Public Arts Committee Minutes – July 11, 2023

Town of Chestertown
PUBLIC ARTS COMMITTEE (PAC)
Tuesday, Jul 11, 2023
4:00PM at Town Hall and Zoom

Meeting Minutes

Participants:

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

• Larry DiRe (Chestertown Town Manager)
• Leslie Raymond (Guest Participant)

1. PAC minutes of June 13, 2023 were approved.
2. PAC Membership:
   1. The committee is charted for 9 members and currently has 7 (with Yuh Okano presented to the Town Council as a nominee to join the committee).
   2. Ben has requested the council and PAC to let him know if they have any recommendations for an additional committee member to bring the number up to 9 members.
   3. Dave Hegland was voted as new Vice Chair.  Dave will continue to perform Secretary duties until a new Secretary is appointed.
3. Woicke Sculptures:
   1. Town Council:  Ben presented the plan for installing sculptures in 2023. The plan and proposed locations were approved by the Town Council.
   2. Puzzled:  Location is still under discussion.
   3. Ball and Red Arches and Taking the Hill:  The artist Adam Walls will be available this Fall (in the October timeframe) to advise on relocation, repairs, and placement.
   4. Around Man and Strength of Community:  Group will get together to stake out exact locations for both sculptures.
   5. Head:  Needs a decision on what type of new pedestal will be required.
   6. Concrete bases need to be planned for:  Puzzled, Around Man, Taking the Hill, Strength of Community, Ball and Red Arches (piers),  and possibly Inchworm (depends on whether gravel is sufficient).
4.  Signage:
   1. Temporary Signs have been printed and placed for all of the newly installed sculptures.
   2. Hester showed an actual sized mockup of the permanent metal signs.  It was agreed on the 7 inch size for the signs.
   3. Info to be printed on the permanent signs will be based on the information on the website which needs more review to ensure consistency.
5. Walking Tour Map Project:
   1. Dave and Hester met with Nina Fleegle (Chestertown Mainstreet) and her map designer Kathleen King.
   2. Dave and Hester presented a concept to Nina and Kathleen of expanding the existing Mainstreet map to include most all of the sculptures to be installed within walking distance of downtown (just showing buildings and streets without a legend).  There would be 3 top layers showing locations of public interest (e.g., parks, visitor center, library, town hall), location of Public Art Sculptures on the map, and Arts and Entertainment locations (e.g., Galleries, Studios, Entertainment/Arts Organizations).
   3. It was agreed to split the cost of the base map expansion with the A&E District Committee.
6. Action Items were reviewed.
7. Meeting Adjourned – Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday August 8, 4:00PM.