Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-11-136 Revisions to Public Art Policy I-816 (FINAL) complet1 KITCx~i~~R Staff Re ort p Camrn unity Services Departm ent ~w.k~~~~~r~erca REPORT T0: Community and Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: November 7, 2011 SUBMITTED BY: Mark Hildebrand, Director, Community Programs and Services Ext 2687 PREPARED BY: Cheryl York, ArtslCulture Co-ordinator Ext 3381 WARD(S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: October 3, 2011 REPORT NO.: CSD-11-136 SUBJECT: Revisions to Public Art Policy I-816 RECOMMENDATION: That revisions to Public Art Policy I-816, Sections 4.5 and 4.6, be approved as outlined in report CSD-11-136; and That, in support of Section 2.1 of Public Art Policy I-816, the City of Kitchener continues to: 1. Involve citizens, including young people, in public art projects whenever possible; 2. Provide opportunities for the involvement of educational institutions whenever possible; and 3. That all current programming involving youth be continued. BACKGROUND: Report CSD-11-103 "Public Art Program and Policy Review" was presented to Community and Infrastructure Services Committee on August 15, 2011. In its consideration of the report on August 29, 2011, Council made the following resolution: "That Public Art Policy I-816, as approved on September 20, 2010 and attached to Community Services Department report CSD-11-103 as Appendix A, be re-confirmed; and, That the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee and Public Art Working Group be requested to consider and recommend ways in which students from local educational institutions can participate in public art; and further, That the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee and the Public Art Working Group return with policy recommendations that may separate the location of the public art project from its contributing capital project site where appropriate, in order to ensure maximum public exposure." 6-1 ~~~..~L 1~~ ~~1~~ G~~f~~~~~~ ~f L~~~ WWW.II~i~~~~~r.~~ The Public Art Working Group and Arts and Culture Advisory Committee considered the Council resolutions in September 2011. REPORT: The Public Art Working Group approved revised wording for sections 4.5 and 4.6 of the policy on September 12, 2011. The revisions were forwarded to the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee for its consideration on September 20, 2011 when a motion was unanimously passed to support the revisions and forward them to Council. "That ACAC support staff recommendations regarding youth involvement in arts and culture programs, and the proposed revisions to policy I-816 regarding potential sites for public art." (ACAC Minutes, Sept 20111) The current policy I-816 is attached to this report as appendix A for reference purposes. Staff is recommending that Section 4.5 be changed to the following: Section 4.5 The program offers a choice of options for municipal public art projects: a) Public art projects at civic sites; public art projects at priority sites; All potential sites are assessed with the following criteria: Ownership: The site should be owned by the City or there should be assurance that an agreement for its use is attainable. Public Exposure: If outdoors, the site should have complete public visibility and unrestricted access at all times, and offer easy surveillance to minimize opportunities for vandalism. If indoors, the site can be used and/or enjoyed by the public at least five business days per week a year, less statutory holidays (252 days}. Significance: Locations of historical significance or that function as gateways into districts and neighbourhoods provide special opportunities for art work. Safety and Preservation of Art Work: Sites where high levels of chemical use for snow removal, or where maneuverability of snow clearing machinery is required may present problems for some public art installations. Medians in roadways may not be suitable sites due to the level of risk caused by vehicle collisions. b) Temporary installation projects such as digital projections on the Berlin Tower; (no change) c) Promotion of the collection and public education. (no change} Staff is recommending the following change to Section 4.6 of the policy. Section 4.6 Civic construction projects are reviewed annually to identify those eligible for one percent assessments. Eligible projects include: community centres, fire stations, arenas, City Hall and other public-access facilities, Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, parks and trails, and streetscape improvements with elements of feature landscape designs. These projects will be reviewed using the same criteria described in Section 4.5. 6-2 ~~~..~L 1~~ ~~1~~ G~~f~~~~~~ ~f L~~~ WWW.II~i~~~~~r.~~ Recommendations for programming that support the current policy Section 2.1: Section 2.1 of the Public Art Policy states: "The policy serves the City of Kitchener's many neighbourhoods. It supports the development of partnerships with the general public, the arts community and arts service organizations, and with institutional and private sector partners." In support of section 2.1, both committees also endorsed recommendations to address the inclusion of educational institutions in the public art program as well continuing to involve youth in public artwherever possible. The endorsed recommendations included: • That the city continue its past practice of involving citizens, especially young people, in public art projects whenever possible; • That participation opportunities include neighbourhood and community educational institutions whenever possible; and • That all current programming involving youth be continued. These recommendations will be incorporated in the ongoing and future management of the public art program. As reference, below are examples of student involvement in the public art program (permanent and temporary works) to date: a) Chandler Mowat Community Centre -residents, the majority of whom were students, participated in making the wall mural titled "Gathering of Hands" by Jim Balzan. 