Come see the proposals for the new public artwork and give us your feedback!

On view November 20 through December 4, 2009 at Excelsior Branch Library

Address: 4400 Mission Street (at Cotter Street)

Cayuga Playground Entrance

Transportation: Muni bus 14, 44, 49 and 52

Hours: Monday 1 – 9 p.m., Tuesday – Wednesday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.,
Friday 1 – 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday 1- 5 p.m.

The three project finalists — Jefferson Mack, Eric Powell and Bryan Tedrick — were selected by an ad-hoc selection panel to create proposals for public art for the newly-renovated Cayuga Playground. Come see the public art concepts while they are on view at the Excelsior Branch Library and provide us with feedback in the comment book located with the proposal display. Your opinions will be shared with the selection panel before one proposal is chosen for implementation. Please note that the restoration and reinstallation of Demi Bracero’s sculptures are being handled by the Recreation & Parks Department separately from this public art project.

Proposals can also be viewed and downloaded here: Cayuga_ArtistProposals_LR

You may also email comments to Jennifer Lovvorn at jennifer.lovvorn@sfgov.org by December 4 at 5 p.m. Please take a few minutes to send your comments about each of the three artists. Briefly describe your opinions about each artist’s preliminary design approach and its appropriateness for the Cayuga Playground.

Optional Information: The Arts Commission welcomes all comments and is particularly interested in hearing from individuals who live and/or work in the neighborhood where the Artwork will be located or elsewhere in San Francisco. Accordingly, please indicate if you live or work in the neighborhood surrounding Cayuga Playground or if you are a San Francisco resident/worker. Public comments received by December 4th at 5 PM will be summarized and sent to the panel for their review. Please note that the comments do not constitute a vote, but are an opportunity for the public to provide feedback about the proposals to the selection panel. However, they will be shared with the artist selection panel for review prior to the final vote. For more details about the voting process, please refer to the information below.

Art at Cayuga Playground

The designs you see here are the work of three individual artists who were invited to make proposals for a new work of art that will be part of the renovated Cayuga Playground. The artists are competing for the opportunity to create an artwork for this site. Only one of these proposals will be selected.

Over the next two years, the Recreation and Park Department plans to repair and renovate the Cayuga Playground, including building a new clubhouse and making improvements to the children’s play area, fields, courts, pathways, irrigation, lighting, and overall reconditioning of the park landscape. There are plans to integrate many of the hand-carved sculptures that currently adorn the park’s unique landscaped areas into the new landscape plan for the park. The restoration and reinstallation of these sculptures are being handled separately from the Cayuga Playground Public Art Project.

San Francisco’s Art Enrichment Ordinance requires that 2% of the cost of construction be set aside for art. The Arts Commission, through its Public Art Program, has the responsibility for administering the process by which the artwork is selected.

The Public Art Program strives to provide works of art that are special to each location. Public artwork can help to create a sense of identity and uniqueness for community facilities.

Staff from the Public Art Program, the Recreation and Park Department and Bureau of Architecture conducted initial planning to identify the best opportunities for inclusion of artwork at the renovated Cayuga Playground. The Arts Commission endorsed the recommendation to include artwork at the main entry (on Naglee Avenue) and possibly at the secondary park entry on Alemany Boulevard (as the budget allows) with the goal of making these entries more prominent and inviting. Additionally, it was determined that the new public art should be of a palette that is harmonious with the natural setting, and which would be visually compatible with the carved sculptures.

Overview of Artist Selection Process

The Arts Commission convened an ad hoc artist selection panel that includes a community representative, a Recreation and Park Department project team representative, an Arts Commissioner and two arts professionals.

The artist selection panel met on September 14, 2009 to review the qualifications of the fifteen artists in the candidate pool. At that first meeting, the selection panel selected three finalists (Jefferson Mack, Eric Powell and Bryan Tedrick) to prepare artwork proposals for the Cayuga Playground. The three finalists, along with members of the selection panel, the project team and the community, met on October 2nd for a project orientation. Each of the artists spent six weeks developing their proposals, which are on view for public comment from November 20 through December 4 at the Excelsior Branch Library and on the Arts Commission website.

The final selection panel meeting will take place on a date (to be determined) between December 7th and 16th at 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 70. (The meeting date is subject to change.) All artist selection panel meetings are open to the public. Please visit the Arts Commission website for the specific room, date and time of the meeting at: http://www.sfartscommission.org/pubartcollection.

At the selection panel’s final meeting, the panelists will interview each of the three finalists presenting their proposals, deliberate about the proposals, and then decide which artist/proposal to recommend to the Arts Commission for final approval. A summary of the public comment will be sent to the panelists prior to the final selection meeting and the selection panel will discuss the public comments as part of the deliberations at the final selection panel meeting. In addition to your comments, the selection panel will consider factors such as artistic merit, originality, appropriateness to the site and practical factors such as maintenance, feasibility and budget. The Panel’s recommendation must be approved by the Arts Commission’s Visual Arts Committee and the full Arts Commission before the selected artist can begin work.

After the Arts Commission approves one of the proposals, the artist will enter into contract with the Arts Commission to complete final design, fabricate, transport and install the artwork. The artist will work closely with the City staff, including architects and engineers, to ensure that the artwork is installed according to all City codes and requirements. Adjustments to the design may be made during final design to reflect community and City concerns. If necessary, additional community input will be sought prior to Arts Commission approval of final design.