Agenda Report APPROVAL OF PUBLIC ART SITE, ARTIST, AND ARTWORK FOR TRINITY HEIGHTS CONDOMINIUM HOMES

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1 Arts Commission Agenda Item No. 4a DATE: NOVEMBER 14, 2016 Agenda Report TO: FROM: SUBJECT: ARTS COMMISSION ARTS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT APPROVAL OF PUBLIC ART SITE, ARTIST, AND ARTWORK FOR TRINITY HEIGHTS CONDOMINIUM HOMES STATEMENT OF ISSUE: The Public Art Master Plan for the City of Walnut Creek states that the Arts Commission will approve the selection of sites, artists, and artworks for public art within private development. The Arts Commission is asked to review and consider approving the selected site, the artist Pard Morrison, and a proposed sculpture by the artist to fulfill the public art requirement for the Trinity Heights Condominium Homes project. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Staff recommends approval of the site selection, artist Pard Morrison, and a proposed sculpture by the artist for the public art component of the Trinity Heights Condominium Homes project. DISCUSSION: Trinity Heights Condominium Homes will be developed on a 12,525 square foot (0.28 gross acres) project site that includes two contiguous lots at 1950 and 1962 Trinity Avenue, which currently contain an office building and a single-family house. The site is located on Trinity Avenue between Oakland Boulevard to the west and North California Boulevard to the east. The development will be a four-story, twelve-unit condominium building with podium-style construction. The concrete podium structure provides at-grade and partially below-grade parking for 24 vehicles, and a lobby that can be accessed from the street or the parking deck. Above the podium are three floors with four condominiums on each floor. The residential units range in size from 1,438 square feet to 1,577 square feet and each have two bedrooms and an outside deck space. Each of the third-floor units has a private rooftop patio. In addition, there is a common rooftop patio of approximately 750 square feet. The project includes landscaping on the ground level as well as second-level and rooftop landscaping. The ground level includes street trees, with tall bamboo at the rear of the property. Architecturally, the proposed building is a contemporary blend of glass, stucco, metal and concrete. Clerestories, stairwells, and housing for mechanical equipment and elevators punctuate the rooflines and offer some variation to the otherwise horizontal roofline that rises approximately 50 feet above finished grade. The color palette includes gray metal siding, and cement plaster and trims painted in white and two shades of gray. An artist s rendering of the building is included as Attachment 1.

2 Arts Commission Agenda Report Approval of Artist and Artwork for Trinity Heights Condominiums November 14, 2016 Page 2 The public art allocation for this project is approximately $30,000, calculated from current building valuation data. Though this is a relatively modest allocation for a public art project, the developer wishes to include a public art piece at the site rather than contribute the requirement to the Public Art Fund. At a study session on November 18, 2015, the Design Review Commission (DRC) suggested that the existing wall at the west side of the property frontage be used for public art. In December 2015, the Trinity Heights project developer contacted Bedford Gallery/Public Art staff, stating that the developers were very pleased with staff s previous assistance on the public art process for Cole Terrace Condominiums, which resulted in the selection and placement at the building entrance of Linda Fleming's sculpture "Spark". They asked for staff s assistance to conduct a similar process in selecting an interesting and unique art piece for Trinity Heights within the limited budget and siting options. In January 2016, staff initiated a selection process with the developer, discussing the art opportunities available for the project and possible artists that would be suitable for its parameters. They considered the DRC s site suggestion, but are recommending a more suitable location at the landscaped frontage area near the main entrance, agreeing that the incorporation of art into the existing wall might be limiting. Further, Engineering has required the widening of the sidewalk in this location which requires that a large portion of the existing wall be demolished. At its meeting of July 6, 2016, the DRC revised its recommendation in agreement with the location by the main entry preferred by the developer and Public Art staff. For the proposed location of artwork indicated in the architectural drawings, see Attachment 2. Now focused on the building entry area, the developer and architect requested a vertical, colorful, geometric, eye-catching artwork. Staff proceeded to source potential artists for the project including artists suggested by the developer. Work by numerous artists was reviewed as staff determined aesthetic preferences as well as suitability. In May 2016, staff and the developer s representatives reviewed a shortlist of twelve sculptors and tile artists, and ultimately recommended Colorado artist Pard Morrison to design a new sculpture for the project. The recommended public art process established in the Public Art Master Plan encompasses several stages of review, with approval of artists and sites, art plan concept, and final art plan often being considered in three separate meetings. However, in order to accommodate the needs and constraints of the Trinity Heights project, staff proposes consolidating these stages. Relevant issues for the Arts Commission s attention are as follows: Because the site development is so compact, options for siting artwork particularly for a freestanding sculpture in a prominently visible location are very limited. Staff feels the proposed location by the main entry is the most optimal, and will support the developer s as well as the Public Art Program s goals for visibility and accessibility. At the time staff began consulting to the developer on art selection, it was the responsibility of the DRC to approve artwork sites. The DRC s choice of the appropriate site in the Trinity Heights development was made in December In May 2016, the responsibility to approve sites was shifted to the Arts Commission with adoption of the revised Public Art Master Plan and ordinance. In the period between these dates, staff and the developer had needed to move forward with artist research and sourcing and were reconsidering the site selected by the DRC. Multiple meetings with the developer took place in order to fit the right artist and artwork type to the available site.

