AGENDA #4d(1)
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor
and Town Council
FROM: Chapel
Hill Public Arts Commission (CHPAC)
SUBJECT: Review
of the Artist Selected for the New Southern Fire Station – Mike Roig
DATE: June
25, 2001
On July 5, 2000, the Town Council agreed to proceed
with a “percent for art program” as a part of the short term implementation of
the Comprehensive Plan. Since then Town
staff has been working with the CHPAC and various sub-groups of the CHPAC in a
series of discussions to organize the program in general and to implement the
first percent for art project as a part of the new southern fire station. Many of the procedures and guidelines used
for the commissioned “Crossroads” tapestry project by Anita Wolfenden have been
incorporated into this first percent for art project. CHPAC has also been working with Town staff, with the intention
of developing a process that can be institutionalized for the percent for art
program. This fall the Town staff and
the CHPAC will make policy and guideline recommendations for the percent for
art program.
The project budget for the southern fire station was
adopted by the Town Council on November 27, 2000, and it included $10,054 for
art. The CHPAC appointed sub-committees
to work with the architect of the new southern fire station and Town staff to
select an artist.
Since the project was established, CHPAC’s sub-group
met with the Architect, Fire Chief, and an
Assistant Town Manager to review the firehouse program and discuss the artist
selection process
developed by the CHPAC.
An Artist Selection Committee that included a representative of
the community recommended by the Fire Chief, a member of the CHPAC, two art professionals including a curator from the
Ackland Museum of Art and an independent curator and art writer, the architect,
the Fire Chief, a Town Council representative, and an Assistant Town Manager
reviewed the work of 17 artists that was solicited through a request for
qualifications (RFQ). Three highly qualified finalists were chosen to be
interviewed. After interviewing the
three finalists, the committee discussed the candidates in depth, and selected
artist Mike Roig to recommend to the Town
Council to receive a commission to create a new public artwork for the new
southern fire station.
Mike Roig is well known for his powerful sculptures
in Chapel Hill, the Triangle and throughout North Carolina. He has won merit awards for his artworks at
both the 2000 and 2001 Chapel Hill Sculpture on the Green exhibits. His sculpture “Out
to Sea” was chosen for the Summer Select exhibit and is presently located in
front of the Chapel Hill Museum. He
attended the University of Maryland and has been making art all his life. He started focusing on metal work eight
years ago. His primary medium is recycled steel. In the past two years, he has been drawn to creating art in
public places, and has works on display at Weaver Street Market, in the New
Century Community Center and on Weaver Street in Carrboro.
At his interview with the Artist Selection
Committee, Mike impressed the Artist Selection Committee with his approach to
public art, by stating, “public art is all about having a dialogue.” Mike talked about the heroic nature of the
people who decide to become firefighters.
That quality of selflessness and bravery is what he would like to
capture in the fire house artwork. He
expressed an interest in exploring discarded
fire equipment and incorporating these elements into his final artwork for the
firehouse. Mike has accepted the
gracious invitation of the Fire Chief to spend time at the fire station to
learn about its culture and rhythms.
The CHPAC is recommending that artist Mike Roig, who
was selected by the Artist Selection Committee and reviewed by the CHPAC and
now by the Town Council, be awarded the percent for art commission for the new
southern fire station. Minutes of the
Public Art Review Committee meeting and the Artist Selection Committee meetings
are attached.
In order to begin work on the development of the
artwork for the fire house, the CHPAC recommends that the Council authorize the
town to enter into a contract with Mike Roig.
The artist will develop a proposal for the site and submit it to the
sub-groups, the CHPAC, and the community.
Upon reviews and approvals, the artist will fabricate and install the
work.
CHAPEL
HILL PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION (CHPAC)
Summary of the Public Art Review Committee (PARC) Meeting
Present: Renee Piechocki, Chair; Dan Jones, Sonna Loewenthal, Jim Spencer,
Karen Slotta (CHPAC staff)
Piechocki called the meeting
to order at 10am.
II.
Review and discuss public art selection procedures
Piechocki noted that the
CHPAC is in favor of an open competition for the new firehouse #5 project. A request for qualifications (RFQ) will be
mailed to artists describing the project.
Interested artists will submit slides and/or examples of their previous
work for the art selection committee (ASC) to review. The ASC will select the finalists for the project. The finalists will be interviewed and the
ASC will decide the winner of the competition.
III.
Review the plans for the new firehouse
Spencer went over the firehouse
drawings and helped the PARC members locate potential sites for artwork. He described the terrain, the design, the
materials that will be used and the vegetation that will be planted at the
site. Fire Chief Dan Jones talked about
the public areas of a firehouse, the people that generally visit or seek
information from the firehouse personnel and how the people work and live in
the building.
There was some discussion as
to whether or not the percent for art budget had to be tied to the #5 firehouse. Loewenthal said it could be spent at the
police station or at any fire station.
