City Council - workshop

TODAY IS JULY 14, 2029, AND THIS IS THE CITY OF PRESCOTT CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION. ROLL CALL, PLEASE.

MAYOR ROOSING. HERE. MAYOR PROTANFERWORTH. HERE. COUNCILWOMAN FREDERICKSON. HERE. COUNCILMAN GAMBOGGI.

I AM HERE.

COUNCILMAN GEHRING.

HERE.

COUNCILMAN GRADY.

HERE. COUNCILMAN RUBY. HAPPY BASTILLE DAY. I'M HERE.

ALL ARE PRESENT. First item, presentation and discussion regarding possible amendments to the city's art donation policy. So Mayor and Council, we don't have a formal presentation on this item today. This topic was requested for discussion at the direction of Mayor Ruesing to revisit the current art donation policy as was in your packet and possibly amend it to only add commissioned art for the city. At this time, staff would like direction from council regarding possible revisions after discussion. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you. The reason why we are looking at revising our art policy is, as you know, we have a very vibrant art community here in Prescott, and very productive. And we have professionals, we have very talented amateurs, and Unfortunately, we need to have a policy so we can get a hold of the donations. We seem to have a plethora of donations, and we need to address that in the policy to say that we don't have to accept everything and sort of become the addict for Prescott. So our civic enhancement committee is the one that's been dealing with all these art requests. And also it's been affecting the library. And we have our director of library services, Melissa, here. I'd like to ask her to come up and make a few comments from her point of view.

Good afternoon, Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and council members. I am Melissa Orr, the library director. Art has been top on my list as soon as I got here to Prescott because one of the things that we're dealing with is we have art that's on the wall that we don't have information on, and we have information in the book where the art is not actually on the wall. So there's at least 140 plus pieces that we're dealing with currently. And being part of the committee, when I have come almost every single time, it's been because someone has wanted to donate additional art to us. And the majority of the time, it's not something that really fits in with the library space-wise or theme-wise. And so one thing we're doing is working with Charlotte Hall and volunteers to categorize everything that we have currently. So one thing I had asked the committee was that we not receive anything else until we could get a handle on what we actually have. So there's been at least two or three pieces that we've said, please, you know, not at this time. We know that there's a policy in place for the city, and we'd like to also create one for the library to say what we would like to have. Should it be southwest, Arizona, literary? Because having some of the things that were brought to us were truly not appropriate for the library.

And, you know, I just like to comment, most art shows are juried. The pieces are vetted beforehand. And I think that's something that this new policy is going to implement, that we don't have to accept everything. And to make sure that we get something, art that's good quality, and in such a way that we still support the art community here in Prescott.

Plus, I'd like to add one more thing. I know this isn't physical art that goes inside, but the mural that's around the library and the timeline sidewalk are both in very poor state. And that's at least $60,000 that we would need to get to repair both of those at this point. So we also look at it from an aspect of maintaining as well.

Yeah, the cost of maintenance over time, it adds up. It does. And the same with the timeline down at the courthouse plaza. I know they're always trying to touch that up because it just, I don't know what it is. It's just not lasting. And you're right, especially when we, in front of the library, expanded the parking and took out those trees, and it really encroached upon the timeline. Yeah. So any comment from the council? Because I've reviewed this policy and found it very well written and very good. Patrick?

So what does that mean, revise said policy to only add commissioned art for the city? I don't understand that.

Well, it's it's going to be art that is commissioned, you know, art that we're going to write. Yeah, that we commission. Thank you. Any other comments?

Yes, thank you. Actually, I had a small question for Melissa, and then a broader question. Melissa, did I hear you say that there were several pieces of artwork that were on the books, as far as the library is concerned, but they're not on the walls? Do we have an idea of where they are?

It looks like maybe some of them were sold or lent out to other institutions, but it's handwritten. Some of it is on what looks like an Excel spreadsheet. Before there was Excel. And we don't have copies of those files anywhere. So honestly, we don't know. So my first request with them was to identify what we actually have in the library first and then try to figure out where the other stuff went so that we can kind of get a handle on that.

If that turns out to be possible, if it's lost to the mist of time. True. There's nothing to be, you can't find what you can't find. Thank you. And I guess more broadly, my question is, I looked over the art donation policy and I'm taking it, that is existing?

