HomeMy WebLinkAbout6.1 Dog Park Art Deaccession
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STAFF REPORT
HERITAGE & CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION
DATE: September 14, 2017
TO: Honorable Chair and Commissioners
FROM:
Tegan McLane, Heritage & Cultural Arts Manager
SUBJECT:
Dog Park Art Deaccession
Prepared by: Tegan McLane, Cultural Arts and Heritage Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission is being asked to recommend to the City
Council the deaccession of Michele Alacantra's Animal Series Sculptures at Dougherty
Hills Dog Park.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Recommend to City Council the deaccession of Michele Alacantra's Animal Series
Sculptures at Dougherty Hills Dog Park.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Cost to deaccession the piece is dependent upon the price at which the artist or
someone else chooses to purchase the a rt, and if the buyer pays the cost of the de -
installation and transport. The worst case scenario is if there are no buyers, the City
would need to pay to de-install and dispose of the sculptures.
DESCRIPTION:
At its August 2017 meeting, the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission received a
report on the condition of the public artwork at the Dougherty Hills Dog Park, in which
Staff recommended the Commission recommend deaccession, the formal removal of a
piece from the City’s collection.
Commissioner VonHeeder-Leopold was absent and requested via email that the item
be delayed until she was present and could provide historical context. The Commission
opted to hear the item, but voted to delay in making a recommendation to the City
Council until the September meeting.
In spring 2015, the City of Dublin engaged a public art conservator to evaluate the
public art collection, in preparation for making repairs and deferred maintenance to the
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entire collection. The sculptures at the dog park, Michele Alacantra’s Animal Series,
were identified as being in poor condition.
As prescribed by the artist contract, Staff approached the artist in July 2015 and gave
her first right of refusal to make the repairs. Ms. Alacantra declined to make the repairs
herself, so Staff included the repairs to the dog park art as one of the jobs in its Request
for Proposals (RFP) to art conservators.
SF Art Conservation, the City’s selected firm to provide repairs and maintenance on the
entire collection, said that because the work needed was so extensive the repairs
cannot be done on site. There would also be additional costs to de -install the artwork,
transport the artwork to their shop and then re-install the artwork. SF Art Conservation
also recommended landscape improvements would need to be made if the City plans to
keep the piece in its current location.
Staff believes that the total cost for repairs, de -installation and reinstallation and
landscape improvements would total between $35,000-$40,000, which exceeds the
value of the piece. The piece would also required significant ongoing maintenance, due
to the nature of the materials. Staff is recommending the deaccessioning of the piece.
This would be the City of Dublin’s first deaccessioned public art.
The Public Art Master Plan requires that the Commission make a recommendation to
the City Council regarding the deaccession of public art in the collection, and specifies
conditions under which deaccessioning can be considered. A piece must meet at least
one of the conditions. This piece meets four of the conditions. They are:
The condition or security of the artwork cannot be reasonably guaranteed;
The artwork requires excessive maintenance or has faults of design or
workmanship and repair or remedy is impractical or unfeasible;
The artwork has been damaged and repair is impractical or unfeasible;
The artwork’s physical or structural condition poses a threat to public safety.
If City Council chooses to deaccession the piece, the Public Art Master Plan dictates
that the artist shall have first right of refusal to purchase the piece at its fair market
value.
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH:
N/A
ATTACHMENTS:
None.
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