SR-305-005-01
GS:SES:RF:ZH
ARTS:DL .~
CounC1l Meetlng: ~mber 8, 1983
San t a en 1 c a, C a 1 if 0 r n 1 a
3t' 5 ~oos- 0/ /1- A
TO:
Mayor and City Counc1l
N~V 8 1983
FROM: C1ty Staff
SUBJECT: Recommendations for the Streetscape of W1lsh1re
Boulevard and a Resolution Authorlz1ng the
City Manager to Subm1t a Grant Appl1cat10n under
the Art 1 n Publ1 c Pl aces Program of the Nat1 ona 1
Endowment for the Arts for the Cent1nela Gateway
ProJ ect
INTRODUCTION
ThlS report requests that the C1ty Counc1l (A) approve General
Services Department concept of enhanced streetscape design as
outl1ned below and (B) authorize the C1ty Manager to subm1t a
grant to the Art in Publ1C Places Program of the National
Endowment for the Arts to asslst in the fundlng of the Centlnela
Gateway ProJect of the Arts Comm1ss10n.
BACKGROUND
On June 10, 1983, the General Services/Art 1n PubllC Places
Subcomm1ttee of the Arts Comm1ssion held a one-day W1lsh1re
Boulevard Design Workshop to obta1n publ1C and professional input
regard1ng lmprovements on W11sh1re Boulevard. Over f1fty des1gn
and arts profess10nals and concerned citlzens met 1n an off1ce
space
donated
by
W1seman Shenassa, a Wllshlre Boulevard
businessman, to determ1ne an overall deslgn and aesthetic program
for the rehabll1tat10n of Wllshire, and to make speclfic
recommendat10ns for the expend1ture of monies. The subcommlttee
/I-A
NO" 8 iflilJ
e
e
was extremely grat1f1ed by the success of the workshop, the large
turnout, the enthusiasm of the partlc1pants and the level of
thelr expert1se, the quallty of the 1deas generated, and the
large number of people wish1ng to be further lnvolved 1n the
project.
The goals and Object1ves presented for the group to work with
1ncluded the followlng:
1. To ldent1fy and provlde art1stlc opportunlties for art1sts
and their work as the beg1nnlng of an Art 1n PubllC Places
program for the Clty of Santa Monlca.
2. To lmprove and enrich Wilshlre Boulevard 1n conjunction w1th
the goals and Object1ves of the proposed Land Use Element for
the Clty'S General Plan, and 1n accordance w1th other C1ty
ord1nances.
3. To develop llvable and pedestrlan-orlented pub11C spaces.
4. To lnsure that the needs of the community, property owners,
merchants. and day-to-day users of Wl1shire are accommodated
1n the des1gn recommendat1ons.
5. To become a model for other areas of the Clty Wh1Ch will be
undergoing reV1ew and renovation.
City Staff 1nd1cated 1tS support of the deslgn project by send1ng
Department Heads and representat1ves to speak with part1cipants,
alert1ng them to var10US departmental prior1t1es, concerns, and
gU1del1nes. Those present expressed the1r appreclatlon of the
1nformat1on glven and felt that the presence of these staff
2
e
e
members rooted the project in reality. making the day all the
more productive.
The organizing committee structured the agenda so that 1n the
mornlng partlcipants consldered the overall design scheme Dr
program for the street. In the afternoon, they addressed
spec1fic elements to fit in w1th the broad concepts art1culated
dur1ng the morn1ng.
A) Wllshlre Streetscape Design ProJect
It was recommended that General Services select a des1gn team to
create an overall deslgn scheme for the Wilshire Boulevard
streetscape. The team wlll 1dent1fy and recommend areas of the
Boulevard for first construct1on of the streetscape improvements
and also w1ll recommend phased fundlng requlrements to accompl1sh
these lmprovements and identlfy sources of funds for the proJect.
The scope of serVlces to be requested from the deslgn team wlll
i nc 1 ude :
I. Produce an overall schematlc slte plan for Wllshire
Boulevard including:
a) lllustratlVe slte plan
b) street level perspectlve of prototype areas
c) ldentlfy and site the followlng for speclf1c areas:
1. pavement treatment/pedestrlan crosswalks
2. specially deslgned street furnlture and placement
thereof lnclud1ng bus benches. shelters, waste
receptacles. newsracks. bollards, etc.
