CO01: San Francisco Arts Commission Gift Policy
I. INTRODUCTION (Charter Authority)
Every year many gifts of art are offered to the City and County of San Francisco. The San Francisco Charter empowers the Arts Commission with the role of approving gifts which are considered to be works of art.
Charter section: 5.100. Executive Branch – Arts and Culture
“The arts and culture departments of the City and County shall be the Arts Commission, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. These departments shall be a part of the executive branch of City and County government.
The governing boards of the arts and culture departments may accept and shall comply with the terms and conditions of loans, gifts, devises, bequests or agreements donating works of art or other assets to their department without action of the Board of Supervisors so long as acceptance of the same entails no expense for the City and County beyond ordinary care and maintenance.”
Charter section: 5.103.2 Arts Commission
“Approve the design and location of all works of art before they are acquired, transferred or sold by the City and County, or are placed upon or removed from City and County property, or are altered in any way; maintain and keep an inventory of works of art owned by the City and County; and maintain the works of art owned by the City and County.”
The San Francisco Arts Commission is committed to maintaining the highest possible standards in the quality of work for the Civic Art Collection.
II. DEFINITIONS
Accessioning: the formal process used to accept and record an item as a collection object
Civic Art Collection: objects which have been accessioned and are considered to be part of the publicly owned art of the City and County of San Francisco
Civic Design Committee: the subcommittee of the Arts Commission which reviews and approves all construction, remodeling, or renovation of City-owned architecture, streets, signs, bridges, and landscape design and whose approval process is accomplished in three phases during monthly public meetings of the committee
Collection Object: an item which has been or is in the process of being accessioned into the Collection Visual Arts Committee: the sub-committee of the Arts Commission which reviews and approves all programs, activities, acquisitions, proposals and projects related to the visual arts within the jurisdictional purview of the Arts Commission during monthly public meetings
Deaccessioning: the formal process used to permanently remove an object from the Collection
Public Art Program: program which is governed by Administrative Code Sec. 3.19 which provides a flat 2% of the gross estimated construction costs
San Francisco Arts Commission: charter-mandated department governed by 15 members appointed by the mayor and one ex-officio member which governs the cultural affairs of the City and County of San Francisco (see charter for full description)
Visual Arts Committee: the subcommittee of the Arts Commission which reviews items pertaining to the Public Art Program, the Civic Art Collection program and the San Francisco Art Commission Gallery Program
Works of Art: include, but are not limited to, paintings, mural decorations, stained glass, statues, bas relief or other sculptures; monuments, fountains, arches or other structures of a permanent or temporary character intended for ornament or commemoration; monuments including structures, sculpture, plaque inscription, or other objects such as a stone markers erected to perpetuate the memory of a person or event. Plaques include simple plates, disks, or slab or metal or other material affixed to a statue, ground, wall stone or other material with an inscription or ornamentation. Plaques may be installed as part of a larger, more intrusive setting.
III. PROCEDURES
- Gift Proposals
A written proposal or letter of intent is to be submitted to the Director of Cultural Affairs. The proposal is to include information on the artist, specifications on the proposed gift (size, color, proposed location, etc.) and a donor profile. - Consultation with Staff
Project sponsors will be asked to consult with staff prior to preparing a formal proposal to the appropriate committee of the Arts Commission. All works of art will be referred to the Visual Arts Committee. Plaques will be referred to the Civic Design Committee. Text for plaques or for bases of monuments will be reviewed by the Executive Committee. - Formal Proposals
Formal proposals will be made to the appropriate committee. When ever possible the actual work of art will be presented for approval. Proposals for large or monumental works should include:- a maquette of the three-dimensional work or a complete drawing of the two-dimensional work and photographs that demonstrate the relationship of the artwork to the architecture and/or site.
- site plan that locates the artwork and a photograph board of the site and its surrounding environment.
- material samples for the artwork and any relevant construction materials.
- installation details
D. Recreation and Park Department
Conceptual approval for placement of the work on Recreation and Park Property must accompany the proposal. Gifts approved by the Recreation and Park Department will be governed by their Gift Policy.
E. Committee Review
The appropriate committee of the Arts Commission will review the formal proposal. Unless more information is required or a site visit, the committee will discuss the proposal and move to accept or reject the proposal. Proposals for public monuments require careful consideration and may require several meetings before a final decision is made. Gift offers will be judged by the criteria listed in this gift policy. Committee recommendations for acceptance then go before the full Arts Commission.