Jones noted his preference for keeping the dedicated art money at a
firehouse site. The committee then
discussed the possibility of placing the art at firehouse #1 which has a very
visible and public presence on North Columbia Street. After tossing this idea around for awhile, the committee decided
to keep the artwork at the site that generated the money, the #5 firehouse. The committee mainly felt that the $10,054
budget for the project would not be enough to commission a signature piece that
is needed at the #1 firehouse.
IV. Discuss
public art schedule
Piechocki outlined the
following schedule: In February and
March the ASC will meet. They will
review the artists slides and select the finalists. By April the ASC will have selected the artist for the
commission. April through June will be
dedicated to the design and review phase.
Depending on the artist and type of artwork selected the fabrication and
installation of the artwork may be ready by July.
It was noted that everyone
on the PARC is also a member of the ASC.
Respectfully
submitted,
Karen
Slotta, CHPAC staff
Firehouse Artist Selection Committee Meeting
4-6 PM
Firehouse Artist
Selection Committee Attendees: Joyce Brown, Chapel Hill Town Council member; Linda Dougherty,
Arts Professional; Larry Johnson, Community Representative; Barbara Matilsky,
Curator of Contemporary Art, Ackland Art Museum; Linda Passman, Chapel Hill
Public Art Commission Member, Jim Spencer, Architect; Renee Piechocki, CHPAC
Member, Meeting Chair; Karen Slotta,
Chapel Hill Public Art Commission Staff
-
Renee
Piechocki and Karen Slotta thanked everyone for coming and described
project. Karen Slotta reviewed the
current state of the Town of Chapel Hill’s public art program, explaining that
the Chapel Hill Public Art Commission (CHPAC) was currently writing public art
program guidelines and an ordinance.
She explained that although they had not yet been accepted by the Town,
that we would follow the guidelines for the artist selection process.
-
Jim
Spencer gave the committee an overview of the firehouse, reviewing the plans,
and answering questions. The group then
identified potential sites for art, although they chose not to select final
sites, noting that the artist should be able to have some flexibility about
where they would work. Karen and Renee
thought this was the best approach, giving the artist the opportunity to work
with the architect, fire chief, town, and commission to develop a proposal
unique to the site. Sites the committee
suggested the artist consider are the retaining wall along the wheelchair ramp,
the “public corner”, the rear courtyard where the firefighters live, and the
front lawn near the main enterance to the firehouse.
-
Renee
Piechocki explained the slide viewing method for the artists’
applications. She asked the panel if
they would approve of viewing all of the slides first, then going through a
second time for a vote. They
agreed. Renee Piechocki then presented
slides from the following list of artists.
She read from a slide script prepared directly from the materials the
artists submitted in their applications.
The panel viewed the slides
of the following artists:
Sarah Craige, Jane Robinson
Flier, Riley Foster, Joseph Gardner, Cathy Kiffney, Gretchen Lothrop, Harry
McDaniel, Vickie Mitchell, William Neville, Mike Roig, Steven Silverleaf, Cici
Stevens
Betsy Towns and Mark
Robinson, Jody M. Wright
-
After
viewing all of the slides, they committee viewed them again, this time taking a
vote after each artists’ slides were shown.
The committee decided if the artists received 3 or more votes, the
artists would move to the next round.
Following this method, the following artists were moved to the next
round:
Sarah Craige, Cathy Kiffney,
Gretchen Lothrop, Harry McDaniel, Mike Roig, Betsy Towns and Mark Robinson
-
The
committee then discussed the remaining artists work at lengh. A final vote was cast, and artists who
received 4 or more votes were finalists for the commission. The three finalist chosen are:
Sarah Craig, Gretchen
Lothrop and Mike Roig.
-
The
committee then discussed the requirements for the artist interviews. Renee Piechocki explained that any money the
panel would allocate towards interviews would be taken directly out of the
commission budget. The committee also
discussed the pros and cons of having an artist develop a full proposal for the
interview. In the end, the committee
decided it would be best not to ask the artists to prepare complete
proposals. The reasoning behind this
was twofold. First, it would decrease
the amount of the budget significantly.
Second, the panel felt the community would better be served if the
committee chose an artist based on their work as an artist and their
willingness and ability to work in the public realm. They felt that it would be best for the selected artist to work
directly with the community, the town, the fire department, and the architect
to develop a site-specific proposal once they had greater knowledge of the site
and its users. The committee decided
that the artists would be asked in the interview to show slides of their work,
and discuss their approach to public art, and not develop proposals for the
site at this time.
-
The
committee then discussed whether or not the artists should be paid for their
interview time. The discussion included
whether or not the artists should do it for the exposure or for free since it
was public art. It also included the
way the CHPAC would be seen in the community, and that it was more professional
and standard practice within the field of public art to pay artists for their
time. In the end, the commission took a
vote, and tied. As chair, Renee
Piechocki broke the tie, deciding that the CHPAC would pay the artists each $50
for their interview.
-
The
commision selected the first Thursday in March as the next meeting date. Karen Slotta said she would contact the
artists to be sure they were available.
