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CC - 1) Consideration of a Proposal for a Public Art Series Titled, 1988, Created for Culver City’s Centennial; and, 2) Approval of Related Agreement with Marla Koosed to Produce and Coordinate the Project, Funded from the Cultural Trust Fund as Recommended by the Cultural Affairs Commission.
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Meeting Date: January 9, 2017
Contact Person/Dept: B. Christine Byers/Cultural Affairs Division
Phone Number: (310) 253-6003
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (01/04/17); (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - Cultural Affairs Commission (01/04/17); (E-Mail) Marla Koosed & Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre (01/04/17)
Department Approval: Serena Wright-Black, Director of Administrative Services (12/28/16)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) consider the material of record for a public art series titled, 1988, together with a recommendation by the Cultural Affairs Commission (“CAC”); (2) approve a related agreement with Marla Koosed to produce and coordinate the project, to be funded from the Cultural Trust Fund; or (3) provide other direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
Project Overview:
Marla Koosed, a former Culver City Cultural Affairs Commissioner, has partnered with Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre (“HDDT”) (<http://www.heididuckler.org/>) in developing a unique public art series titled, 1988, (“Project”) that highlights four permanent artworks commissioned under the City’s Art in Public Places Program. The Project is designed to serve as a cumulative exploration of public art, with events taking place in April, May, August and September 2017. HDDT will choreograph original site-specific dance performances for each artwork which, depending on the venue, will be accompanied by live or recorded music (the latter either amplified via sound system or available via smartphone). All performance events will be recorded on video, and edited together into a film commemorating the series. Future film screenings allow for additional public access after the live events have concluded.
Each event in the series features an educational component that includes, where feasible, participation of the artist or artist team responsible for creating the permanent artwork featured. HDDT’s rehearsals for each of the performance events are free and open to the public and provide an additional opportunity to audience members to meet the dancers and ask questions.
A detailed description of the series, including information on the public benefit/participation, is attached together with the project budget. A brief summary is provided below:
Cloud - located at Access Culver City (8770 Washington Blvd.)
• Sunday, April 2, 2017; 4 - 7 PM
• Features one dancer and one musician
• Three performances, each accommodating up to 100 viewers; 300 audience members total
• All performances free and open to the public
• Three free publicly-accessible rehearsals (totaling 9-12 hours of total rehearsal time) that will be publicized in advance and allow audience members to meet the artists and ask questions
• Cost: $4,350.00
Punctuation Station - Westfield Culver City (6000 Sepulveda Blvd.)
• Sunday, May 7, 2017; 2 - 5 PM
• Multiple dancers with amplified music
• Two performances - one teaching event for CCHS AVPA students and one public performance event; estimate 300-400 audience members (which could be higher given that Sunday foot traffic at the mall is estimated to be up to 40,000 for the day)
• All performances free and open to the public
• One 8-hour free publicly-accessible rehearsal and one rehearsal with AVPA students; rehearsal will be publicized in advance and allows audience members to meet the artists and ask questions
• Cost: $4,400.00
Technicolor Drip - Platform (8850 Washington Blvd.)
• Sunday, August 6, 13 or 20, 2017; 1 - 3 PM
• Multiple dancers with recorded music accessible via smartphone
• Multiple performances at 12 minute intervals
• All performances free and open to the public
• Between 300-400 active and passive audience members (passive audience being Expo Line passengers, pedestrians along Washington Blvd., etc.)
• Public screening later that evening (8 - 9 PM)
• One free, publicly-accessible rehearsal (totaling approx. 8 hours) that will be publicized in advance and allows audience members to meet the artists and ask questions
• Cost: $8,960.00
Hanging Garden, Quotation Courtyard and Panormic, and La Ballona - City Hall Courtyard, 9770 Culver Blvd.
• Saturday, September 9 or 16, 2017; 5 - 7 PM
• Five dancers accompanied by live chamber music
• Two performances, each accommodating at least 200 viewers, with a total of at least 400
• Three free publicly-accessible rehearsals (approximately 5 hours each) that will be publicized in advance and allows audience members to meet the artists and ask questions
• Cost: $9,730.00
Cost:
The total cost of the four components to the performance series is $27,440.00. An additional $38,914.00 is budgeted for production overhead which includes fees for the Producer (Marla Koosed); Artistic Director (Heidi Duckler); an Independent Technical Production Manager; administrative costs (insurance, marketing, public relations, etc.); City permits and insurance; design and printing of materials about the event series; photo and video documentation; and, contingency. The Project total is $66,354.00.
Sponsorship:
The Project was conceived from the beginning as a public/private partnership that included both in-kind and cash sponsorship. At the time the CAC considered the item at its December 13, 2016 meeting, Ms. Koosed had secured $2,500 in cash sponsorship (from The Culver Hotel, The Culver Studios, and Lapis Press) in addition to approval for use of the three-privately owned sites. At this juncture, Ms. Koosed is asking for a total of $63,854 (the Project total, minus $2,500 in cash sponsorship) from the Cultural Trust Fund (Fund 413). This amount may be further reduced if additional sponsorship funds are secured. An update will be provided to the Council at the meeting on January 9, 2017. As has been the case these last two years with the Summer Concert Series, staff recommends that, if the Project is approved, sponsors make a tax-deductible donation to the Culver City Cultural Affairs Foundation. Sponsorship money would then be deposited to the Cultural Trust Fund to offset the total cost to the City for the Project.