200516 b) Victoria Hills Community Centre -children living in the Victoria Hills neighbourhood provided the artist with small toys. The artist then used them to make shapes in a series of four concrete wall panels. The art work is titled "Toyland" by Nicholas Rees. 2006 c) Country Hills Community Library - A student of St. Mary's High School (adjacent to library) participated on the jury that selected "In Time", a series of six mural panels by Jefferson Campbell-Cooper. 2009 d) Youth Video Competition - 2010 was the inaugural year for this competition to showcase videos by talented students in our community. About 15 submissions were received. The videos were projected onto the Cube for several weeks. Winners were: Jamey Sinanan in the high school category and Kristina Foster in the post secondary category. The videos of several honourable mentions were also shown. For 2011, the age range was altered to allow more young people to participate and athree-year program period was re-confirmed (2010, 2011, 2012). The number of submissions significantly increased to 41. Winners were: Maryam Golafshani, Erik O'Neill and Mark Klassen. The videos will be shown in October on the Cube. Results of this year's competition will be reviewed and decisions made about any needed changes to the 2012 competition and to determine if the program should continue beyond 2012. The youth video showcase program is funded through the public art pooled fund with up to $5,000 total project budget per annum. e) Rotunda Gallery Exhibition Program -For many years the city has featured the art work of students annually during the month of May in the Rotunda Gallery, ground floor, city hall. Schools are invited to submit exhibition proposals for the Public Art Working Group's review. One winning school is chosen each year. 6-3 ~~~..~L 1~~ ~~1~~ G~~f~~~~~~ ~f L~~~ WWW.II~i~~~~~r.~~ flArtist-in-residence Program Although the artist in residence program changes annually in terms of what the program will offer, there is always a community engagement portion. In 2007 for example, Paul Roorda organized a student design-downtown competition as well as a children's art exhibit. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: • The public art program and its various projects contribute to Kitchener's "Quality of Life" in making our public spaces stimulating and beautiful, showing pride in our community, providing easy access to arts and culture for all, and, in the end, contributing to safer public places. • The process for public art projects includes fair, public processes that ensure accountability - "Efficient and Effective Government". • The public art program is designed to offer opportunities for public participation on many levels including artists' competitions, juries, committee support, installations in accessible public places, and program partnerships with institutions, agencies and the private sector - "Leadership and Engagement". • The City acknowledges arts and culture as a factor critical to the health of the community through support for the goals and objectives of Culture Plan II. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: NIA COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The processes of the City's public art policy and program are based on: • Public Art Working Group monitoring the policy and program; • Arts and Culture Advisory Committee and Public Art Working Group discussing and endorsing policy and program. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Willmer, Deputy CAO, Community Services Department 6-4 CSD-11-136 Appendix A COUNCIL POLICY RESOLUTION POLICY NUMBER: I-816 POLICY TYPE: FINANCIAL SUBJECT: PUBLIC ART POLICY DATE: DECEMBER 8, 2008 AMENDED: SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 POLICY CONTENT: 1.0 PURPOSE Kitchener is a vibrant community where the best forms of public art explore our diversity, tell our stories, and welcome artists to use creativity and imagination to make our public spaces landmarks and gathering places. The goal of the public art policy is to contribute to the City's cultural identity and its strategic priorities. Better quality of life, increased social cohesion, good urban design, broad community involvement, increased potential for economic development and public access to the arts are some of the intended benefits. 2.0 SCOPE 2.1 The policy serves the City of Kitchener's many neighbourhoods. It supports the development of partnerships with the general public, the arts community and arts service organizations, and with institutional and private sector partners. 2.2 Two citizen advisory committees are directly involved in the public art program: the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee and the Public Art Working Group. 2.3 The policy affects the following City departments: Economic Development, Finance, Legal, Facilities Management, Community Services, and Development and Technical Services (Planning, Engineering}. The Arts and Culture Unit, Community Services Department, is primarily responsible for policy implementation. 2.4 The policy governs programming which results in the permanent acquisition and/or temporary display of public artworks. Program funding derives from a one percent allocation applied to civic projects with construction budgets over $100,000. The municipal public art collection develops through this program. KITCHENER Page 1 of 5 SEPTEMBER 2010 6-5 POLICY NUMBER:I-816 POLICY TYPE: FACILITY SUBJECT: PUBLIC ART POLICY 2.0 SCOPE, CONT'D CSD-11-136 Appendix A 2.5 Eligible projects include new construction or construction that achieves major changes in the scope of the facility such as new programs, services or functions. This does not include projects where only routine maintenance is being carried out. 2.6 The policy does not govern programming under the Industrial Artifacts Project title, nor the Artist-in-Residence program. 3.0 DEFINITION Public Art: original artworks, permanent ortemporary, in any medium or discipline, placed, incorporated or performed in publicly accessible indoor or outdoor locations in response to the site and for the benefit of the public. For the purposes of this policy, Public Art does not include plaques, archival collections or heritage assets already supported by other budgets, committees and policies. 