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HomeMy WebLinkAboutArts Commission - 12/12/2005 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE ARTS & CULTURE COMMISSION MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2005 7:30 P.M. CITY CENTER 8080 MITCHELL ROAD PRAIRIE ROOMS A AND B COMMISSION MEMBERS: Steve Mosow, Chair; Heather Olson, Vice Chair; Lois Larson, Ann Rorem, Diane Zielke STUDENT MEMBERS: Sarah Erickson, Michael Kientzle, Grace Li COMMISSION STAFF: Sandy Werts, Staff Liaison Peggy Rasmussen, Recording Secretary SUPPORT STAFF: Bob Lambert, Director, Parks & Recreation Services; Laurie Obiazor, Manager of Recreation Services I. ROLL CALL Chair Mosow called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. Commissioner Larson was absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Olson moved, seconded by Zielke, to approve the agenda as published. Motion carried 4-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 7, 2005 MEETING Werts made a correction on page 1, under Item IV. The first word should be "alerts." MOTION: Olson moved, seconded by Zielke, to approve the minutes of the Arts and Culture Commission held on November 7, 2005, as amended. Motion carried 4-0. IV. OLD BUSINESS A. Recap Commission Workshop with City Council The Commissioners said they believed the meeting with the Council went well, and they received positive comments and input from the Councilmembers. The Council indicated support for what the Commission is doing and surprise at how much is already being done to promote the arts. However, they said it is unlikely that the City would increase its financial support. Several Councilmembers offered suggestions for art-related activities. Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens suggested that art related to homelessness could be displayed in Eden Prairie in various public spaces. Brad Aho recommended that Eden Prairie have a student art fair. Tyra-Lukens liked the Commission's idea of an art crawl, where the public could access the art collections of local businesses, and ARTS & CULTURE COMMISSION MINUTES December 12, 2005 Page 2 Sherry Butcher expressed interest in having an art fair at Purgatory Creek Recreation Area. Ron Case talked about the desirability of having an art center. It was agreed the Commissioners should meet with the Council once a year to keep them aware of what the Commission is doing. Mosow recommended that prior to the next meeting with the Council, the Commissioners prioritize what they hope to accomplish over the following five years. Werts pointed out the press coverage on the eagle sculpture proposal following the workshop. The Eden Prairie Sun Current had an article that was accurate,but the Eden Prairie News used photos of the eagle prototype, and made it appear that this is already happening. Werts said Scott Neal informed her that what happens at the Council workshops is public information. Mosow said the idea might get community support because of the press coverage. However, there could be negative feedback because of budget concerns. B. Eagle Statues Rorem reported that she had contacted a person from Integrate, an independent resource firm, to ask for the name of the company that had made the boot statues for the city of Red Wing. She was told it was Fast Korp from Sparta, Wisconsin, which makes the statues out of Fiberglas. Using the Chamber of Commerce's list of local businesses, Integrate, a Red Wing organization, worked with Art Reach, Inc. to request orders for statues, at a cost of $1,000 each, and 20 orders were received. With additional orders from businesses outside the city, 50 boot statues were ordered and distributed. Initially, the city had a grant to get the project started and then was able to tie into the United Way fund drive. The statues received national coverage, and the city had a large number of visitors this year. Rorem said she would contact Fast Korp to find out what the costs would be for Eden Prairie. Olson said the Council liked the idea of providing permanent bases for statues in a sculpture garden, where sculptures would change over time, making it a continuous program. Werts said the Commissioners might want Janet Jeremiah to talk to them about plans for downtown Eden Prairie and what part public art can play in those plans. Mosow pointed out that Sherry Butcher had talked about having monuments at overpasses and other places to welcome people to Eden Prairie, which showed that the Council is interested in the idea of public art. Werts said there are many new ideas the Commission should discuss, in addition to the ones already being considered. Olson said the Commissioners had talked about making a PowerPoint presentation to the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce about the eagle sculpture project, if they decide to go ahead with it. Mosow asked if the Commissioners thought they should have a prototype of the eagle statue at the Eden Prairie Foundation Ball in February. Rorem said they would have to sign a letter of intent with TivoliToo before they could obtain the ARTS & CULTURE COMMISSION MINUTES December 12, 2005 Page 3 prototype. The company would give the Commission a list on how to proceed and provide a template for the eagle prototype. Olson expressed reservations about using that eagle design. Mosow agreed that further discussion is needed. Rorem said she is probably the only one on the Commission who works at home and could get the project started. Perhaps other Commissioners could work on various parts of it. Mosow said signing TivoliToo's letter of intent means moving ahead on the project with that company within 24 months of signing. Werts said if the Commission signs the letter of intent and then decides not to use TivoliToo, the letter states that the City could not proceed with the project for three years. There was a consensus to go ahead with researching the project. Mosow recommended doing an analysis of comparative costs and benefits for each company being considered; TivoliToo, Fiberstock and Fast Korp. He said if TivoliToo is selected, the Commission should go ahead and sign the letter of intent. Using 20 as a likely first order, Rorem offered to put together a spreadsheet on the three companies to compare costs and benefits, including shipping costs from Sparta, Wisconsin and Buffalo, Minnesota. She said she would send copies of the spreadsheet to all the Commissioners prior to the next meeting. V. NEW BUSINESS A. Meeting Dates for 2006 Mosow asked if the Commissioners wished to continue meeting on the first Monday of the month, or if they preferred to go back to the second Monday. Several Commissioners expressed a preference for the second Monday MOTION: Olson moved, seconded by Rorem, to have the Arts and Culture Commission meetings on the second Monday of each month in 2006. Motion carried 4-0. VI. REPORTS OF STAFF AND COMMISSIONERS A. Eden Prairie Players Update Werts reported all the roles have been filled for their winter play, It Wasn't Murder?, and the group is having a read-through next week. The play will be performed in February, and they are hoping for a good response from the public. B. Cummins House Christmas Update The Cummins House Christmas program on December 4 was well-attended. A carriage pulled by reindeer brought in revenue that was up $100 over last year. There is no charge for the other activities, which are basically the same each year. ARTS & CULTURE COMMISSION MINUTES December 12, 2005 Page 4 But one new idea was to bring a cedar tree into the house for decorating, which was cut from one of the city parks. C. Park Sign Desisn Update Werts said the Parks and Recreation Commission selected a different design from the one chosen by this Commission at last month's meeting. Both designs will go to the City Council on December 13 for a decision. D. Life in the Prairie—December featuring Boards and Commissions Werts reported the television show "Life in the Prairie" runs monthly on cable Channel 16. It will be featuring different City commissions each month, beginning in December. The City's Web site shows when the videos for each commission will be taped. VII. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS VIII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Olson moved, seconded by Zielke, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 4-0. Chair Mosow adjourned the meeting at 8:25 p.m.