3
e
e
3. landscape treatment
4. graphics and signage within the purview of the
public sector
5. lighting - street and decorat,ve
6. color scheme
7. placement and design of specific artworks/murals
events. etc. and amenities.
d) general design prlnc1ples/guldellnes for Boulevard 1n
wrltten form
In the 1983-84 f1scal year, $250,000 was appropr,ated from Gas
Tax funds for W1lsh1re Boulevard beautlflcat10n as ProJect No.
421-907 ln the CIP Budget. ThiS project 1S programmed 1n the
1983-86 Transportatlon Improvement Program (TIP). Upon field
review and flnal approval by the Federal Hlghway Admln1stratlon,
the Clty wlll be ellglble to rece1ve $215,525 (86.21%) from FAU
money. Fleld reVlew 1S scheduled for the week of October 17.
Flnal approval for FAU funding lS expected 4 to 6 weeks after
reVlew. Once the project is approved, design and engineer1ng can
begin. Federal Highway Administration will not reimburse for
work completed prlor to project approval.
B) Centlnela Gateway ProJect
Workshop part,cipants recommended to the Arts Commission the need
for a signlflcant marker announclng one's entrance lnto Santa
Mon1ca from Los Angeles to the east. The slte chosen for thlS
publiC artwork proJect was Wllshlre Boulevard, extendlng from the
Los Angeles/Santa Monlca border at Centinela, two blocks west, to
4
.
e
Berkeley. The site was def1ned as be1ng the ent1re two-block
strip, In order to gIve the artIst more fleXlb11ity In respondIng
to the site, and to take maX1mum advantage of the view along
W1lshire all the way west to the Pac1flc Ocean. Th1S two-block
area 15 referred to as "The Centlnela Gateway."
The sIte IS physlcally a problematIc one, 1n that It IS a busy
commerc1al str1p, w1th narrow sidewalks and m1xed-use
development. w1th w1ldly divergent architectural styles and
signage. The heavy traff1c 1S an advantage, however, 1n that the
proJect w1ll be h1ghly vis1ble. It presents a cnallenge Wh1Ch
wlll ca1l for an innovatlve S01utlon, and hopefu11y, w1ll provide
a model for the 1mprovement of other commerc1a1 str1ps 1n the
C1ty. Based on these general recommendatlons result1ng from the
Wilshire Boulevard Deslgn WorkshOp. the Arts CommiSSIon approved
of the Cent1nela Gateway ProJect at Its meet1ng on August 15,
1983. Subsequent to th,S act10n, C1ty Counc1l gave ltS approval
to the overall concept of the Centinela Gateway at Its meeting on
October 24, 1983. The spec1f1c prov1s10ns of the proJect are
proposed as follows:
~urpo~e
The purpose of the Cent1ne1a Gateway 1S to announce one's
arrival into Santa Monica from Los Angeles along the maJor
commerc1al corr,dor of Wllsh1re Boulevard. In the massive
urban sprawl that is greater Los Angeles, once-dist1nct
nelghborhoods and cit1es have merged ,nto anonymity. The
5
e
e
Gateway should commemorate Santa Mon1ca's spec1al character
and celebrate the traveler's approach to the ocean.
Site Descript10n
The slte cons1sts of the two-block stretch of Wl1shlre
Boulevard between Centlnela and Berkeley Streets. The term
"Gateway" mayor may not be lnterpreted llterally to slgnlfy
an arch1tectural gatelike structure. All elements of the
streetscape may be consldered 1n the proposal: landscaplng,
street furniture, lightlng, slgnage (excluding pr1vate
commerclal slgnage), and sldewalk or street paving.
Perm1ssIon to utllize wails of prIvatelY owned bU1ldlngs or
other prIvate property must be obtained from the owner prIor
to the applicatlon.
Appl1catlon Procedure
An "Open/Invitatlonal" competlt1on will be conducted to
select an artIst/desIgner(s) to des1gn the Cent1nela
Gateway. The term "Open/Invltat1on" lnd1cates that the
competlt1on would be opell to anyone who responds to the ca 11
for entr1 es (Wh1Ch would be wldelY pUblICIzed), and that the
membe rs of the select10n pa ne I wi II a 1 so be able to
speclf1cally inv1te artIsts to apply. This process has been
found to be most succesful 1 n aSSLlrlng that the most
prom1slng artIsts are consIdered. and 15 recommended by the
Nat10nal Endowment for the Arts.
6
e
e
Because of the physlcal challenges of the slte.
artists/des1gners will be required to subm1t a prellminary
proposal as well as slldes of past work. The proposal would
cons1st of a prellminary draw1ng, budget, and descrlptlon of
the artlst's lntent. Art1sts would be encouraged to seek
lnnovatlve solutions to the problems assoclated w1th the
slte.
