HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 8.2 Senior Ctr Art Design CITY CLERK
File# 600-30
AGENDA STATEMENT
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: July 1, 2003
SUBJECT: Senior Center Art Design
Report Prepared by Theresa Yvonne, Heritage and Cultural Arts
Supervisor
ATTACHMENTS: 1. Photo of Maquette
2. Senior Center Site Plan
3. Rowland Cheney's "Wisdom through the Ages" bronze
maquette will be presented at the meeting.
RECOMMENDATION: 1. Receive presentation from Staff
2. Receive public comment
'~/"'~'/ 3. ApProve artwork
FINANCIAL STATEMENT: $ 49,000 is available in the 2002-2007 Capital Improvement
Program for the Commission of the Senior Center Art Project.
DESCRIPTION: One of the high priority goals for the 2002-2003 set by City Council
was to commission Public Art for the new Senior Center. And as a result 1% was allocated for a Public
Art component as part of the Senior Center project.
In the Fiscal Year 2002-2003, a Request for Qualifications was sent to 2000 California artists to submit
their work. The Senior Center Art Selection Committee reviewed the works of the thirty-five responding
artists and selected five artists to develop maquettes for the Senior Center. The maquettes were displayed
at the Civic Center and the Senior Center for public comment. The comment cards completed as a result
of the display were provided to the Committee and after careful thought and consideration the Committee
chose Rowland Cheney's sculpture (attachment 1) to be displayed in the courtyard of the Senior Center.
A maquette of the sculpture will be presented at the meeting.
Mr. Cheney has spent the majority of his adult life teaching art at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton,
California. Educated at Chico State and U.C. Berkeley, he works in a broad range of media and technique
including bronze, oil, watercolor and prints. Commissions represent the bulk of his work, including a
number of bronze bas-relief commemorative sculptures. He completed a five-year commitment to produce
a series of five collectable sculptures for the Breyer Corporation. The Termar Gallery of Durango, Pam
Driscoll Gallery of Aspen, Colorado and Atilier Frostad Gallery in Sacramento are currently representing
Mr. Cheney.
COPIES TO: Heritage & Cultural Arts Commission/Parks & Community Services
Commission/Senior Center Advisory Committee/Rowland Cheney
G:\COUNCILkAgenda StatementsX2003\07-01-03 senior center art design.doc ~ O-i~
Mr. Cheney proposes a bronze sculpture approximately eight feet ( the total wing span) by eight feet (top
of the crane to the base) utilizing images that have been associated symbolically with the concept of
wisdom throughout the centuries and across many cultures.
Cranes are seen worldwide and especially in Asia and Africa as symbols of longevity, good fortune
and wisdom. In the sculpture a cranes arches upward carrying its message of light and hope.
Owls are an essential part of Celtic European and Native America symbology and represent the
wisdom invoked by the ever-watchful solitude of night. Beneath the wings of the owl as part of
the wisdom of the woods are seen the faces of the ancients.
· Horses have long been connected to wisdom's purity and power. They are transcendent creatures
aiding humanities earthly pursuits while retaining a spiritual quality needed to attain true wisdom.
The Patina colors and the placement of the elements of the sculpture are meant to provoke a feeling of
continuum and balance of life forces that is wisdom.
The artwork was approved by the Senior Center Advisory Committee, but the Committee had some
concerns regarding the size and the exact location of the sculpture. Upon their recommendation Staff met
with the Architect and solidified the exact location best suitable in the courtyard. The Heritage and
Cultural Arts Commission and the Parks and Community Services Commission approved the artwork and
the location.
The location recommended is the rear courtyard of the Senior Center in the planted area at the edge of the
patio (see attachment 2) It would be in direct alignment with the front doors and should draw the eye
down the corridor to the rear of the building. It would also be visible and accessible to the public that
rents the community room at the Senior Center.
RECOMMENDATION: It is the recommendation of Staff that the City Council take the following
action:
1. Receive presentation from Staff.
2. Receive public comment
3. Approve artwork
Following approval of the artwork, Staff will finalize an agreement with the artist. The agreement will be
brought before the City Council at a subsequent meeting for approval.
ATTACHMENT