SR-513-004 (3)
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Monica, California
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Council Meeting:
September 26, 1989
Santa
STAFF REPORT
TO:
Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM:
City Staff
SUBJECT:
RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE CITY MANAGER TO
NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE A CONTRACT FOR ARTIST DESIGNED
HARDSCAPE AND LANDSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE PICO
SEAGATE AREA
INTRODUCTION
This report requests that the city Council authorize the City
Manager to negotiate and execute a contract with the Spurlock
architectual
office
to
create
hardscape
and
landscape
improvements designed by Newton and Helen Harrison for the IIpico
SeagateU area. The project provides a new public access to the
beach via a garden on Pico Boulevard between Appian Way and the
Promenade (see attached sketch); a 40 foot concrete covering and
mural for part of the Pico Kenter outfa1l~ a new surface for the
pedestrian promenade between pico Boulevard and vincente Terrace
featuring text embedded in the pavement; and artist-designed
landscaping between vincente Terrace and Appian Way.
BACKGROUND
On August 23, 1988, the city of Santa Monica entered into a
Development Agreement with Sam stein for construction of a hotel
at a site directly north of Pico Boulevard and east of the
Promenade and Appian Way.
As a condition of this agreement,
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substantial funding was given to the City by the developer for
the purpose of selecting, purchasing and installing public art
work adjacent to the project and to develop artist-designed
pUblic beach improvements to be placed directly west of the hotel
project site.
DISCUSSION
The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the pico Seagate Art Project
was developed in close consultation with the hotel developer and
his architects. Artists were informed their proposals would be
judged on the basis of qual i ty , crea t i vi ty , appropr ia teness to
the site, technical and financial feasibility, maintenance
considerations as well as the artists' previous experience in
pUblic art.
The Request for Proposal was mailed along with a special letter
of invitation to sixty-five noted environmental artists around
the world. Subsequently, an open competition was announced by
printed notice and mailed to a list of more than 1,000 artists.
The Pico seagate Art competition was covered by several Los
Angeles radio stations and newspapers as a means of enhancing
outreach to the artist community.
The selection process utilized the services of a jury of art
experts consisting of Maria De Herrera, Director of the Arts
Commission of the City and County of Santa Barbara; Mary Jane
Jacob I Cura tor I Museum of Contemporary Art I Los Angeles; and
Adolfo Nodal, General Manager of the BureaU of Cultural Affairs,
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City of Los Angeles which was appointed by a Selection Committee
consisting of the developer and representatives from the Arts
Commission and Arts Foundation. The Selection Committee and
Expert Jury were advised by the Arts Administrator, city Engineer
and the Director of Community and Economic Development.
One hundred and ninety-four artists requested the RFP and
twenty-four submitted proposals. At a meeting held on February
3, 1989, the Jury reviewed the entries and selected four
finalists: James Turrell, Red Grooms, George Herms, and Helen
and Newton Harrison (in association with the Spurlock
architectural office). All finalists were offered an honorarium
to develop enhanced presentations and/or models to be displayed
during the public input sequence of the Selection Process.
The pico Seagate Exhibition opened on March 30, 1989 in the
rotunda of City Hall. The Expert Jury returned to Santa Monica
to view the exhibition on April 7, 1989, and recommended that the
team of Helen and Newton Harrison/Spurlock be awarded the
commission for the following reasons: 1) the ecological theme of
the proposal was highly appropriate and tied in best with the
city-at-large and the specified project site; 2) the plan was
well worked out from a design and construction stand point; 3)
Helen and Newton Harrison are maj or artists of international
importance who live in California but have no significant art
works sited in their home state; 4) their proposal was seen as
easily accessible to the general public yet dramatic in concept
i. e., what one Juror called tlpoetic yet practical"; 5) the
proposal was viewed as the most tlpublic spirited" to the extent
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that it blended with rather than dominated its neighborhood and~
6) their partnership with the Spurlock architectural office
would help insure that the plan would be implemented in a timely
and fiscally responsible manner. The Expert Jury's
recommendation of Helen and Newton Harrison was kept secret while
the public input exhibition and opinion survey remained open.
The public input exhibition concluded on April 19, 1989. The
public endorsed the Expert Jury's recommendation in the following
manner: First place votes: Helen and Newton Harrison/Spurlock,
91 votes~ James Turrell, 61 votes~ Red Grooms, 46 votes; and
George Herms, 33 votes. The pico Seagate Selection Committee
comprised of Mark Sol it, Roger Genser, Michael McCarty, Peter
Norton and Bruria Finkel met on May 9, 1989, and, in recognition
of the fact that the experts and public agreed, resolved to
recommend Helen and Newton Harrison to the Arts commission. At
its meeting of May 15, 1989, the Arts commission unanimously
endorsed the Selection Committee's recommendation. The
Recreation and Parks Commission on its meeting on September 21,
1989 unanimously endorsed this project.
staff will submit a California Coastal commission Permit
Application for this proj ect in october, 1989. The contract
signing will be contingent upon Coastal Commission approval as
well as a final determination by the city Attorney that the text
to be embedded in the pavement is neither libelous or obscene.
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BUDGET AND FISCAL IMPACT
Appropriation authority at account number 01-740-560-27688-
8925-99081 needs to be increased by $685,000. This appropriation
increase will be financed by $685,000 in developer fees. The
revenue budget at 01-130-224-00000-0417-1000 needs to be
increased by $685,000 to reflect the receipt of these developer
fees.
RECOMMENDATION
staff recommends that the City council authorize the City Manager
to negotiate and execute a contract with the Spurlock Office to
implement the project designed by Helen and Newton Harrison and
approve the expenditure and revenue budget adjustment indicated
above. The proposal by Helen and Newton Harrison is available
for review in the Council office.
Prepared by: Barbara Franklin-Moran
Director, Cultural and Recreation Services
Henry Korn
Arts Administrator
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