4.0 POLICY 4.1 Through the public art program, the City acquires art works of excellent quality for the purpose of permanent or temporary displays in public places such as civic buildings, civic plazas, streetscapes, and open spaces (parks, trails). 4.2 A master plan for public art contains strategies for the best use of funding and preferred sites based on specific criteria. Criteria for preferred public art sites and art works include high visibility locations and appropriate scale, ease of public access, relevance to the community, ease of maintenance, consistency with the City's Urban Design Guidelines and Neighbourhood Design Guidelines, quality of the art work, budget considerations and equitable distribution of sites throughout the City. 4.3 One percent of the costs of civic projects with construction budgets in excess of $100,000 are allocated to a consolidated public art capital account. The maximum allocation at the one percent contribution is $300,000. KITCHENER Page2of5 SEPTEMBER 2010 6-6 POLICY NUMBER:I-816 POLICY TYPE: FACILITY SUBJECT: PUBLIC ART POLICY 4.0 POLICY, CONT'D CSD-11-136 Appendix A 4.4 Civic construction projects contributing to the consolidated capital account are eligible for a public art project as follows: (a) Projects that generate less than $10,000 (e.g. one percent of a capital budget less than $1 million) are supplemented from the consolidated account to the $10,000 level for any one public art project (b) Construction projects that generate more than $100,000 (e.g. one percent of a capital budget greater than $10 million) will consume 60% of the one percent allocation for their public art project. The remaining 40% of the one percent allocation is contributed to the consolidated fund for use by smaller projects and to complete the priorities of the community as expressed in the public art master plan. (c) Construction projects that generate an amount between $10,000 and $100,000 will consume the exact amount of the percent allocation for their public art project. 4.5 The consolidated account enables a choice of options for public art projects: (a) public art projects at civic sites, (b) temporary installation projects such as digital projections on the Berlin Tower, (c) promotion of the collection and public education. 4.6 Eligible construction project budgets are identified annually during the capital budget process. 4.7 The program continues to support public art objectives as described in the Official Plan and other approved planning documents. 4.8 The City engages in public art partnerships with the private sector, the institutional sector, arts organizations, and other governments. 4.9 The City encourages the private development sector to participate voluntarily in the percent for art program. KITCHENER Page3of5 SEPTEMBER 2010 6-7 POLICY NUMBER:I-816 POLICY TYPE: FACILITY SUBJECT: PUBLIC ART POLICY 4.0 POLICY, CONT'D CSD-11-136 Appendix A 4.10 In construction projects for which the City has provided grants or loans to an outside agency, the terms of the loan or grant agreement include a requirement for public art to be included in that project. The grant or loan must be in excess of $100,000. The one percent allocation will not exceed $300,000. 4.11 The public art collection is documented and maintained to the highest standards. 5.0 IMPLEMENTATION 5.1 Roles and Responsibilities 5.1.1 The Arts and Culture Unit manages the public art program and is responsible for project development and monitoring, competition processes, collection management, communications, and partnership creation. However, the program's implementation depends on participation from many departments in varying degrees. These roles range from contract preparation to art work maintenance. 5.1.2 The Arts and Culture Advisory Committee's permanent sub- committee, the Public Art Working Group (PAWG), provides specialized advice on policy, program and projects and champions the program in the community. All acquisitions, whether by competition-derived commission, direct purchase, or donation, are reviewed by PAWG and then by the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee. This advisory committee support is communicated to Council when recommendations are made. PAWG members routinely serve on competition juries. 5.1.3 Both the general community and members of the arts community participate in competition juries to provide balance and stakeholder involvement. Ward councillors are invited to participate on a public art juries which serve their wards. 5.1.4 Public art celebrations are designed to be public events. KITCHENER Page4 of 5 SEPTEMBER 2010 6-8 POLICY NUMBER:I-816 POLICY TYPE: FACILITY SUBJECT: PUBLIC ART POLICY 5.0 IMPLEMENTATION, CONT'D 5.2 Project Planning CSD-11-136 Appendix A Public art information is included in RFP documents for eligible construction projects. With this approach, public art is integrated earlier into the capital project for both efficiency and optimum results. 5.3 Acquisition Methods A variety of acquisition methods are used to better serve the needs of unique projects and situations and the overall mandate of the collection. Open competition-generated commissions, invitational competition-generated commissions, direct purchases and donations are used. 5.4 Jury Procedures Competition juries ensure a fair public process through balanced participation by community representatives, other project stakeholders and professional arts community representatives. Competition juries function in accordance with established procedures. 5.5 Technical Review of Proposals All commission proposals derived from competitions, and proposals for direct purchases, are reviewed by an interdepartmental staff team and, as needs warrant, by outside experts, to assess compliance with mechanical, structural, health and safety, and maintenance requirements. 5.6 Education Public education strategies include, but are not limited to, participation on juries, communication tools such as signage, artist talks, brochures, website information, and public art symposia. KITCHENER Page5of5 SEPTEMBER 2010 6-9