Ann Arbor's public art administrator gets 2-month contract extension
Ann Arbor's part-time public art administrator is getting a two-month extension of his contract while city officials figure out the next steps for the public art program.
The Ann Arbor City Council unanimously voted Monday night to pull $5,410 from the public art fund's cash reserves to continue Aaron Seagraves' services through July 31. He has been under contract with the city as the public art administrator since April 2011.
The council voted separately to eliminate $326,464 in spending on public art for the 2013-14 fiscal year that starts July 1, what's seen as an end to the city's Percent for Art Program.
Aaron Seagraves
Instead of automatically setting aside 1 percent of capital project budgets for public art, the new ordinance language states: "Funding for public art may come from private donations of cash or collateral (specific objects of art), crowdfunding for specific art projects, as part of a capital improvement project specifically designated as an enhanced project, or other funds that City Council may appropriate."
That gives the city a few different funding options, and some discretion over whether certain city projects might benefit from having public art "baked in" from the start.
The City Council took action in early December to temporarily suspend use of public art funds until April 1 with a few exceptions. That was later extended through May 31.
Craig Hupy, the city's public services administrator, said the two-month extension of the contract with Seagraves, who acts as a part-time consultant, carries the art program through July 31.
Hupy reported that Ann Arbor's public art program is in the process of completing several new public artworks in 2013 and into the first half of 2014.
Installation of a new artwork in the Justice Center lobby is scheduled to take place during Memorial Day weekend, and four artists from across the country also are competing for a potentially $360,000 contract from the city to create a new public art installation at the site of the Stadium bridges.
The four finalists will be presenting their proposals for the Stadium bridges art project at 2 p.m. June 7 at a meeting taking place inside city hall.
Public art projects associated with a new rain garden at Kingsley and First streets and at the Argo Cascades also are underway, Hupy reported.
This $150,000 public art project to be installed in the lobby of the Ann Arbor Justice Center, titled "Radius," was designed by Portland artist Ed Carpenter.
Courtesy image
As the chief contact person for the Public Art Commission, Seagraves directly reports to Hupy. He is contracted to work an average of 20 hours per week.
Hupy said Seagraves' services include providing overall leadership, general management and assistance in daily operations of the public art program, planning and development, public relations, and the coordination of projects with city staff, stakeholders and artists.
The city, which has discussed making the art administrator's job a full-time position to improve the quality of the program, first contracted with Seagraves from April 2011 to May 2012.
In June 2012, the city entered into a professional services agreement with Seagraves for the period from June 11, 2012, through May 31, 2013, in an amount not to exceed $24,000. An earlier amendment increased the total compensation to an amount not to exceed $24,990.
Approval of the two-month extension to Seagraves' contract Monday night brings the total compensation amount up to $30,400 from June 2012 through July 2013.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.
Comments
15crown00
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 5:05 a.m.
it's wasted money.get rid of him.
DJBudSonic
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 2:54 a.m.
The city should take a lesson form the University when considering a purchase of public art. The UM buys art as an investment, and rotates it through its many buildings, it has a curator for its public art, and it understands that the art is but one part of its investment assets. The only reason to purchase one-off art like the soon to be installed light fixture in the lobby is that it is a good investment. There is at this very moment a Dale Chilhuly piece for sale that would be a much better investment for the city, but it is way too late for that. Just a suggestion. http://fineart.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=5138&lotIdNo=91001&ctrack=1709828&type=collectord-img2-jewel-news-tem052013
BigMike
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 11:41 p.m.
Finally, the ridiculous public funding for art during times when our roads are a mess and public safety is underfunded is coming to an end. Was this a rare moment of lucidity from our City Council ... a body that spends taxpayer funded time on forming an official opinion on Arizona laws and taxpayer money on art created by artists from other regions? Or did the public pressure get too intense?
RUKiddingMe
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 11:02 p.m.
Are the planning on getting RID of the Public Art Commissions positions they ADDED? And are the additional people they INTEND TO ADD going to be paid or volunteer positions? Please tell us. All I saw is that they hope to add more members, and they hope they will be students. I'm hoping they mean A2 students, NOT U of M students.
RUKiddingMe
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 11 p.m.
So does this "baked in" art cost mean they can now hide art money spent by just putting it as part of the budget for capital projects? Like "$57,000,000 for new parking structure and art?" This language seems to me to leave too much room for them to continue (yes, continue) pouring money into bad decisions, more staff, and worse art.
talker
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 10 p.m.