-
The
meeting adjourned.
-
Respectfully
submitted by Renee Piechocki, Chapel Hill Public Art Commission.
CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION (CHPAC)
Summary of the Art Selection Committee (ASC) Meeting
Present: Renee Piechocki, Chair; Joyce Brown, Linda Doughtery, Larry Johnson,
Barbara Matilsky, Linda Passman, Jim
Spencer, Dan Jones, Sonna Loewenthal, Karen Slotta (CHPAC staff)
Piechocki called the meeting
to order at 3pm.
V.
Review of interview questions
Piechocki went over some
interview questions she had drafted for the finalists. They included: Please describe your approach to public art? Please describe your experience working with
communities, architects and other people in the public art process? Do you feel you will be able to work within
the project budget? What is your
schedule like over the next year? Do
you have any outstanding commitments we should be aware of? Residencies, teaching jobs, etc. Dan Jones came up the question: What is your perception of a firehouse and
what role does it perform in the community?
Larry Johnson’s additional question was: How should this artwork connect to that perception. Several
committee members took on the assignment to ask these questions.
VI.
Interview with Sarah Craig
Sarah Craig is a ceramic
artist. She brought slides of her most
recent works which included benches, fountains, columns, house panels, and
mailboxes. Sarah feels that public art
works best when the artist and the client communicate. She feels she can definitely work within the
budget. Her schedule will allow her to
work on this project. She sees the
firehouse as providing one of the most basic services a community needs. Sarah’s idea for the commission is to create
a 50” x 70” rectangular ceramic panel
that would be integrated into an outside wall near the front door of the
firehouse. She has thought of depicting
a controlled fire surrounded by water which ripples to the edge. Another idea is to use the imagery of the pines,
birds and woods around the firehouse to show what is protected by the firehouse
people.
IV. Interview
with Gretchen Lothrop
Gretchen Lothrop is a
sculptor who works in stainless steel.
Gretchen brought slides and one of her sculptures. Her work expresses intangibles—feelings,
memories, hopes, etc. She loves to make
things look weightless and she loves to make impossible shapes. She considers her work to be musical, lyrical. Gretchen that public art is about
interacting and then coming up with something meaningful. She does have a definite style which she
works in. She will bring her own
aesthetic to the situation. Yes, she
can work within the budget and her schedule is flexible. Gretchen feels a firehouse is where the
firemen live and work. It provides a
community service. She would like to
hear more from the fire chief about the role of the firehouse in the
community. Gretchen presented a
proposal for a fountain which would be placed near Bennet Road. She feels that a firehouse calls out for a
water element. She reassured the
committee that the way she designed the fountain it would not become a major
maintenance problem.
VII.
Interview with Mike Roig
Mike Roig is a sculptor who
works with recycled steel. He brought
one of his sculptures and slides. He
has several works at Weaverstreet Market, the ArtsCenter, the Chapel Hill
Library and on Weaver Street. He feels
that public art is all about having a dialogue. One needs to find the themes that are important to the daily
lives you will be touching. He loves to
incorporate found objects that bring meaning to a work. He did not come in with any ideas but with
an eagerness to listen and talk about the project. Mike feels the budget is no problem. He can definitely work within it. His schedule will allow him to take on this project. He would not have any conflicts. Mike talked about the heroic nature the
people who decide to become fire fighters.
That quality of selflessness and bravery is what he would like to
capture in a work of art. He would be
delighted to talk to the fire chief and other firemen. He would love to rummage around the
discarded fire equipment that pick some things that he could possibly use in
his sculpture. Mike noted that his
believes in using recycled steel. And
he has found a way to treat it so it doesn’t rust.
IV. Discussion
After interviewing the
finalists, each committee member discussed their reactions to each artist. They were impressed with each of the
candidates, and felt that they all could provide high quality and professional
work for the firehouse.
The discussion turned to
which artist would work best with the firehouse staff. Dan Jones felt that Mike Roig’s method of
working with found materials would be of interest to the firehouse staff, especially
if he were able to use some of the “mothballed” equipment.
After the discussion, the
panel voted. The results of the vote
were:
Mike Roig received 6 votes,
Sarah Craig received 2 votes and Gretchen Lothrop received 1 vote.
Note: Council member Joyce Brown had to leave the
meeting early due to a previously scheduled appointment and did not cast a
vote.
V.
Closing and Next Steps
Renee Piechocki thanked the
panel for all of their hard work. At
Sonna Loewenthal’s request, she described the next steps for this commissioning
process. Piechocki explained that the
artist would be presented to the full CHPAC and the Town Council. After their review, the town would enter
into a contract with the artist. The
artist would work with the Public Art Review Committee (PARC) to develop a
proposal for the site. The proposal
would be presented to the PARC, the CHPAC, the Town Council and the
community. Upon review and approvals,
the artist would fabricate and install the work.
Respectfully
submitted,
Karen
Slotta, CHPAC staff