7.
City Council Work Session
- Meeting Date:
- 08/30/2016
- From:
- Mark Di Lucido, Comm Design & Redevel Proj Adm
- Department:
- Economic Vitality
Co-Submitter:
TITLE:
Thorpe Park Sculpture Presentation.
DESIRED OUTCOME:
The Beautification and Public Art Commission (BPAC) has drafted a Call to Artists for a sculpture in Thorpe Park. BPAC provides this presentation to inform the Council of the project.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Thorpe Park Sculpture (Sculpture) will be at the northwest corner of Santa Fe Avenue and Thorpe Road. The BPAC has budgeted $100,000 for construction of the Sculpture. The BPAC plans to issue a Call to Artists in September, expects that the deadline for proposals will be in October, and anticipates a fall 2017 installation.
The purpose of the Sculpture will be to create an enduring, memorable, large scale, artwork that will be embraced and venerated by the community much as the Gandy Dancer Sculpture has. The BPAC has not strictly defined the desired theme of the Sculpture; it could be figurative/representational and abstract/conceptual; evoke a reference to place, history, or culture specific to the City and/or Northern Arizona; or of significant persons from the City’s history. The BPAC will, however, require that the Sculpture be made of durable materials that stand the test of time and age gracefully with minimal city maintenance.
A Call to Artists is similar to a procurement request for proposal and is subject to State of Arizona governmental entity solicitation requirements. For this Sculpture, standard City procurement procedures have been followed; City staff, with input from BPAC, wrote the Call to Artists; the City Attorney's Office reviewed the document; and it will be administered by the Purchasing Department. The verbatim evaluation criteria has not been provided here because the Call for Artists has not been made public.
There will be a two-phase process. In the first phase, the BPAC will evaluate artistic concepts for the Sculpture. The BPAC will narrow the pool to three finalists who will be evaluated and also required to create a small, preliminary model (i.e. maquette). To facilitate this, the BPAC will provide each of the three finalists a $2,500 stipend. National arts associations, such as Americans for the Arts, recommend the use of stipends as a 'best practice' for commissioning art. The artist will use the stipend to create a maquette of their Sculpture which will assist the BPAC, Council, and the community to visualize the artistic's concept, work out design issues/flaws during an early stage, and facilitate BPAC to make better-informed evaluations.
Staff realizes that access to, and experience of the sculpture may be enhanced by creating a ‘setting’ for the piece. It will be determined whether a 'setting' is needed after installing the Sculpture, and, if necessary, the BPAC will seek additional funding through a separate beautification five-year plan line item.
City staff apprised the Townsite Historic District neighborhood committee of the plan to construct the Sculpture, but received no negative comments to the proposal. In addition, City staff contacted Lowell Observatory as a potential funding partner, and for thematic suggestions due to its proximity to the Sculpture, but there has been no response.
The purpose of the Sculpture will be to create an enduring, memorable, large scale, artwork that will be embraced and venerated by the community much as the Gandy Dancer Sculpture has. The BPAC has not strictly defined the desired theme of the Sculpture; it could be figurative/representational and abstract/conceptual; evoke a reference to place, history, or culture specific to the City and/or Northern Arizona; or of significant persons from the City’s history. The BPAC will, however, require that the Sculpture be made of durable materials that stand the test of time and age gracefully with minimal city maintenance.
A Call to Artists is similar to a procurement request for proposal and is subject to State of Arizona governmental entity solicitation requirements. For this Sculpture, standard City procurement procedures have been followed; City staff, with input from BPAC, wrote the Call to Artists; the City Attorney's Office reviewed the document; and it will be administered by the Purchasing Department. The verbatim evaluation criteria has not been provided here because the Call for Artists has not been made public.
There will be a two-phase process. In the first phase, the BPAC will evaluate artistic concepts for the Sculpture. The BPAC will narrow the pool to three finalists who will be evaluated and also required to create a small, preliminary model (i.e. maquette). To facilitate this, the BPAC will provide each of the three finalists a $2,500 stipend. National arts associations, such as Americans for the Arts, recommend the use of stipends as a 'best practice' for commissioning art. The artist will use the stipend to create a maquette of their Sculpture which will assist the BPAC, Council, and the community to visualize the artistic's concept, work out design issues/flaws during an early stage, and facilitate BPAC to make better-informed evaluations.
Staff realizes that access to, and experience of the sculpture may be enhanced by creating a ‘setting’ for the piece. It will be determined whether a 'setting' is needed after installing the Sculpture, and, if necessary, the BPAC will seek additional funding through a separate beautification five-year plan line item.
City staff apprised the Townsite Historic District neighborhood committee of the plan to construct the Sculpture, but received no negative comments to the proposal. In addition, City staff contacted Lowell Observatory as a potential funding partner, and for thematic suggestions due to its proximity to the Sculpture, but there has been no response.
INFORMATION:
COUNCIL GOALS:
3) Provide sustainable and equitable public facilities, services, and infrastructure systems in an efficient and effective manner to serve all population areas and demographics.
REGIONAL PLAN:
Goal CC.5. Support and promote art, science and education resources for all to experience.
Policy CC.5.1. Promote first class arts, research, and educational facilities.
Policy CC.5.3. Encourage integration of art into public and private development projects.
3) Provide sustainable and equitable public facilities, services, and infrastructure systems in an efficient and effective manner to serve all population areas and demographics.
REGIONAL PLAN:
Goal CC.5. Support and promote art, science and education resources for all to experience.
Policy CC.5.1. Promote first class arts, research, and educational facilities.
Policy CC.5.3. Encourage integration of art into public and private development projects.