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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 - Art In Public Places Board - Annual Report1 BACKGROUND Art in Public Places Board meetings started in July of 1995. Meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month at 3:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Center. Members who served in 2015 were Gwen Hatchette, Carol Ann Hixon, Jill Kreutzer, Jane Nevrivy, Renee Sherman, Shelby Sommer, and Sabrina Zimmerman. Jill Kreutzer served as Chairperson and Jane Nevrivy served as Vice-Chair. Purpose: The City recognizes that art is vitally important to the quality of life in the community. Art in Public Places (APP) is intended to:  Encourage and enhance artistic expression and appreciation.  Add value to the Fort Collins community through acquiring, exhibiting, and maintaining public art. Goals: The principal goals of the APP Program are to: (1) Enrich the public environment for residents and visitors through the visual arts. (2) Increase public access to works of art. (3) Promote understanding and awareness of the visual arts in the public environment. (4) Promote a variety of artistic expressions in the community. (5) Contribute to the community’s civic pride in its cultural diversity. APP Board and Staff  Develop collaborations and outreach  Advise and make recommendations for changes to rules, regulations, guidelines, policy, and administrative and budgetary matters pertaining to the APP Program.  Advise City Council on projects and programs relating to public art, design, and aesthetics related to the City.  Review and make recommendations to City Council on all APP projects and art donations to the City.  Share best practices with other local and national agencies on the APP processes and projects.  Review the APP art collection to consider deaccession for specific pieces.  Promote the program with the APP website, marketing opportunities, and project maps. The APP goals, projects, and Work Plan align with the City of Fort Collins key outcome areas: ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2015 ANNUAL REPORT Celebrating 20 Years! Environmental Health Culture and Recreation Community and Neighborhood Livability West Vine Basin– Joe McGrane Senior Center Expansion – Carolyn Braaksma Transformer Cabinet Mural – Mary Harnett 2 COMPLETED PROJECTS Cattail Chorus Bike Rack – Artist James Lynxwiler worked with the Natural Areas Department to create a bike rack complementing the new signage on the Chickadee-dee-dee Trail in the Cattail Chorus Natural Area, which is oriented toward children and focused on sounds that wildlife makes (the “Cattail Chorus”). The bike rack is installed near the entrance to Chickadee-dee-dee Trail and features black birds sitting on a bright yellow rack. Northside Neighborhood Pavers – The Northside Neighborhood Projects include several new sidewalks in the Buckingham, Andersonville/San Cristo/Via Lopez, and Alta Vista neighborhoods. In collaboration with the Art in Public Places Program six community drawings that celebrate the history of the neighborhoods were selected and engraved in pavers and installed in the sidewalks Pedestrian Pavers – Since 2002, this APP program has been working with the Engineering Department to incorporate granite pavers sandblasted with drawings by community members aged 3 to 18 into city sidewalks. In 2015, 15 selected drawings were installed in city sidewalks. Pianos About Town – Pianos were rotated to over 21 locations in 2015. The Art in Action component of the program continued with 8 artists painting piano murals in Oak Street Plaza, along with 2 artists painting inside during the winter months. The current season will end March 31, 2016. Senior Center Expansion – Artist Carolyn Braaksma created Sanando Flores: Healing Flowers, an art panel for the lobby of the Senior Center that defines the entry point between the paid entrance areas and the free area open to the community. The 15-foot-long wall is made of steel and painted to coordinate with the Center’s interior design. Simplified renderings of healing indigenous Colorado plants and birds, are laser cut into the steel enabling the viewer to see through the panel. Braaksma also created a “Bugs and Bushes” relief pattern that is used on both sides of the short concrete seat wall that defines the outside patio space near the new multi-purpose building addition. Timberline and Horsetooth Intersection – Artist Lisa Cameron Russell’s objective for her artworks entitled Transect Silhouette is to enhance the pedestrian and motorist experience and embody the spirit of the local geology. Three sculptural elements are located on the northeast street corner and an additional sculptural element is on the northwest corner, creating a gateway presence. Cameron Russell’s intention is to connect the street corridor with the view of the Front Range looking to the west from this location. The sculptural pieces are loosely based on the horizon. The intersection design includes additional streetscape elements, including bollards and fencing that complement the design. Timberline and Horsetooth Intersection – Lisa Cameron Russell Northside Neighborhood Paver – Gianna Victoria Bueno Cattail Chorus Bike Rack – James Lynxwiler 3 Transformer Cabinet Murals – This project is a collaboration with Utility Light and Power. Sixteen local artists and one non- profit group were selected to paint murals on 22 cabinets in 2015. Artists have painted 205 cabinets in the 10 years of this annual project, including 5 cabinets on or adjacent to Colorado State University property. This project has a very high success rate in mitigating graffiti, saving the City/Utility money in abatement costs. Visitors to the area have begun to seek out the murals as they tour the city, contributing to the City’s economic development. This year the program painted its third sponsored cabinet mural; the Fort Collins Natural Areas sponsored the painting of a mural on the transformer cabinet at Nix Farm. West Vine Basin – Artist Joe McGrane created Water Crossings is an interactive and interpretive plaza that highlights the historic crossings of the Poudre River and its tributaries. Trails, trestles, dams, and