Selection Procedure
A three-step selectlon procedure would be used to select the
artlst(s) and/or des1gner(s) for the proJect. This
procedure would be as follows:
Step 1: A thlrteen-member Advlsory Committee, wlth 1tS
membershlp being drawn from area resldents,
property owners. and representatlves of the arts
community, would meet to recommend gUldelines and
general conslderation far the selectlan of the
art1st(s)/designer(s).
Step 2: The Selection commlttee would meet to reV1ew the
proposals and select the wlnner(s), uSlng the
guidellnes recommended by the Advlsory Comm1ttee.
Th1S panel would lnclude Jerry Pomerantz,
Archltectural Deslgner, Member of Mld-Clty
Neighbors; Beverly J. Moore. V1ce-Presldent of
Flrst Women's Bank, Vlce-Presldent of the Santa
Monlca Chamber of Commerce, and Richard Koshalek,
7
.
e
D1rector, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los
Angeles.
Step 3: The decis10n of the Select10n Comm1ttee is ratif1ed
by the Arts Comm1ssion.
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
A} Wilshire Streetscape Design ProJect
Des1gn and f1fSt phase construction w1ll be funded from
Capital Improvement Project No. 421-907 1n the amount of
$250,000 pend1ng Federal Highway Adm1n1strat1on
approval. Appropr1at1on authorltyappears 1n Account
No. 43-500-421-000-907 and revenue has been budgeted 1n
Account No. 43-905-076-000-000.
Further construct1on fundTng would
annual capital budget approprlations
grants as they may become available.
be required from
and from speclf1c
B} Centlnela ~ateway Project
The Cent1nela Gateway w1ll be funded by a comblnat1on of
public and pr1vate sources, as follows:
PubllC: $50,000
Nat10nal Endowment for the Arts grant
PrTvate: $50,000
Santa Monica Arts Foundatlon fund ra1s1ng
Mart1n Cad1llac Development Agreement
TOTAL $100,000
8
e
e
Upon approval of the grant and/or recelpt of the prlvate
funds, approprlate recommendatlons wlll be submitted to
the Clty Councl1 to reVlse FY 1983-84 approprlatlons and
revenue estlmates.
Admlnlstratlon
A) ~~lshire Streetscape Deslgn Project
This project
lJepartment
procedures
requirements.
wlll be
regular
and w111
handled under
staffl ng and
comply with
General Servlces
admlnistratlve
FAUITI P grant
B) Centlnela Gateway Project
Processlng of appllcatlons and support for the Advlsory
and Selection committees would be accompllshed by Arts
Commisslon staff, wlth the asslstance of the General
Servlces representatlve and the Arts CommlSSloner who
will be facllitating the process.
RECOMMENDATION
Clty staff recommends that City Councl1:
1. Approve the concept of enhanced Wllshlre Boulevard
streetscape deslgn, the proposed scope of serVlces for a design
team and use of budgeted funds In the amount of $250,000 for
overall deslgn fees and 11mlt phase construction.
9
e
e
2. Authorize the C1ty Manager to apply to the Art 1n Publ1C
Places Program of the Nat10nal Endowment for the Arts to support
the
Cent1nela
Gateway
PrOject
by adoptlng the attached
resolutlon.
Prepared by: Stan Scholl, Dlrector of General Servlces
Rusty Fllnton, Consultant
David Lutz, Director, Arts Commlss1on
10
CIty CounCIl MeetIng: ~ember 8, 1983
S~ MonIca, Californ~a
RESOLUTION NO.
(CIty CouncIl Ser~es)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA
MONICA AUTHORIZING THE FILING OF AN APPLICATION WITH
THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS FOR THE CENTINELA
GATEWAY PROJECT UNDER THE ART IN PUBLIC PLACES PROGRAM
WHEREAS, the National Endowment for the Arts is authorIzed
to make grants for maJor CIvic public art proJects In Its Art In
Publ~c Places Program; and
WHEREAS, the Centlnela Gateway ProJect qual~fles for such
a grant award; and
WHEREAS, the contract for flnanc~al aSSIstance WIll Impose
certa~n obllgatlons upon the Appllcant, lncludlng the provlslon
by It of the local share of proJect costs;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA
MONICA DOES RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Clty Manager is authorIzed to execute and
f~le an appllcat~on on behalf of the C~ty of Santa MonIca WIth
the NatIonal Endowment for the Arts to aId In the fInanCIng of
the Centlnela Gateway ProJect pursuant to the Art In publIC Places
Program.