Most of Ann Arbor's population doesn't see the two expensive downtown art installations, though one is visible from the street if you happen to stop be the third or fourth car in line when stopping at the 5th Ave. stoplight when westbound on Huron. After all the complaints against expensive art installations, there are plans to choose another expensive installation. I hope the expensive installation planned for the Stadium Bridge doesn't take drivers' eyes off the road. Is it too late to avert spending all that money on more "art" in order to do a few other things for public safety (police and fire) and true public art by supplying art supplies and opportunities for ordinary citizens (including children) to be creative?
motorcycleminer
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 9:15 p.m.
Nice $$ for a part time gig....$ 30+ an hour..I'll take it anyday
Bill
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 7:43 p.m.
I'm grateful to see the waste called "% for Public Art" discontinued but still find it difficult to believe that Ann Arbor, a city with a wealth of local talent, would have allowed so much money be spend on non-local art. The city has seen improvement with the recent new council members and certainly at the next election there will be even more new members as the old guard continues to be replaced.
Nicholas Urfe
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 10:21 p.m.
Local artists do not need affirmative action. If they want to submit proposals for consideration they are welcome to do so. They will be judged on the merits of their proposal and not where they live. As a profesional, I would pale at the thought that I was favored due to my location rather than my work product.
TheDiagSquirrel
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 7:41 p.m.
Why does this position exist, when there are plenty of artists who would volunteer for free to do it? This guy is nothing but a figurehead anyway, who will rubber stamp any pet project the City Council wants...
Linda Peck
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 6:53 p.m.
And yet today, the City of Ann Arbor published a survey we can fill out saying how we feel about the proposed rain garden on Kingsley, complete with . . . you guessed it! Public Art! I guess we don't speak clearly or loudly enough, those of us in the majority here who wants this to end.
lynel
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 10:07 p.m.
The survey is ridiculous !! Check it out.
baker437
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 6:49 p.m.
"The council voted separately to eliminate $326,464 in spending on public art for the 2013-14 fiscal year that starts July 1, what's seen as an end to the city's Percent for Art Program." About time!
JRW
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 5:53 p.m.
The city does not need this position at all, in spite of the modest salary. The % for Art is dead. That's the good news. If the city wants to continue with public art projects that are privately funded, then the coordinator for those projects also should be paid with private funds. Get a fundraiser to start raising money for public art through private donations and take his or her salary out of the donations. NONE of this should come out of public funds.
nvragain
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 5:43 p.m.
In the real world, obviously not the fantasy world that the Ann Arbor City Council operates in, when there is no work to be done, you get laid off. Instead, they have decided that $4k is a reasonable price to pay for nothing. I can only compare this to paying someone to mow my lawn year round when I know it will not be growing for 5 of those months, with my neighbors money of course.
Nicholas Urfe
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 5:28 p.m.
The council has abused the public trust by squandering the percent for art program on decorations for the Taj Mahal city hall building - a building which taxpayers rejected and which they built anyway. After the "urinal" sculpture failure, they pressed ahead with a sculpture located in a secure area. An area not open to the public, in direct violation of the percent for art program charter. They've "art for the people" into "art for city hall". Shame.
Veracity
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 5 p.m.
I am delighted that City Council decided not to use tax payer funds to support the Ann Arbor Art Commission (AAAC) and its effort to create its own personal art collection. The appointed AAAC members have acted independently and have been autocratic with the only accountability being to the mayor who I understand has the power to reject planned art projects. Costly projects such as the $700,000 Dreiseitl monstrosity and a colorful $150,000 lampshade which will "dress up" the Municipal Building are evidence that the AAAC has gone amok, not seeking citizen input nor supporting local artists or even artists from elsewhere in the state (Herbert Dreiseitl took his $70,000 fee back to his German homeland while the ceiling light fixture to be displayed in the Municipal Building lobby is being created by a Portland, Oregon resident.) I am not the only Ann Arbor resident who recognizes that the city has a wealth of outdoor art now and who does not recognize a need to continually add art fixtures. Furthermore, the AAAC has chosen poor sites for placement of art objects. Considering the slow recovery from the recent recession and its negative impact on our city budget, tax payer dollars will be better used supporting needed basic services and infrastructure maintenance than to pay for metal trees to be put in a park in the name of public art.
arborani
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 3:27 p.m.
@ Bertha: me too!
Bertha Venation
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 6:22 p.m.
@Veracity, If I could vote you up ten thousand times..... I would. Believe me!
Stewart G. Griffin
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 4:56 p.m.
Why do today what you can put-off until tomorrow.