TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Mark Leyman, Parks and Recreation Director
Eilen Stewart, Cultural Arts Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Cultural Arts Commission Recommendations for Sculpture Garden Options (Parks and Recreation Director Leyman).
(Estimated Time: 30 Mins.)
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
Body
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction on Cultural Arts Commission recommendations for sculpture garden options.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
If approved, staff will develop an appropriate budget and return for allocation of funds from the Public Art Trust Fund.
BACKGROUND:
At the March 7, 2023 meeting, City Council directed the Cultural Arts Commission to develop a work plan of several items including the Sculpture Garden program. First launched in 2009, this "Pot and Pole" program placed large scale temporary sculptures on loan to the City for a specified amount of time. The Sculpture Garden was a successful program initially, but, staff soon began to notice a significant decline in the number and quality of submissions for this program. The program relied on nearby cities participating with similar parameters, which allowed works of art to move throughout the region. As the popularity of the program decreased, there were fewer works of quality art available, even with increased marketing and outreach efforts. After multiple significant changes which yielded marginally improved results, the Sculpture Garden program was put on hold until it could be reexamined. The Cultural Arts Commission identified this program as an important public art opportunity that was impactful enough to dedicate time to making it function as desired.
DISCUSSION:
Staff worked with the Cultural Arts Commission to identify the strengths and challenges of the Sculpture Garden program based on previous iterations and similar programs f...
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