SECTION 2. The CIty Manager 1S authorIzed to execute
and flel WIth the appl~catlon an assurance or any other documents
requ~red by the Natlonal Endowment for the Arts.
SECTION 3. The CIty Manager IS authorIzed to furnlsh
such add1tlonal 1nforrnatlon as the Nat~onal Endowment for the Arts
may reqUIre In connectIon WIth the appllcatlon for the Centlnela
Gateway ProJect.
e e
SECTION 4. The City Manager IS authorlzed to execute
grant agreements on behalf of the CIty of Santa MonIca wlth
the NatIonal Endowment for the Arts for aId In the fInancing
of the Centlnela Gateway ProJect.
SECTION 5. The CIty Clerk shall certlfy to the adoptlon
of thIS Resolutlon, and thenceforth and thereafter the same shall
he In full force and effect.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
r-....'l.'-"1.r<--v-l c.--
~
ROBERT M. MYERS
City Attorney
National
Endowment
for the Arts
\'I!)
Application
Guidelines
Fiscal Year
1984
\ .. I ,"
. "
J "
e
e
"
<(19
co-;
::::JE>>
(fJ0
>.8
, ~
!
"
.q
CO
~
10
Art In Public Places
.'
Whom We Fund
What We Fund
What We Do Not Fund
"
, I
Review Cnterla
t .
It
Grants In thiS category are designed to make the best contemporary art acceSSible
In public places other than rT)I,lseums, and to provide new challenges and oppor-
tumtles for liVing Amencan artists of exceptional talent and achievement
In recent years. grants have supported innovative projects for spaces previously
unexplored as sites for artworks. both Interior and exterior, and have encouraged
an increasing number of younger artists. craftspersons. and photographers Appli-
cants are encouraged to conSider Imaginative approaches to pOSSible sites rivers.
waterfronts, parks. recreahonal facIlities, airports, subways, roadSides, and pubhc
bUildings Pnvatelyowned land may be proposed as a site If It IS an area to which
the public has free access. such as a hOUSing development or university campus
The most successful public art projects have been those involving the artist In the
initial plan",ngllnd deSign stages Priority Will be gIven to those appllcahons
where the artist has an Integral role In all stages of the project
The Program encourages the payment of profeSSional-level fees to artists for their
deSign proposals and other planmng actiVities aSSOCiated With the project
. State and local governmental units and nonprofit tax-exempt orga!1lzatlons
meeting the legal requirements on page 15
. PubliC art prOjects fOCUSing on newly created work as permanent features of
public sites Work may be m a vanety of Visual arts media. Includmg palntmg,
sculpture. earthworks, environmental art, VIdeo. photography. crafts, and com-
bined media The work must be appropnate to ItS site and the surroundmg en-
vironment Early partlclpallon of artists m site planning and deSign IS essential
. Planning grants which may help support
.
- Payment of fees to artists for their partICipatIon In planning actiVities
- Short-term mstallallons and other actiVities deSigned to educate and prepare
the community for public art prolects and to explore the potential for such
proJects
NOTE Orgam2allonS that receive support for planning actiVities may apply for
subsequent funds to Implement the final prolect Endowment support at the plan-
mng stage, however. In no way Implies a subsequent grant for IITlplementatlon
. ExhibitIOns
. Museum acquIsitions or Installation of wor/< on museum grounds
. Projects of a solely hlstoncal. commemorative, or memonal nature
. Open or Juned competitions
. Work not created speCifically for the proposed site
In reviewing applications. panelists conSider the follOWing
. Quality of the artist's work
. Quality, mnovatlon, and timeliness of project
. Commitment to payment 01 profeSSional lees to artists
. Appropnateness of the SIte as an Integral component of the overall prolect
. In\lolvement of the artist m all phases of the project
. Quality of the artist selection committee and the selection procedures
. EVidence of applicant's ability to administer the proJect. Including organiza-
tional stabIlity and appropriateness of budget for the proposed activIties
. EVidence of a thoroughly developed and feaSible fundralslng plar! \0 meet
matching reqUirements
. Plans for community Involvement, preparation, and dialogue
(Continued on next page)
-
Art In Public Place.. Constituency and commumty served - 11
Review Criteria, . Adherence to procedures outlined In the ~ In Public Places Memorandum
continued that Will be sent to all potential apphcants
. EVidence of conSideration 01 W'omen Bnd minorities
. Completeness of application
Grant Amounts
Grants generally WIll not exceed 550,000 for Implementation of pubhc art prOJects
Up to $10,000 may be available for planning achVltles In the event an organtzatlon
receives both a plannmg grant and a flnallmplementahon grant, the combmed
grant amount generally Will not exceed $50,000 All grants must be matched at least
dollar for dollar
Allowable Costs
The budget breakdown (Endowment grant Bnd matching funds) on the final ap-
plication form should mclude only allowable costs artist's fee, the cost of creating
the work (matenals and fabrication), the cost of transporting It to the site and 10-
stalling ,t, and. )f applicable. the dealer's fee
The National Council on the Arts and Visual Arts Program adVISOry panels have
recommended that a dealer's fee not exceed ten percent of an artist's fee
Additional costs such as site preparation, staff salaries and staff travel. admlnlstra.