F. Review Process
Works of art which are accepted from maquettes or drawings will be subject to a review process during the fabrication and installation of the piece. Specific plans for site design, installation, maintenance and protection will be submitted for approvals. The artwork may not deviate in any way from the proposal approved by the Visual Arts Committee or Civic Design unless such change is approved by said committee.
G. Arts Commission Acceptance/Accession
The full commission meeting in which a resolution is passed stating final acceptance constitutes the date of accession.
H. Board of Supervisors
Approval of acceptance of gifts by the Commission must be confirmed by the Board of Supervisors if acceptance of the gift entails expense for the City and County beyond ordinary care and maintenance. Staff of the Arts Commission is responsible for preparation and submission of the resolution to the Board. (Administrative Code Sec. 10.116)
I. Removal or Relocation
Working with the appropriate agency i.e. Recreation and Park Department or Department of Public Works, works may be relocated or removed if a gift becomes a hazard or liability or if the approved terms of acceptance are not fulfilled.
J. Deaccessioning a work of art
The Arts Commission shall deaccession and dispose of works of art in its collection only in the public interest and as a means of improving the quality of the collection as outlined in Administrative Code, Section 10.117-1.
IV. CRITERIA FOR ACCEPTANCE
A. Appropriateness – A determination of appropriateness will be based on the following considerations:
- Gift acceptance and placement should be in accordance with adopted policy and current or historic use or master plans and should be in keeping with general Arts Commission goals. The location and design of the gift should be consistent with the character and design intentions with the proposed site. The quality, scale, and character of the gift should be at a level commensurate with the particular setting.
- Quality The consideration of highest priority is the inherent quality of the work itself.
- Style & Nature Works of art which are compatible in scale, material, form, and content with their surroundings. Particular attention shall be given to the social context of the work and the manner in which it may interact with people.
- Media All forms of visual art may be considered. Works may be either portable or permanently attached.
- Permanence Due consideration shall be given to the structural and surface soundness, and to inherent resistance to theft, vandalism, weathering, and excessive maintenance or repair costs.
- Public Liability Each work shall be examined for unsafe conditions or factors that may bear upon public liability.
- Duplication It shall be the policy of this Commission to accept unique, one of a kind works of art with the noted exception of prints, photographs or a desirable
high quality limited edition work of art by a renown artist. - Memorial Gifts will also be judged on the following items to determine appropriateness
- Significance: If a person or event is being memorialized they/it must be deemed significant enough to merit such an honor. The person so honored shall have been deceased for a minimum of five years. Events shall have taken place at least five years prior to consideration of a proposed memorial gift.
- The memorial represents broad community values.
- The memorial has timeless qualities and makes a statement of significance to future generations.
- The location under consideration is an appropriate setting for the memorial; in general, there should be some specific geographic justification for the memorial being located in a specific site.
B. Placement/Site – The gift should significantly contribute to the setting, from a functional or design standpoint, and significantly enhance the chosen location in a way meaningful to the public. The following factors will be considered:
- Visibility
- Traffic patterns (both interior and exterior)
- Public Safety
- Relationship to existing planned architectural and natural features
- Park or area users
- Future development plans for the area (if known)
- Landscape design
- Existing artwork within the proposed site vicinity
- Environmental concerns (impact)
- Public accessibility to the work
- Social Context (intended use of the work if any)
- Significance to the proposed site
C. Funding – includes costs for fabrication, installation, insurance and maintenance. These costs must be underwritten by the project sponsor. A mandatory maintenance endowment shall be negotiated with the donor on a project to project basis. Size, material, location and potential for vandalism will be considered in determining the maintenance endowment. Donor/sponsor will also be responsible for design and cost of pedestal, identification plaque, base, structural support and landscaping of site.
D. Engineering Requirements – Utility connections, site modifications, structural reinforcements or other engineering requirements or site modifications should be described in the gift proposal and developed in the construction plans and specifications. The donor/sponsor is responsible for submission of engineering plans, as required, which are to be prepared and stamped by a licensed California Engineer.
E. Maintenance – Any display or placement of artwork, whether temporary or permanent, must be covered by insurance, a bond or endowment fund adequate to ensure its care so that the gift will remain in a condition satisfactory to the donor and the Commission. The posted insurance or bond must also cover costs of installation and/or removal. Maintenance includes not only care of the gift itself, but of the park land immediately surrounding the gift if the piece is placed in a park.
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