Marketing:
Publicity for the Project will be via several outlets including printed and electronic documents. The City’s GovDelivery system and website are resources for outreach as are websites and social media platforms of HDDT and each of the three private venues (Access Culver City, Westfield Culver City and Platform). In addition, on November 15, 2016, the Culver City Centennial Celebration Committee (“CCCCC”) voted to support the project which allows use of their logo and publicity through the CCCCC’s website and social media platforms.
Staff Resources:
Based on staff’s recommendation, Ms. Koosed has budgeted for an Independent Technical Production Manager who will be responsible for every part of the technical elements and works closely with the Producer and Artistic Director. While this does not eliminate the need for City staff involvement, it is intended to help reduce the impact on limited staff resources and other projects.
Past Use of the Cultural Trust Fund for Temporary Art Installations and Events:
Temporary Art is included in the Cultural Trust Fund budget under PZ676 with the specific intent in FY 2016-17 of using those funds in conjunction with the City’s Centennial. In past years, the Cultural Trust Fund has paid for temporary art installations in conjunction with the California Biennial, the Los Angeles Biennial, IndieCade festivals; costs associated with producing ARTWALK Culver City; and, two street light pole banner installations. These were paid for out of Cultural Trust Fund project areas PZ676 (Temporary Art) or PZ861 (Median/Entryway Signs) and ranged in cost from $3,000 to more than $73,000. In some instances, the project was initiated by staff with a Request for Proposal (RFP) and in other instances, projects were brought forward unsolicited and after being vetted by staff and the CAC, were approved by the City Council. In 2015, $35,500 was encumbered from the Cultural Trust Fund to pay for the Summer Concert Series, with $17,819 raised through sponsorship, reimbursed to the CTF.
Public Art Subcommittee and CAC Comments/Recommendation:
Ms. Koosed and Heidi Duckler met with the CAC Public Art Subcommittee (Vice Chair Cherry and Commissioner Pali) on October 24, 2016 (Vice Chair Cherry was unable to attend the meeting due to a last minute conflict). Ms. Koosed met again with the subcommittee on November 8, 2016 to provide follow-up information and to allow Vice Chair Cherry the opportunity to provide in-person feedback. While it was acknowledged by all present at both meetings that the budget was realistic given the nature of the Project (a unique and site-specific creation), there was concern expressed about the total cost to the City relative to the public benefit as measured by audience capacity. Ms. Koosed is committed to the number of venues and the dates of the performances as outlined here and has stated that reducing the number of venues does not proportionately reduce the cost.
Ms. Koosed has secured the CCCCC logo which could help with sponsorship efforts and she also coordinated with HDDT regarding attendance at performance rehearsals to further increase audience participation. Conservatively, the current audience participation is estimated to be about 1,400 for all four performance events which excludes rehearsals and film screenings. At the conclusion of the November 8, 2016 meeting, the subcommittee did not have a recommendation for the CAC.
At a Special Meeting on December 13, 2016, the CAC considered this item and voted (three ayes; one abstention) in favor of recommending that the City Council support the Project with a total of $63,854 in funding from the Cultural Trust Fund. (The CAC meeting took place in the Cathedral Room and therefore no webcast is available. An excerpt of the draft meeting minutes are attached for reference.) Per CAC recommendation, Ms. Koosed provided an update to the Cultural Affairs Foundation Board at the meeting on December 14, 2017 under Public Comment. Because the item was not on the CAF Board’s meeting agenda, no action was taken at that time.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
Currently there is $50,000 available for Temporary Art in the Cultural Trust Fund in account number 41310400.619800 PZ676 and the option of transferring an additional $13,854 from Art Conservation (41310400.730100 PZ824) to cover the balance (leaving more than sufficient funds in the Art Conservation budget line to complete projects in FY 2016-17). There will be an additional impact on staff resources and an already heavy workload in January/February 2017 to assist with coordination, planning and execution of the Project.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 17-01-09_ATT No. 1_1988 Event Concept
2. 17-01-09_ATT No. 2_1988 Event Description
3. 17-01-09_ATT No. 3_1988 Event Budget
4. 17-01-09_ATT No. 4_December 13, 2016 Draft CAC Meeting Minutes Excerpt
MOTION
That the City Council:
1. Support the proposed Centennial project titled, 1988, with a total of $63,854 in funds from the Cultural Trust Fund; and,
2. Approve a related agreement with Marla Koosed to produce and coordinate the project; and,
3. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and,
4. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.
OR
5. Not support the proposed Centennial project titled, 1988, with any funds from the City.