tlve expenses, consultants' fees for site proposals. cost of artists selection pro.
cedures, and long-term care and mamtenance costs must be met by additional
sources Such payments Will not be conSidered part of the matching funds A
budget for the overall proJect, Including such additional costs. should accompany
the fmal application on a supplementary 8-1/2" x 11" sheet
Deadhne and Announcement Dates
See Application Calendar mSlde the front cover of these gUldelmes
SpeCial Application ReqUirements
Initial InqUiry OrganIzations Interested In Art 10 Public Places grants should
contact the Visual Arts Proaram as soon as pOSSible and no later than
May 1.1983 An Art 10 Pubh"c Places Memorandum, contalnmg tn'formatlon'
essential to the application process, Will be forwarded at that hme
,<
2 Leller of Intent If, after haVing received and reviewed the Art 10 Public Places
Memorandum. you deCide to apply, you must notify the Visual Arts Program In
writing Applicants are not expected to have made fmal deCISions at the leller of
mtent stage and a'l'e encouraged to use thIS step as a means of seeking mforma-
hon and adVice A panel of consultants Will review letters of mtent and make
recommendations to applicants 10 order to assist them 10 developmg their pro-
Jects The Visual Arts Program may also suggest further sources of information
and consultants where appropnate Letters summarizing the panel's recommen-
datlons In response to each letter of Intent Will be returned by October 1,1983
Letters of mtent Should be addressed to
. ,
Art 10 PubliC Places
Visual Arts Program
National Endowment for the Arts
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue. N W
Washington, 0 C 20506
The letter of mtent should descnbe the purpose and scope of the proposed pr9-
Ject and the applicant organization's responSibilities II should mclude the
follOWing Information
. DeSCription of the process by which the artist Will be chosen and the names
and qualifications of those responsible for the selection The Endowment
recommends that natIOnally recognized experts on contemporary art who
have had experience With art In publlc places be actively engaged 10 the
selection process
(Conllnued on next page)
'12
Art in Public PIIlC8lI,
Special Application Requirements.
continued
/I
. Names 01 artists under consideration or which Indicate the direction your
search lor an artist WI II take If you have narrowed the range 01 conSlderallon
to a lew specifIC artists, you should Include slides of their recent work (no
more than live slides per artist) Slides and photographs Will not be returned
to the applicant
. Descnptlon and photographs (8" lC 10" black and white), 35-mm slides,
andlor drawings of the proposed site(s) Slides and photographs should
show the slte(s) from several angles
. AntiCipated grant request amount and expected sources of matching lunds
. Plans for engagmg community support and Interest
:3 Application Based on the panel's recommendations In the response to your let-
ter 01 Intent, you may Wish to apply for lunds to carry out planning activities or to
proceed With Implementation of the proJect Appllcents must submit the
Organization Grant Application Form NEA-3 (Aev ) and other matenals outlined
under the "How to Apply" sectIon on page 16 Read the section on "Allowable
Costs" on page 11 before completing the budget portions of the application
lorm
If you are applYing for planning activIties, your application package should In-
clude all points listed under the letter of intent requirements plus additIonal In-
formation (details Will be sent before the time of appliCatiOn)
If you are applYing for Implementation 01 the proJect, you r application paCkage
Should contam a complete, fully developed descnptlon 01 your project .
InCIUdmg
,l
. Description and slides or photographs of the site Slides are preferable
. Name and brief biography of the artist chosen
. Five slides of the artist's recent work
. Descrlptlonpf the process bywhlch the artist was chosen, including the
qualifications of the selection panel members
. EVidence 01 support from the appropriate CIVIC authOrities and community
groups
. Fundralsmg plan, sources 01 matchmg lunds
. Methods proposed 10 Introduce the prOject and the artist's work to the com-
mUnity
. A budgetlor the overall project (See details under "Allowable Costs" on
page" )
, ,