City of Aurora Public Art Commission met June 20.
Here is the minutes as provided by the commission:
I. Roll Call
Members Present:
Fawn Clarke-Peterson
Ray Ziganto
Jane Regneir
Landa Midgely
Alexis Cardenas
Julie Gervais
Nafisa Husain
Juan Fernandez
Members Absent:
Cathe Steig
Staff present:
Dan Barreiro, Chief of Community Services
Chris Ragona, Community Development Manager
Jennifer Evans, Director of Public Art
II. Presentation of Public Art Policies and Procedures Manual
Mr. Ragona introduced himself along with Jennifer Evans, Director of Public Art. He provided a brief summary of the topics to be discussed along with key staff members of Community Service and the Aurora Public Art Commission.
Ms. Evans provided an overview of the functions provided by the Public Art Commission:
Facilitate public art projects including public and private murals, utility box murals, public sculpture maintenance, and additional Mayor’s Office projects
Curate exhibits and events in the first and third floor galleries of the David L. Pierce Art and History Center at 20 E Downer
Provide support to the local arts community and collaborate with schools and cultural institutions throughout the city
Mr. Ragona provided an overview of the draft policy including the timeline, research conducted from surrounding communities, and the consultation conducted. A total of 15 policies from across the country were researched and Public Art, Community Services, APAC, Aurora Legal, Mayor’s Office, and the public were solicited.
The introduction in the policy included the facilities, scope, and general terms with the idea that non art professionals would be able to view and understand the policy. The section of Anti-Discrimination, Hate Speech, and Obscenity Prohibited section meets state law, and was heavily reviewed by the Aurora Legal Department and can be found below:
Any artwork shall not be denied, based on an individual or applicant’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, order of protection status, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or unfavorable discharge from military service. The actual artwork shall also not discriminate against these protected classes.
The policy also covers the roles and responsibilities of the Director of Public Art, APAC, and approval committees. Public Art requires a variety of approvals and each are listed in the policy.
A new public art review rubric has also been introduced as part of the approval process. The Director of Public Art will review all submissions and confirm that the application meets the standards of State law. The Director also reviews the application to make a determination on the audience that is suitable and refers all applications that rate higher than the generally accepted movie rating of G – suitable for all audiences.
Mr. Ragona finally presented the remaining approval timeline and stated a press release will be provided by the City to solicit one final round of public comments before a final version is submitted to APAC for approval. General discussion took place on the policy and staff addressed questions from the public. Public comments will be accepted until July 2nd, 2019 to be considered into the final policy.
III. New Business
Ms. Evans stated the next scheduled APAC meeting is July 11, 2019.
VII. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned by Fawn Clarke-Peterson at 5:40 pm.
https://www.aurora-il.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_06202019-1882
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