Public Arts Committee Minutes – January 10, 2023

Town of Chestertown
PUBLIC ARTS COMMITTEE (PAC)
Tuesday, Jan 10, 2023
4:00PM at Town Hall

Meeting Minutes

Participants:

• Kate Dowd
• Elizabeth Healy
• Dave Hegland (Secretary)
• Carla Massoni
• Bob Ortiz
• Hester Sachse (ex-officio: Kent Cultural Alliance and Chestertown A&E District)
• Marianne Sade
• Ben Tilghman (Chair)
• Pam White (Vice Chair)

1. PAC minutes of Dec 13, 2022 were reviewed and approved.
2. New Committee Members:
   1. Ben welcomed Bob Ortiz as the newest member of the PAC.
   2. The committee remains one member short.
3. Update on the Woicke Sculptures:
   1. Installation of the remaining six Phase I Sculptures (Vessel, Face Fragment III, Sentinel, The Great Yes, The Big Courtship, and Figure) was completed Dec 28.
   2. This brings to seven the number of sculptures installed during 2022 (Reading Dog was previously installed).
   3. Feedback has been generally positive.
   4. It was agreed for future installs to have a process for final confirmation by stake holders of the exact location of new sculptures.
   5. It was agreed to coordinate with the Recreation Committee (and other stake holders) on future installation locations.
   6. There was discussion of Bailey Park as a major venue for some of the remaining sculptures.
   7. Ben will get on the agenda for the town council and present status at a future meeting.
   8. Ben will continue discussions with Bill Ingersoll on the Request for Proposal for bids on conservation and relocation of sculptures.
4.  Sculpture Signage:
   1. Hester showed a mockup of proposed signage.
   2. The shape and look was agreed to.  The proposed size needs to be reduced.
5. Social Media:
   1. It was agreed that the PAC needs to further develop a social media presence to better communicate with the public on progress.
   2. After discussion it was agreed to start PAC Facebook and Instagram pages.
6. Archive Update:
   1. Marianne has developed a draft document for comment: Archival Record Retention/Documentation Policy and Procedures Report for the PAC
   2. Marianne proposed an ongoing subcommittee to develop and implement these requirements.  The committee consists of Marianne, Kate and Carla.
7. Walking Tour Map:
   1. Hester reported that as a start we could modify the existing A&E Art Walk map to show Public Art locations within the A&E District.
   2. It was agreed to use this approach.
8. Action Items were reviewed:
9. Closed Action Items from previous meeting:
   1. CLOSED – Marianne agreed to provide information to the committee on “Best Archiving Practices” for organizations like the PAC.
   2. CLOSED – Dave will arrange for the agreed changes to the website.
   3. CLOSED – Hester will arrange a location for the PAC to publicize installation progress during the upcoming Art Walk Dec 17.
   4. CLOSED -Ben will provide updates to the committee on the remaining Phase I installations.
10.  Ongoing Action Items from previous meeting:
    1. ONGOING – Marianne, Kate and Carla need input from the PAC on what should be archived and any other thoughts on archiving.
    2. ONGOING – All committee members will send their number of monthly volunteer hours to Pam.
    3. ONGOING – Ben will reach out to the community regarding ideas for potential new PAC members (1 open position remaining).
    4. ONGOING – Ben will meet with the Town Manager Bill Ingersoll regarding: the project management position, RFP for remaining installations, and Installation agreements.
    5. ONGOING – The Signage committee will continue work on temporary and permanent signage.
11. New Action Items:
    1. NEW – Ben will give the Town Council an update on the completion of the Phase 1 installation (committee members will be notified when the update is scheduled).
    2. NEW – Ben will ask Miles Barnard for the total number of hours he donated to the installation effort.
    3. NEW – Ben will ask Miles Barnard to provide an estimate of the cost to relocate “Vessel” within Carpenter Park (if needed).
    4. NEW – Dave, Kate and Ben will work on providing Bill Ingersoll the information necessary for the Conservation and Installation RFP.
    5. NEW – Hester will get back to Joe Karlik to provide input from the PAC on the signs (e.g., size).
    6. NEW – Pam will setup Facebook and Instagram pages for the PAC.
    7. NEW – Kate, Marianne, and Carla will work to establish a policy and procedure for what information/records/items should be kept and archived.
    8. NEW – Ben will provide Marianne a copy of the Town Public Art Accession document for the addition of public art to the town collection.
    9. NEW – Pam will get together with Jim Bogden (Chairman of the Recreation Commission) to review potential plans to make sure PAC and the Rec Commission are in sync.
12. Meeting Adjourned – Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday Feb 14, 4:00PM.