HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 5.2 Art Takes Place Updater
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AGENDA STATEMENT
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: February 19, 2008
SUBJECT: Dublin Fine Arts Foundation - Art Takes Place Project Update
Report by John Hartnett, Heritage & Cultural Arts Supervisor
ATTACHMENTS: 1. Project Description
2. Letter from Lynne Baer, Consulting Director DFAF
3. Bus Obscura Project Budget
RECOMMENDATI ~• •_~ Provide direction to Staff on whether to proceed with the Bus
~/V~" Obscura Project and notify DFAF of the City's intent.
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FINANCIAL STATEMENT: See discussion below.
DESCRIPTION: In June 2007 the City Council received a presentation from Lynne
Baer, Consulting Director for Dublin Fine Arts Foundation (DFAF) on the proposed Art Takes Place
program. As envisioned, the program was to be a year long public art project in the Tri-Valley area, in
partnership with the cities of Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore and the Dublin Fine Arts Foundation. As
described in Attachment 2, Art Takes Place: 3 Cities, 3 Weeks was to include the following projects:
1. Temporary Site-Specific Art Project
2. Bus Obscura
3. Artists Workshops
4. Youth Project: California Stories; Tri-Town Junction
Each participating City pledged $30,000 towards the project and it was the DFAF's intent to raise
additional funds for the project from foundations, grants and private sources. Funding from the City of
Dublin was included in the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Budget and paid to DFAF in June 2007. A Steering
Committee comprised of representatives from all three cities was formed to assist DFAF with various
aspects of the project.
To date, DFAF has been unsuccessful in raising additional funds from the private sector due to a tight
economy. Additionally, the Youth Project: California Stories; Tri-Town Junction had to be abandoned
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C~Py T0: DFAF - Lynne Baer/Steering Committee Members
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ITEM NO. :J. ~
G:ACOUNCILWgenda Statements~2008~2-19 Art Takes Place.doc
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~ due to a lack of interest and participation from local students. Consequently, in the past few months the
Steering Committee decided to focus on offering just the Bus Obscura project at a greatly reduced cost in
the hopes of accomplishing at least one art project with regional cooperation.
In the last month, the City of Livermore indicated to the Steering Committee that funding had not been
officially approved for the project and that because the original intent of the project has been scaled down
the funding may not be forthcoming. Consequently, the Steering Committee decided to move forward
with the Bus Obscura Project without Livermore's participation. This, in turn, has lead to the City of
Pleasanton also deciding to decline from proceeding with the project.
At this time the Dublin Fine Arts Foundation Board would like to ascertain the City of Dublin's interest in
proceeding with the Bus Obscura project independent of the cities of Pleasanton and Livermore
(Attachment 2).
A full description of the Bus Obscura project is included on Page 3 of Attachment 1. The cost to the City
to proceed with the Bus Obscura project would be $27,700 as outlined in Attachment 3. This would
provide for a full schedule of trips to take place in Dublin in the latter part of April. It may be possible for
the trips to coincide with Dublin Pride Week. In addition to the costs related to the Bus Obscura project,
the City is responsible for one-third ($1,193) of the costs associated with the abandoned Youth Art
Proj ect.
As noted previously, the City has provided DFAF with $30,000 in funding for the Art Takes Place
program. The total cost to the City for the Bus Obscura Project and the Youth Art Project is $28,893
leaving a balance of $1,107 due to the City from the original $30,000 grant.
Staff would also like to point out that the City granted DFAF an additional $20,000 as part of the Fiscal
Year 2007-2008 Budget. As described in the application for funds, the grant was "to provide general
operating support as the Foundation implements the three city project Art Takes Place". However, Staff
has since been notified by DFAF that $15,000 of the grant has actually been used for General Operating
Support for the Foundation and the remaining $5,000 has been used to administer the Art Takes Place
program.
Given the amount of Staff time spent to date on the Art Takes Place program as well as the time spent by
the Consulting Director for DFAF and the Steering Committee, Staff recommends that the City Council
consider moving forward with the Bus Obscura Project independent of the City of Pleasanton and
Livermore.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council provide direction to Staff on
whether to proceed with the Bus Obscura Project and notify DFAF of the City's intent.
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Art Takes Place: 3 Cities, 3 Weeks
March 7 - 29, 2008
Introduction
Art Takes Place: 3 Cities, 3 Weeks is a temporary public art project in the Tri-Valley
area centered in Dublin, Pleasanton, and Livermore promoting public awareness and
participation in the arts and defining the area as a diverse, interesting and multifa~eted
place to be. It will consist of 3 very different art experiences in all three cities during the
three weeks of the project: a commissioned temporary site-specific art project, Bus
Obscura, and 3 workshops with professional artists, one in each city as well as associated
programs and events occurring around the project.
