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Home My WebLink AboutCAO-14-004 - Commission Agreement - 2013 Artist in Residence - Susan Coolen Staff Report ITC:HFI ? .R CA0 Office www.kitchenerca REPORT TO: Community and Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: February 3, 2014 SUBMITTED BY: Rod Regier, Executive Director, Economic Development, 519-741-2200 x 7506 PREPARED BY: Emily Robson, Coordinator, Arts & Culture, 519-741-2200 x 7084 WARD(S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: December 23, 2013 REPORT NO.: CAO-14-004 SUBJECT: COMMISSION AGREEMENT, 2013 ARTIST-IN- RESIDENCE, SUSAN COOLEN RECOMMENDATION: That the commissioning and installation of art work by the City's 2013 Artist- in-Residence, Susan Coolen be approved; and further, That the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to execute the Artist-in-Residence 2013 Commission Agreement with Susan Coolen in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor, such agreement encompassing the terms set out in this report CAO-14-004 BACKGROUND: Since 1995, the Artist-in-Residence has customarily developed a proposal for a commissioned art work to be added to the City's "Artist in Residence Collection." See httr)://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/Artist in Residence Frogram.asp These are works have been installed in the public areas of city hall and in various city-owned facilities such as Centre in the Square and community centres. The works reflect the creative work done by the artist during his or her term of appointment. The majority are two-dimensional works of painting, photography or prints. There are a few sculptural works as well. The commissions are $5,000 each, funded from the Public Arts Trust Fund established by the Lions Club of Kitchener. They are permanent assets of the City of Kitchener. As part of the annual program, the appointee serves for a year as a member of the Public Art Working Group (PAWL). Each year, the artist submits a commission proposal to PAWG for review. Susan Coolen was appointed by Council to be the 2013 Artist-in-Residence (Report CSD-12- 005). Her year-long program was titled `The Litter-Arti Project.' REPORT: For `The Litter-Arti Project', Coolen's goal was to take `throw away' objects and transform them into modern imagery that is colourful, playful, and inspiring. This photo-based project emerged from debris found in the local urban environment and includes such items as factory remnants, water bottles, hubcaps, paper coffee trays, drinking straws and more. Coolen scanned, 3 - 1 photographed, drew, and explored this collection of debris with computer media, including video and computer animation. In addition, Coolen produced a series of art videos, installations and printed works titled '50 Ways to Leave Your Litter' and 'Walks/Maps' for presentation in the Berlin Tower ARTSPACE and Rotunda galleries. She also produced a series of artist books documenting selected residency collecting projects such as 'The Snowball Effect', in which Coolen worked with community at 13 different events to gather and photograph over 416 bags of litter. While the white trash bags bear a resemblance to snowballs, every bag of litter and collected litter item represents a caring civic act and a cleaner public space. Coolen participated in numerous community events, including: • Earth Day at Huron Natural Area • Bloomin' Earth Festival • ECOfest • Animate the Trail • Cruising on King • Kidspark • Waterloo Region Landfill public tours • Night/Shift • Chriskindl Market • City Hall New Year's Eve • Nine community litter clean up events at Community Centres and with Neighbourhood Associations It is proposed that Coolen's commission be installed at the Forest Heights Community Centre. This community centre was identified by the Public Art Working Group as a prime location for public art as part of the Art in Community Centres Initiative in 2012. The Art in Community Centres Initiative assessed community centres as location for art in an effort to expose new audiences to art; expand community centres users; provide exhibition space for emerging and non-professional artists; and identify potential locations for new artist-in-residence commissions. Coolen's commission proposal furthers the work she began in 'The Litter-Arti Project' by installing works resulting from her year-long project at Forest Heights Community Centre. Coolen worked with the Forest Heights Community Centre on a litter clean up event. With input from community centre staff and the neighbourhood association, Coolen has developed an installation that will suit the community centre space and speak to the importance of communal public space. The installation includes 16 framed printed works depicting forms abstracted from litter. Some of these works were displayed in the Rotunda Gallery in December 2013. The Public Art Working Group supported the acquisition of this commissioned work at its meeting held January 13, 2014. PAWG's motion was forwarded to the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee (ACAC) for further support which it received on January 21, 2014: "That 2013 Artist-in-Residence Susan Coo/en's commission proposal for a publicly accessible series of artworks reinterpreting her `Litter-Arti Project' be accepted for installation at Forest Heights Community Centre." ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: • Quality of Life: The Artist-in-Residence program nurtures a sense of pride and community by using art and artistic production as means of exploring and 3 - 2 celebrating the community's identity. It also contributes to community vitality by offering creative and interesting people creative and interesting opportunities. • Development: Creative people live in creative communities, and the artist-in- residence program is a direct reflection of this. From supporting local artists as important contributors to an economic sector, to creating an attractive and interesting place, the artist-in-residence program acknowledges artists as important contributors to both the economy and placemaking. • Dynamic Downtown: While artist-in-residence activities take place across the city, participating in existing city events and exhibitions in the City Hall art galleries contribute to the vitality and liveliness of downtown. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The commission fee is $5,000, funded by the Public Arts Trust Fund. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The Artist-in-Residence program requires the artist to offer a program with meaningful opportunities for community engagement. In 2013, Coolen offered or contributed to over 20 different community events. From engaging children at Kidspark in the making of `litter-less bugs', to running litter collection activities at nine community centres, it is estimated that Coolen has worked with approximate 600 community members. In addition, this commission will be installed at Forest Heights Community Centre in accordance with the Art in Community Centres Initiative led by PAWL. PAWG and ACAC provide oversight of the Artist in Residence program. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Willmer, CAO 3 - 3 The LITTER-ARTI Project /A.I.R. 2013 COMMISSION OVERVIEW `The LITTER-ARTI Project' was thematically organized around litter collections gathered from the City of Kitchener's urban space, and took the form of pop-up exhibits in public spaces, information exhibits at city hall and numerous community events, a website, a projection on the Cube, artists books and a series of framed graphic artworks. The framed graphic works represents the culmination of a year-long exploration of the materials gathered for `The LITTER-ARTI Project'. These works were highlighted in a year-end exhibit in the City Hall Rotunda Gallery and they now comprise the 2013 artwork commission. Forest Heights Community Centre has expressed their interest in accepting the 2013 `The LITTER-ARTI Project` commission; a series of 12 print works framed to 20" x 20" and 4 print works, framed to 10" x 10". i i ?h9yJ i'y)%f1/G rtvr rl /I 1 ♦ � I � ■ 3 - 4 The tLITTER- RTI Project/&LR. 20113 COMMISSION OVERVIEW continued r r �j ,r;,V„„iii �yrrrrr V IIIIIII�I 11-. rogV ' l r wa�¢n i i it Above: Commission artworks - details Below: Interior skyliglht+hallway space at Forest Heights Community Centre. Sample view of works to be hung accordian-style for enhanced viewing) throughout halltway. IN i i j �� 77 W,rrrrrrrr �i r 3 - 5