diversions trace the evolution of Soldier Creek from a foothills stream to urban floodway. It provides a place for people to connect with each other and the evolving history of Fort Collins. The plaza is located at the confluence of the new Soldier Creek floodway channel and the Poudre River, west of Shields Street. It is just off the bike path, east of the new footbridge. The plaza consists of a stacked sandstone boulder amphitheater overlooking the river and a new infiltration channel. The center piece is a carved sandstone “floodway” table that maps the West Vine Basin and the floodway within it. Streets and the floodway are carved into the surface. Schools are marked with engraved brass caps. CURRENT AND ONGOING PROJECTS Twenty-four projects are currently in progress or are annual projects. These projects are usually developed in conjunction with a larger construction project so the art project timeline coincides with the construction timeline. All these projects have an artist working with the project design team to develop concepts that meet the goals of the project. ANNUAL PROJECTS  Community Recycling Facility  EPIC Pool Remodel  Fort Collins Museum of Discovery  Gardens at Spring Creek Great Lawn  Lincoln Corridor  Linden Street Pocket Park  McMurry Bridge  Mulberry Bridge  Northside Aztlan Mural  Northside Neighborhoods Entry Markers  North College  Mulberry Gateway Project  Oak Street Restrooms  River Restoration at Woodward  Southeast Community Park  Tavelli Multi-Use Path  Timberline and Prospect Intersection  Udall Water Quality Pond  Utility Administration Building  Utility Marker Project  Vine & Shields  Pedestrian Pavers  Pianos About Town  Transformer Cabinet Murals Sponsored transformer cabinet mural at Nix Farm – Gale Whitman 4 COLLABORATIONS  Earth Day Celebration – APP joined Utilities in their display at this event. The display featured the Transformer Cabinet Mural program and one of our artists, Amelia Caruso, painting a cabinet on site.  Fort Collins Museum of Discovery Donor Wall – APP worked with the Museum on the selection and process for working with an artist to create the “Donor Mandala” located near the entrance to the museum. This project was funded by the Museum.  Pianos About Town – In its 5th season, this partnership with Bohemian Foundation and the Downtown Development Authority, administered by APP, combines art and music. The partners are interested in continuing the project for the 2016/2017 season.  Traffic box mural at the SE corner of Mountain & College Avenues – This special project with the Traffic Department came about during the For the Love of Fort Collins presentation to City staff, by speaker Peter Kageyama. He drew attention to the traffic box at this site as an important location to paint. With support from the City Manager, staff worked with the Traffic Department and artist Chris Bates on a mural for this site. This project was funded by the Traffic Department. ART DONATIONS  Brooks Family Bike Bench  George and Louise Thornton Charitable Foundation Master Swimmer sculpture for EPIC  Bernice Penney and Family The Messenger bronze hawk sculpture for The Gardens on Spring Creek COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS APP staff gave presentations to community groups, Leadership Fort Collins, and Liberty Commons Elementary School; and Staff hosted a walking tour for the Colorado Creative Industries Summit. OUTREACH APP staff members continue to give support to private businesses in the community.  Staff assisted with providing information on processes for acquiring art and facilitating contact with artists.  Staff hosted an open house to promote calls for Pianos About Town and Transformer Cabinet Murals.  Staff member Ellen Martin and Board Member Jane Nevrivy attended the American’s for the Arts 2015 Annual Convention in Chicago.  Staff provided information to communities across the country, including: Avon, CO; Brighton, CO; Colorado Springs, CO; Craig, CO; Englewood, CO; Greeley, CO; Fort Pierce, FL; Miami FL; Lansing, MI; and Cheyenne ,WY. Traffic Box at College and Mountain Avenues – Chris Bates The bike bench donation from the Brooks family 5 MAINTENANCE The program continued to use its artistic expertise and communication with the artists to maintain the APP collection. In 2015, the program deaccessioned and removed their first artwork according to the deaccession policy created in 2014. PUBLICITY  APP Brochures – The APP program promoted the program and the Transformer Cabinet Mural Project with informational brochures at the Visitor’s and Convention Bureau, the Lincoln Center, and available for download from the APP website.  Awards – APP Artist Robert Tully received an Urban Design Award for his MAX art project.  Facebook – The Pianos About Town Project invited the community to participate with the project’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/PianosAboutTown. Staff also included APP Projects on the City’s and the Lincoln Center Facebook Page.  fcgov.com/artspublic – The APP website continued to be updated with new projects, project descriptions, and current calls for art and artists. The website also included printable maps of the Pedestrian Pavers, the Transformer Cabinet Murals, and APP art locations throughout the city.  GIS Maps – Staff worked with the City’s GIS department to update maps and make new maps for printed handouts.  Local Publications – The Fort Collins Coloradoan and Rocky Mountain Collegian printed various photos and articles of APP Projects throughout the year.  Out of the Box – The Pianos About Town project was the focus of an Out of the Box video created by City of Fort Collins Cable 14. The series highlights innovative ideas within the City of Fort Collins.  Outreach – APP hosted a booth at the joint City of Fort Collins and Larimer County Wellness fair to promote the program and getting out to see the collection with walking tours to the 1,264 attendees.  Web – The local community and visitors to Fort Collins continued to include stories on APP projects in their blogs and websites. Pianos About Town was featured in numerous YouTube videos. Fort Collins Coloradoan – 9/2/2015 Facebook Pianos About Town Page – 10/21/2015