The goal is to provide opportunities for multigenerational groups, including youth, to be
involved in the arts. Further goals are to articulate the diversity and unique qualities of
the people and the environment as well as provide an avenue to express the challenges of
living and working in a dynamic and changing region.
The cities in the Tri-Valley, Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon, and Danville,
have worked cooperatively for the last couple of years through the development and
distribution of a regional art event calendar. This cooperation has led to discussions of
activities and programs that would raise the level of public participation in the arts and
promote the Tri-Valley as a region concerned with the overall quality of life of its
residents. Because of this attention to the quality of life, the region is becoming known as
a haven for the visual and performing arts in California, and a model for others to follow.
Art Takes Place is the vehicle for articulating the challenges of living in the 21 St Century.
Artists, along with community participation, can create artworks that engage and promote
dialogue about the arts and the changes taking place in the Tri-Valley.
The Arts can:
*express gowth and diversity
*provide a sense of identity and place
*raise awareness of the built and unbuilt landscape of the Tri-Valley
*stimulate community spirit
*encourage discussion and exchange between communities
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ATTACHMENT 1 ~~~
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Project Description
Art Takes Place will consist of commissioned temporary site-specific projects, Bus
Obscura, and 3 workshops with professional artists, one in each city as well as associated
programs and events occurring around the project that will transcend community
boundaries. Calzfornia Stories; Tri Town Junction, a project involving 2 artists and
students from the three Continuation High Schools will also take place in the Fall
Semester, 2007. Community involvement is an important component of the entire
proj ect.
1. Temporary Site-Specific Art Project
The focus of this project will be the commissioning of lor more highly visible temporary
projects located in the three communities.
Criteria for Selection
• Equal visibility in all communities.
• Focus on regional themes including but not limited to cultural, historical, or the
physical environment.
• Highlight links and interconnectedness of the region.
• Innovation and uniqueness of vision
• Reach new audiences with visual images that cannot be ignored, invite dialogue,
and bring awareness of the Tri-Valley as one region with a diverse population.
Open to all forms of the visual arts appropriate for ~ublic spaces including but not
limited to:
• Free Standing Sculptures to be located in each community.
• Large-scale installations located in populated areas such as commercial districts,
sports fields, or civic centers, or open spaces.
• Video or light proj ections on water towers or building exteriors.
• Images with a common theme created for billboards or banners that appear in all
communities.
• Performance, film, video, poetry or written works involving community
participation.
Selection Process
• A public call for proposals from sculptors, painters, photographers, conceptual,
film and video artists, poets, and writers will be sent out nationally.
• The finalist will be selected on the basis of the proposal to focus on the physical,
historical or character of the Region.
• The Selection Panel will be comprised of nine individuals; two representatives
from each community and three Bay Area arts professionals.
• The Selection Panel will select the temporary project from the submissions
received from the public Call for Proposals. It will be the responsibility of the
• Panel to select an innovative project that will be evenly distributed throughout the
three communities.
2. Bus Obscura
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Bus Obscura is a passenger bus converted to a multiple aperture camera obscura using a
rear projection technique that allows the individual images to flow into one another. As
the bus moves down the street a 360 degree animated panorama is created inside.
Passengers sit in the seats as usual but instead of looking out on the real scene as it passes
by, they see a real time projection of the same scene. The exterior view from the bus is
projected onto the interior of the bus and the individual apertures create images that
merge into each other and create a real time animated projection of the world outside.
The bus becomes the camera and the projector and the audience sits inside.
The bus, along with a guide, will be available to schools, senior centers, community
groups and events such as Farmers Markets in all 3 of the communities for a 2-3 week
period. Riders will board the bus for a short 10- 15 minute excursion that will be an
amazing ride much like being in the middle of a film. Beyond the visual experience, the
trained guides, students from Las Positas College, will be available to give workshops in
the principals behind the camera obscura.
Bus Obscura is the creation of the artist Simon Lee who currently lives and works in
Brooklyn. Simon has exhibited his photographs and video works extensively in Europe
and America. He has taken the concept of Bus Obscura to six different locations since its
first appearance in Miami Beach, Florida in 2004. It has been in New York City,
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Pittsburgh, London, Kampala, Uganda and Colgate University, Hamilton, New York. Its
appearance here will be its first West Coast venue.
3. Artists Workshops
Bay Area artists will conduct workshops in a different city each weekend - to be
determined
Youth Project: California Stories; Tri-Town Junction
In the Fall Semester, 2007 and as part of Art Takes Place, a collaborative artistic
exchange between artists, Amanda Herman and Katina Papson, and students from three
continuation high schools serving at-risk youth from three continuation high schools:
Valley High School in Dublin, Del Valle and Phoenix High School in Livermore, and.