3 Arts Commission Agenda Report Approval of Artist and Artwork for Trinity Heights Condominiums November 14, 2016 Page 3 Due to the size of the project, the modest art budget, and the accelerated timeline, staff requests that the Arts Commission review and approve the artist and the proposed artwork, as well as location, at this time. In terms of policy, there is a close precedent in the Cole Terrace Condominiums project, for which the public art requirement was met by the approval in a single meeting of the recommended site and an existing sculpture by artist Linda Fleming; as well as the Newell Village development, for which the Commission reviewed and approved the artist Archie Held and the artwork proposal in the one meeting. Working with Bedford Gallery/Public Art staff eased the process and schedule for the developer, who was able to access the expertise of staff in lieu of seeking and hiring an outside consultant. The Arts and Recreation Department is moving toward a standardized process to allow Public Art staff to manage public art selection and administration for individual private developments in select cases, as appropriate. On this project, a percentage of the developer s art budget will support Public Art administrative costs. In terms of schedule, it is estimated that the Trinity Heights project will break ground in Spring/Summer 2017, with an approximately 15-month construction timeline. About the Artist Pard Morrison is a sculptor based in Colorado. His current body of work includes wall-mounted and freestanding pieces in a bright color palette showcasing variations in patterning and structural configuration. These dynamic and colorful sculptures combine a formal rigor and artistic purity with a vibrant quality that enlivens exterior and interior spaces alike.

4 Arts Commission Agenda Report Approval of Artist and Artwork for Trinity Heights Condominiums November 14, 2016 Page 4 Since 1997, Morrison s work has been exhibited widely throughout the United States. He has had 21 solo shows hosted by venues including Brian Gross Fine Art in San Francisco, RULE Gallery in Denver, James Kelly Contemporary in Santa Fe, Arthur Roger Gallery in New Orleans, and Marty Walker Gallery in Dallas. His work has been featured in group shows in Singapore and Basel, Switzerland, as well as many galleries, museums and art fairs across North America. Collectors include the Lannan Foundation, Colorado State University Art Museum, University of Wyoming Art Museum, and the City of Vail, Colorado. Pard Morrison is currently represented by Brian Gross Fine Art in San Francisco. He holds a BFA degree in Sculpture from Colorado State University and lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Additional images and information, including an artist s statement, are available online at About the Artwork The medium of Pard Morrison s current sculptures is baked pigment on aluminum (aka patinated aluminum). These artworks are durable and well suited for outdoor use. Mr. Morrison s sculptures have been installed permanently outdoors in variable, often harsh conditions for 14+ years with no complaints of deterioration, loss of color/pigmentation of the paint, or rusting. As the work is welded aluminum, there are no issues with rust or deterioration emanating from the inside out. Examples of permanent outdoor work are located in Denver, Colorado Springs, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, and Long Island, NY. In the form of Morrison s current body of work, there are two fundamental directions: Squared vertical columns, and stacked squares or rectangles. There are also two directions in surface decoration: the rectangle matrix (color blocks) and longitudinal stripes. The developer and Public Art staff reviewed the options over several meetings and concluded that the most appealing combination for this project would be a single tall column of stacked elements with color striping.

5 Arts Commission Agenda Report Approval of Artist and Artwork for Trinity Heights Condominiums November 14, 2016 Page 5 Mr. Morrison developed several concepts for consideration, and the one recommended as most appropriate for this project is included as Attachment 3. Public Art staff and the developer are in agreement that this colorful sculpture will engage and delight pedestrians, motorists, residents and visitors. At its proposed height, the work has a significant presence, yet its relatively small footprint keeps the piece at an appropriate human scale. It also provides an interesting aesthetic and a dynamic counterpoint to the clean straight lines of the architectural design. The proposed sculpture will be 120 inches (10 feet) high by 45 inches wide by 12 inches deep, and painted with a color sequence of three-inch-wide stripes. Please note that some adjustment to dimensions may occur as the developer accommodates the piece within the project/site. The recommended artwork location is the planter area as shown on drawings (Attachment 2) to the right of the main entrance when facing the building from Trinity Avenue. The developer will install a raised concrete base at 18 high that will be several inches larger than the footprint of the sculpture. A neutral palette of flowers or plants around the periphery of the base will soften its edges without competing with the sculpture s coloration. Dedicated lighting on poles amidst the shrubbery around the artwork will be installed, and can be adjusted as needed. The sculpture will be designed with fittings for bolts in the base, and bolts will be counter-sunk into the pad for attachment. The artist will provide a template indicating the bolt attachment points for ease of installation. The sculpture will be fabricated and shipped by the artist in advance, and will arrive ready for installation as soon as the site and sculpture base are prepared. The proposed, as yet untitled sculpture is budgeted at $30,000. This total cost includes the artist s design and labor, materials, fabrication, and shipping, as well as Public Art staff administrative fees. The developer will coordinate and cover the costs of pouring the concrete pedestal and installation of the sculpture. DOCUMENTS ATTACHED: 1. Building rendering 2. Architectural plans 3. Morrison concept drawing COMMISSION ACTION NEEDED: Move to approve the selected site, artist Pard Morrison, and the proposed sculpture by Mr. Morrison as the public art component of Trinity Heights Condominium Homes. ALTERNATIVE ACTION: The Commission could ask the developer and Public Art staff to explore alternative artists and artwork for the site, and/or to propose an alternative site within the project. PREPARED BY: Carrie Lederer, , lederer@walnut-creek.org Steven Huss, x2158, huss@walnut-creek.org

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9 ATTACHMENT 3