HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 7.1 Bray Commons Public ArtOI~1,U~~rG CITY CLERK
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AGENDA STATEMENT
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: September 15, 2009
SUBJECT: Bray Commons Public Art
Report by John Hartnett, Heritage & Cultural Arts Manager
ATTACHMENTS: 1) Photo-Original Artwork
2) Photo-Modified Artwork
3) Photo-Artwork without Leaves
RECOMMENDATION: Authorize Staff to have artist Bill Gould remove all metal leaves
from the Bray Commons artwork or provide alternate direction.
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FINANCIAL STATEMENT: None
DESCRIPTION: In September 2006, the Dublin City Council approved the artwork
"Wind, Light, Shade =Tranquility" by artist Bill Gould for Bray Commons Park, as part of the Dublin
Fine Arts Foundation's Art in the Park Program (Attachment 1). Subsequently, an Agreement between
the City, Dublin Fine Arts Foundation (DFAF) and Bill Gould for the Bray Commons Park art project was
approved in December 2006.
Ownership of the artwork was transferred to the City of Dublin upon completion of the artwork in
December 2007. Based on the Agreement, the transfer of ownership meant that the City would assume all
rights and obligations of DFAF as set forth in the Agreement, excepting any obligations for the funding or
payment of the artwork. Final payment of the artwork was completed at the time of installation by DFAF
in Apri12008 and a Dedication Ceremony for the artwork was conducted at Bray Commons Park.
In October 2008, the City Council received a report on the artwork at Bray Commons Park. Specifically,
the report outlined complaints from nearby residents regarding the noise generated by the artwork and
safety issues related to leaves falling from the artwork. As a result, the City Council directed Staff to
proceed with ideas for modifications to the artwork to address the safety and sound issues.
In December 2008, the City Council received a follow up report outlining suggestions from the artist, Bill
Gould, on modifications to the artwork. The Council-approved process included:
COPY TO: Bill Gould, Dublin Fine Arts Foundation, Heritage & Cultural Arts Commission, John Zukoski, Rod Bugawan
Page 1 of 2
ITEM NO. / ' 1
G:\COLJNCIL\Agenda Statements\2009\9-15 Bray Commons Artwork.doc
• Remove all the leaves from the artwork;
• Coat the leaves with aplastic/rubber high solid polymer coating to deaden the metallic sound;
• Reinforce the hanging-hole on each leaf with a metal grommet;
• Re-hang the leaves using a sturdy S-hook and cable to reduce friction and sound placing a metal
crimp underneath each leaf to eliminate the leaf from sliding off.
A few leaves were to be hung on each cable, and the cables would be spread out to allow for more space
between the leaves to reduce the noise factor, especially in the wind. Additionally, less total leaves would
be hung to further reduce the noise factor. Cost for the modifications was $5,000 and the funds were
appropriated from the Public Art Fund. The modifications of the artwork were completed by the artist in
early May 2009 (Attachment 2).
In the past few months, even with the modifications that artist Bill Gould has made to the metal leaves, a
number of the leaves have still fallen off. During extreme windy conditions, the metal leaves are ripping
through the grommets and cable that the artist installed on each leaf. In conferring with Bill Gould, the
artist acknowledges at this point that his modification methods have not deterred the leaves from
continuing to fall off the sculpture and he does not have a design solution to remedy this problem, given
the strong winds encountered at times in Dublin.
It appears at this point that since safety continues to be an issue, the most sensible option is to have the
artist remove all the leaves from the artwork. The artist has indicated that he concurs with the
recommendation to remove the leaves and feels the sculpture still has value and appeal. Attachment 3
shows what the sculpture looks like without leaves (the photo was taken when the tree was stripped to
begin the modifications).
Throughout the artwork modification process, DFAF has been apprised of the issues and current situation.
A report on the Bray Commons artwork was presented to the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission on
September 10, 2009. The Commission's recommendation will be reported to the City Council at the
September 15a' meeting.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council receive the report and
authorize Staff to have artist Bill Gould remove all metal leaves from the Bray Commons artwork or
provide alternate direction
Page 2 of 2
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