Vancouver City Council |
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: December 18, 2002
Author/Local: L. von Fersen604-871-6005
RTS No. 03063
CC File No. 3130Council: January 14, 2003
TO:
Vancouver City Council
FROM:
Director, Office of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT:
2002 Community Public Art Grant Recommendations
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council approve grants totalling $75,000 to five organizations for projects listed in Appendix A, source of funds to be the 2002 Public Art Unallocated Capital Account.
B. THAT funds be released on the authority of the Director, Office of Cultural Affairs, after Park Board or School Board approval of projects intended for Park or School sites, and after Engineering or other civic staff have resolved any outstanding technical or administrative concerns.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager RECOMMENDS approval of A and B.
COUNCIL POLICY
The Community Public Art program was established by Council in 1994. Its objectives are to encourage and assist artists and communities to collaborate on public art projects which contribute to community development and create art legacies. On June 25, 2002 Council provided $ 75,000 to the 2002 Community Public Art program.
Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.
PURPOSE
This report recommends grants for five Community Public Art projects, discusses the selection process used, lists the results of the allocation process and appends a description of the recommended projects and the program guidelines.
BACKGROUND
Since 1994, funds have gone to 58 projects, in most of the City's neighbourhoods, from Hastings-Sunrise to Point Grey, Fraserview, mid-Main and Marpole, Strathcona, and the Downtown Eastside. The program mandate of making art available to the public in every-day settings has been welcomed by the many community organizations that have served as sponsors, and by the large number of participants involved in bringing public art into their neighbourhood.
The deadline for the applications in this report was October 25, 2002; nine applications with requests totalling $ 171,356 were received. The number of requests received is the same as the previous year, the total amount requested is slightly higher. Cultural Affairs and Park Board arts staff collaborated closely during the application process, reviewing relevant policies and jointly holding information workshops for interested applicants.
The applications received were first screened for eligibility and then reviewed for any technical issues by an interdepartmental staff team from Planning, Engineering, Park Board, School Board and Cultural Affairs. Applicants had an opportunity to resolve technical issues before the grant allocation meeting. The applications were then evaluated by a five-member advisory committee including community representatives familiar with the program goals, supported by a Cultural Planner and the Park Board's Arts Co-ordinator. The panellists rated the applications for the best fit between applications and program goals. This report reflects the consensus of the committee members. The advisory committee members were:
Martin Borden
Artist, Emily Carr Fine Arts instructor
Barbara Cole
Artist, Public Art consultant, Emily Carr Fine Arts instructor
Roy Crowe
Community development consultant
Celine Rich
Artist
Julianna Torjeck
Civic Youth Strategy, youth outreach team co-ordinator
DISCUSSION
Grants are recommended to five applicants, with preference given to projects that:
· presented a clear and well-developed plan of action and budget;
· identified lasting art legacies which are technically feasible, new or innovative, and respond to a community issue or concern; and
· demonstrated strong community support and involvement in the design and implementation of the project.Staff and advisory committee panellists noted that three strong applications from the Sunset area presented an unusual opportunity to enhance the impact of community public art on resident participation and neighbourhood identity in one area. All three projects are recommended, and staff will encourage synergies where feasible.
Grants are recommended to the non-profit societies listed in Table 1 acting as the organizational partners for the projects described in more detail in Appendix A. A detailed description of Program guidelines and criteria is contained in Appendix B.Table 1: Recommended Projects
Community Organization
Requested
Recommended
Collingwood Neighbourhood House
$ 20,000
$ 20,000
Trudeau Elementary, Parent Advisory Council
20,000
10,000
Sunset Community Centre: for Prince Edward Street neighbourhood committee
20,000
20,000
Sunset Community Centre: for Project Tendril
20,000
5,000
West End Residents Association
20,000
20,000
Totals
$100,000
$ 75,000
The following requests were not recommended:
Best Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST) - withdrawn
$ 15,450
Native Education Centre - ineligible, did not meet criteria
20,000
Riley Park Community Assoc., not recommended
15,906
Templeton Secondary School, not recommended
20,000
Totals
$ 71,356
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Approval of the recommendations in Table 1 leaves no remaining funds in the Public Art Unallocated budget for Community Public Art for 2002.
CONCLUSION
The Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs recommends five Community Public Art grants be approved, as detailed in Appendix A.
* * * * *
DESCRIPTION OF RECOMMENDED PROJECTS
Collingwood Neighbourhood House
Title: Community Constellation Lanterns
The project will complete four large steel "story lanterns" fixed to City-approved lamp posts along the Duchess Walkway through Slocan Park. The walkway connects the 29th Avenue Skytain Station and the adjacent neighbourhood; the illuminated lanterns will create a safer and more attractive connection. Substantial community participation has gone into the design of the lantern component, and the overall project is proceeding with the technical support of Engineering Department staff and the additional financial support of corporate sponsors and donors.
Request: $20,000 Recommended: $20,000
Pierre Elliot Trudeau Elementary, Parent Advisory Council
Title: Trudeau Butterfly Park
Located near the school's recently renovated front entrance on 62nd Avenue near Prince Edward Street, the project will create mosaic elements and seating to complement a butterfly garden, part of a school-wide environmental greening project. The seating and butterfly park are intended to provide a public art focus to a community amenity serving the many elderly pedestrians in the area and the parents/grandparents accompanying children to the school.
Requested $20,000 Recommended $10,000
Sunset Community Centre
Title: Prince Edward Street Promenade
A group of neighbours working as the "Prince Edward Way" subcommittee of the Sunset CityPlan Committee propose to use community public art to express the special nature of this street, which includes a number of parks, schools and community facilities. The project would focus on the changing character of the neighbourhood and enhance the pedestrian experience between 41st and 65nd Avenues. Staff recommend approval for an experienced artist to assist planned outreach to more area residents and the articulation of a strategy integrating community public art with potential civic street improvements, with a recently approved Waterwise Blooming Boulevards demonstration project (Park Board funded) and with other public-realm opportunities that may arise. The artist and residents will collaborate in the creation of art work which begins to realize the direction set by the community.
Requested $20,000 Recommended $20,000
Sunset Community Centre
Title: Project Tendril
The project proposes a series of "living sculptures" consisting of vines growing over rebar and willow-branch structures. A previous project using this approach was completed this summer at the Moberly Arts and Cultural Centre (a branch of the Sunset Community Centre) but it raised questions at Park Board about future responsibility for maintenance. The committee noted these concerns, but also felt there was sufficient merit to proceed with a smaller version of the project where responsibility for maintenance is taken by the community. The Khalsa Diwan Society has agreed to work with the artist and to water and prune the sculptures, which are to be located on the city boulevard adjacent to the temple property on Ross Street.
Request: $20,000 Recommended: $5,000
West End Resident's Association
Title: Mole Hill Greenway
A grant is recommended for art work accompanying the planned local area Greenway making a mid-block connection between Nelson Park and Pendrell Street. The project springs from a successful partnership between the West End Resident's Association and the Mole Hill Living Heritage Society that generated over 50 garden plots in the area. This proposal will reach out beyond the Mole Hill residents to include the diversity of communities and histories of the neighbourhood. The project will request proposals from artists based on terms of reference that include the character and diversity of the area, the opportunity for collaboration, and the potential for innovative creative interpretation of the site. Cultural Affairs will support residents in the artist selection process, and Planning and Engineering staff will provide technical support and advice on specific options emerging from the design process. The art work is expected to be completed by the spring of 2004.
Request: $ 20,000 Recommended: $ 20,000