Village High School in Pleasanton will also take place.
The goal of the project is to use shared history to help define a new sense of place for the
youth and the Tri-Valley. The students will research the history of the area during the
California Gold Rush, and identify important stories and historical figures as inspiration
for a film. The project will provide opportunities for partnership across town and cultural
borders (including relationships with the Humanities Deparhnent at Las Positas College
and the Tri-Valley community media center) while linking the history of the three
communities to the student's individual and collective experiences. The collaboration
will result in a short narrative film shown in a series of public screenings in the Tri-
Valley and a catalog with an introduction by art critic Glen Helfand. The community
events will bring residents together to experience the history of the area from a unique
and contemporary perspective.
Marketing and PR
The success of Art Takes Place will be measured by the participation of the three
communities and in order for that to happen, a mazketing plan needs to be cazefully
constructed and implemented. The Steering Committee will engage the services of a
professional in public relations to insure that the marketing and promotion of the project
covers all the various media from printed brochures and posters, newspapers and
magazines, radio and TV to web and email coverage. As part of the marketing, the use of
a self-guided cell phone audio tour will be available. To access the audio guide,
individuals call a dedicated number on their own cell phone, then enter the item number
of an event or project they want to hear about.
Organizational Overview
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Lynne Baer, Consulting Director of The Dublin Fine Arts Foundation, will act as project
manager, coordination of the art projects from distribution of the RFP, the selection
process, and overseeing installation as well as arranging for public programs and the
youth project. A steering committee comprised of representatives from the three
communities will assist in organizing and facilitating the events.
Dublin Fine Arts Foundation
Founded in 1988 as a private, nonprofit organization, the Dublin Fine Arts Foundation
(DFAF) was created by the citizens of Dublin to pursue artistic excellence in all cultural
activities, support local artists of all ages by broadening the awareness and appreciation
of the fine arts, enhance and enrich the everyday lives of the citizens, educate all citizens
in appreciation and participation, and integrate art into the public spaces of the
community.
In the past, DFAF has provided artists for "Art in the Schools", created a Dublin
Sculpture Park for the Civic Center, placed art in all of Dublin's community and
neighborhood parks through its "Art in the Parks" program as well as placing temporary
exhibitions and installations throughout the community. In its short lifetime, DFA.F has
commissioned permanent artworks for the city with a total value of over $750,000. and
has been able to place works on loan valued at $500,000. in the city with the help of
foundations such as the Tri-Valley Community Foundation, Creative Work Fund, and
Alameda County Art Commission and local businesses and individuals.
Tentative Budget:
Art Projects: Bus Obscura: 20,000.
Workshops: 5,000.
Temporary Project: 25,000.
50,000.
Youth Project: 30,000.
Marketing and PR: 10,000.
Administration: 10,000.
Total budget: $100,000.
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Februazy ] 2, 2008
Diane I.owart
City of Dublin
100 Civic Center Plaza
Dublin, CA 94568
Dear Diane~
The Dublin Fine Arts Foundation respectfiilly requested consideration for moving ahead
with the Bus Obscura project.
Thanking you in advance for your consideration.
Regards, ~
cv~_
L e Baer
Consulting Director
ATTACHMENT 2
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Bus Obscura
Estimated Bud~et:
Bus Obscura:
Materials (Plexiglas, lenses, curtains, substructures):
Black Out vinyl for exterior of windows:
Fabrication (Cutting, routing drilling of Plexiglas,
Inserting lenses, etc. 5 people, 4days in NY):
Installation (all interior and exterior fixtures,
4 people, 3 days - volunteer art students)
De-installation ( 3 people, 1 day - volunteer art students)
Sound track, (creation, CD, possible speaker):
Artist fee:
Artist assistant:
Travel (2 roundtrip airfares for artist, roundtrip airfare
for assistant, 5 day accommodations, rental car):
Total:
Bus rental and driver (2 weeks at $1,250, and
Driver for 9 days at $400.) ($2,500 +$3600.)
Bus/Schedule Coordinator:
Public Relations person:
Posters, brochure, etc:
Project Manager:
Tentative Timeline:
January, 2008:
February, 2008:
March, 2008
April, 2008
Simon Lee visits area
Hire Coordinator to begin scheduling bus visits
Create marketing look, posters, etc.
Wendy Norris begins pr campaign
Work with Wendy to begin public promotion
Bus Obscura (mid-April)
$3,500
6Q0
3,000
1,000
3,000
1,000
1,500
$13,600
6,100
1,000
2,000
2,000
3,000
$27,700
ATTACHMENT 3