of the gallery. He
passed around the sign up sheet and requested others who have not
already signed up to please do so. The commitment is only for four hours
once every six months. This was agreed on by the Commissioners.
Commissioner Woolley signed up for the November obligation.
Ms. DiNicola commented on the amount of work being performed by
Commissioner Weber in preparation for the art exhibits and in view of
the fact that Mary Hannigan will soon be gone, will need additional help
from the Commissioners. Chairperson Trebino said they need more
Commissioners to volunteer to help hang the art and prepare for the
receptions and clean-up afterwards. A suggestion was made to present
this at the Summerset Volunteer Fair and to prepare a list of people who
would like to volunteer and the types of things they would be interested
in participating in.
Commissioner Weber also said that he has several Frank Lloyd Wright
prints that were to be donated to the schools and since the next show
involves the schools, this would be a good opportunity to take care of
this. Chairperson Trebino asked who is working with the schools for this
show and Commissioner Weber said Ms. Hannigan. He said he will be in
touch with her before she leaves. Commissioner Gill was concerned
because she has promoted this in her classroom and hasn’t been given
information. Commissioner Gill will contact Mary Hannigan and Mary Black
to coordinate this activity and will contact Commissioner Weber with the
information. Ms. DiNicola will also be notified. Chairperson Trebino
asked all to assist in putting together a list of volunteers.
Commissioner Bryant asked for the information on the Summerset Fair to
be put on the website.
14. Discussion of signage for Saturday Art Gallery openings (B. Weber)
The lack of signs on Highway 4 to alert passerby’s to the Saturday Art
Gallery openings was discussed. Commissioner Weber volunteered to paint
the lettering if someone else could build it, but after some discussion
it was decided they would get quotes to have signs made. Commissioner
Guise and Chairperson Trebino will both get bids. It was agreed that the
sign should serve two purposes, advertise for the Saturday gallery
openings and for the Art Exhibit Receptions. Ms. DiNicola suggested two
signs, one for street and one at the door. Commissioner Guise suggested
putting balloons on the street sign to make it more visible. The sign
would read, Art Gallery open today, 1-5, with an arrow. On days of
receptions an overlay would read, Art Gallery Reception Tonight.
15. Discussion of Development (Design) Review Meetings (C. Bronzan).
Director Bronzan gave an overview of the Development Review Meetings
which are held every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. Any project that comes to
the City as a residential or a commercial city project has to go to the
Development Review Committee. There is a representative from every
department and this meeting gives the opportunity to have everyone look
at the project as part of the “big picture”. Commissioners Weber and
former Commissioner Melloni have attended these meetings in the past
(Commissioner Fridley is an alternate). Director Bronzan feels with the
Arts Manager being hired soon he/she should be responsible for attending
the meetings rather than the Commissioners. He suggested this be made a
part of the Arts Manager’s responsibilities which would also help build
relationships with other City departments.
Commissioner Guise moved that the Arts Manager be given the
responsibilities of attending the Development Review Meetings after the
position is filled. Motion seconded by Commissioner Gill, motion carried
unanimously.
CITY COUNCIL UPDATE: None
CITIZENS COMMENTS: None
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS:
Commissioner Bryant reported that he and Director Bronzan had an
opportunity to meet with the Contra Costa County Arts and Culture
Commission members. The County Commission’s focus is on art education in
schools and throughout the county, and discussed resources that they
have that would be available to the Brentwood Arts Commission. They
recognize both student artists and artists as a whole once a year and
talked about the possibility of a traveling art show within the county.
The county also agreed to help publicize the position of Arts Manager
for the Brentwood Arts Commission.
Director Bronzan commented on how the County Commission has had funds
cut and how fortunate the Brentwood Commission is to have funds
available to them. He felt it was a good meeting and a good opportunity
for support within the county.
Commissioner Fridley said she’s willing to help on Saturdays with the
art gallery.
Commissioner Weber resigned from the Commission but will remain as
Curator of the Gallery. Chairperson Trebino expressed sympathy at
Commissioner Weber’s need to resign as he has brought much to the
Commission but appreciates his reasons. Commissioner Weber said he loves
doing the Art Gallery and will be happy to stay as Curator. He would
like new business cards as Curator.
STAFF COMMENTS:
Director Bronzan said the Arts Manager deadline is Friday, February
27th, and believes the initial screening will be about the third week of
March. The interview committee will be formed and he’s requesting two
members of the Arts Commission to volunteer to serve along with Ms.
Scherff and suggested Vice Mayor Beckstrand also serve. They will
probably start the last of March or first week of April. Chairperson
Trebino and Commissioner Bryant volunteered for this committee.
Commissioner Guise volunteered to be alternate if Commissioner Bryant is
not available.
Ms. DiNicola passed around a program and a wine charm that City Clerk,
Karen Diaz, gave to her for the Arts Commission to review from an event
she attended in Tracy. Ms. Diaz also asked if the Arts Commission would
be willing to donate something to a silent auction being held by the
City Clerks of California. Commissioner Guise asked about donating wine
glasses for the silent auction, and tee shirts from the Day in the Park.
Commissioner Gill suggested making up a basket with wine glasses, tee
shirts and a bottle of wine. Chairperson Trebino said he will donate the
wine. Ms. DiNicola and Ms. Scherff will prepare the basket for the event
which is April 21, 2004.
Vice Mayor Beckstrand then presented the certificates of reappointment
to four of the Commissioners which were sworn in by the Mayor the
previous night at the City Council meeting. Those Commissioners
receiving these were Commissioners Guise, Myers, Robinson and Trebino.
REQUEST FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS:
Budget updates (Tina Clark)
Appointment to Committee for Public Art
Committee on music art
Review and approval of submission of standard response to artists
Review of Loan Agreement for featured artists
Follow up on School Art Show and liaison
ADJOURNMENT:
Chairperson Trebino adjourned the meeting at 8:55 p.m.
