HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Public Art Selection Committee - 04/26/2021South Burlington Public Art Selection Committee
Tuesday April 26, 2021
Approved Minutes
Committee members present: Trice Strattman, chair; Jean Sebastian, vice chair; Amanda
Holland, Jennifer Kochman, Michele Bailey (Vermont arts Council) and Penne Tompkins
City liaison: Ilona Blanchard
The Meeting was convened at 6:28. There were no changes made to the agenda and no
members of the public were present.
A motion to approve the draft Minutes of February 16 and March 9, 2021 was made by Penne
and seconded by Jennifer. The motion passed unanimously.
Curator Call
The committee received one application and resumé for the Curator Call. The candidate is
highly qualified, and one member of the committee has worked with the person previously. The
committee was disappointed not to receive more than one applicant and discussed whether to
extend the open call, deciding not to pursue this action. Based on this person’s qualifications,
Jean Sebastian moved that we proceed with asking the candidate for a group interview with the
committee, which was seconded by Jennifer, and passed unanimously. Ilona will provide
references for the candidate to Trice for Trice to contact contemporaneously with the interview
process. The aim is to hold the interview May 4 or May 11 and make a decision expeditiously.
Website and new manager
The committee members discussed materials to send to the new City Manager Jesse Baker as
well as images to add to the Public Art pages on the city website.
For Ms. Baker, it was agreed to send her SBPAS Committee Annual reports of 2019 and 2020,
plus photos of the group and the geese. Jennifer suggested that we invite the new city manager
to join us at a future regular meeting of the committee to introduce ourselves and meet her.
Ilona showed a number of photos for us to consider adding to our Public Art page at the city.
Each member has access to the shared Google drive folder and will select some favorites to
recommend using. Ilona will change the landing page photo for the committee to a photograph
of the goose” park on Market Street.
Amanda suggested that we create a map with locations of all public art in the city, inspired by
an existing project created by Bike and Ped surrounding finding art along the bike pathways.
Members noted a couple of pieces to be included, like the honeycomb and bee on the side of
the Allard Square building on Market Street, created by Conant Metal and Light. Next steps are
for individual members to identify art pieces for inclusion by providing:
A photo
Artist name
Location
Review Garden Street Art location, ideas for this project
Ilona reviewed the location possibilities, noting that the project has still not gone out for
bidding, and confirming that based on the size and scope of this major streetscape work that
the budget is likely to be comparable to the piece created for the new municipal building, the
grand clock.
A few brainstorming ideas were discussed:
• Will there be a bus stop where the project might be placed? Could we promote the idea of
public art that is also functional, like a sculpturally interesting protective bus stop roof?
• Generate a message about public art
• If there is a landscaped corner, would that be an appropriate place for a commemorative
piece of art, for a noted Vermonter or a tribute to the Abenaki people who first were on this
land?
• Could we have a solar powered fountain?
• Ilona mentioned that sometimes an artist is included in the design team for this kind of
street development project.
Further discussion will take place once the timeline and parameters are solidified.
As an outcome of this discussion, Trice wondered whom we could speak to about the history of
South Burlington, specifically in relation to the Abenaki people, and Sarah Dopp was noted as a
wealth of knowledge. Penne agreed to contact Sarah to ask her if she would give a presentation
to our committee about the history of South Burlington. Ilona mentioned other resources such
as the Preservation Trust of Vermont and Vermont Archaeology Society.
Other Business:
Ilona mentioned that the next round of Vermont Arts Council grant applications for
infrastructure projects would be due in late summer early fall. Trice suggested we start sooner
this year. Ilona provided a link to the site.
Next meeting: either May 4 or May 11 for the group interview with the curator candidate.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:03
Respectfully submitted
Penne Tompkins