Yes, that's existing. That was adopted by council in 2024.

Okay, then I guess my thought would be as I went through it and I was having fun with editing to make it something for future commissioned art pieces, but the fact is we have art that we currently own, so aren't we going to need Two policies, one to cover art that we have on the books right now, on the books one way or the other, and future the commissioned art, because some of this turns into, you know, what do we do if the artist wants it back? Well, if it's commissioned that doesn't apply anymore since you know, we commissioned it We bought it or however, we acquired it and we go forward from there, but the existing stuff We would still need to have some language in regard to how to handle the existing which were donated pieces and what would happen if you know a copyright issue came up or the artist said well you know i only meant to give it to you for 10 years and 10 years are up give back you know so are we going to end up with two policies one for how to handle art that has already are is already on our books it's been donated and now what versus a policy for from this moment forward artwork that is commissioned by the city

Yes, I don't think it necessarily has to be two separate policies, but we'll have to have a provision for two separate types of artworks and how they're treated. So I think we could do it in the same policy, but you're 100% right that I think we have to make clear that any of the donated artwork that's accepted... you know the process for maybe returning that and so forth and Commissioned artworks would be treated differently.

I mean presumably we would have to we would sell those our Piece of art if we ever decide to get rid of a commissioned artwork Since we acquire it by soliciting it and I'm assuming pay for it It's not a matter of somebody could come back and say hey Didn't mean to give it back, anything like that. It's ours, and we can sell it or burn it on a bonfire for all...

Well, we certainly don't want to do that. But yeah, the last page pretty much talks about it's called deaccession, where it does the previous policy didn't include this. And this includes a pretty specific list of what to what is included and how we can, you know, return something if if we want for and it gives the reasons why. So I think this is a lot more comprehensive. And I was surprised to find out that many communities didn't have this policy. And maybe they don't have such a vibrant art community that they don't need a policy like this. I think this is something to spell out our expectations so that people will be encouraged to donate art. Also, this is not meant to discourage donations. Patrick.

The J has something further to say, but I want a clarification. I thought Joe just said that this policy that we're looking at that was Exhibit A was from 2024, and I thought you just said that page 13 or page 14 are new.

I'm not sure maybe if I could get some clarification, but just as some background, we had an art donation policy previously, but in 2024, we revamped it kind of entirely. And I would say that I believe the deaccession provisions were new in that 2024 policy.

Yeah. Let's see. Jay?

Hello. I think there's some really important things to consider here. One is the degree commissioning art and receiving donations are different. But also what the librarian was talking about was specifically a backlog of art at the library. I do not. I've been on the Civic Enhancement Committee liaison. I've been the liaison since I started on council. And we've only had one proposition for public art in the last six months. So it's not like there's a bunch of people coming to the city to donate art for the outdoor public art. What I hear with the library is that it's really kind of a cataloging and archiving problem. And that if you don't know whose art is on the wall, that is problematic. How often, my question for the librarian here is, how often do you change out the art?

Since I've been here two years, the art has not moved. So it is where it's been for at least two years.

Because what I would like to see, and I think there's a number of things I'll have to say about this, there are so many different people in this community who can curate and curate very well. This is a problem of curation. You want art to be moving. You want it to be new. You want it to be fresh. You want it to be dynamic. That'll help to draw people to the library. Oh, there's a new collection coming in. It's just like we do with boards and committees. We can have different people curate something at the library for a period of time. That's not going to be on the city. It's kind of a public initiative process. That just needs to be set up. And I think any time you have art that's given to us indefinitely, I mean, we just had a sale at the Hazeltine, because you know what people do after their estate sale? They bring us costumes. And then they load up our rooms with endless amounts of stuff. And what I heard you describing is someone's really attached. They want their art to be seen, so they bring it to the library. And there's no real process for saying no. That's what I'm hearing. I don't know if that's correct. Curation solves this. And getting it to a point where, I mean, we have galleries in town. We have different mountain artist guild. We have the Fippen. Imagine how interesting it would be if every three or six months, boom, another organization was putting their curation up at the library. And then it doesn't get stale. And most importantly, the curation process isn't being done by the city. Because then it's like we don't want to bear the responsibility of inappropriate art. But the library can always go, with your curation, this isn't appropriate for our walls. So it allows that process there to be a dialogue and more or less get contributions from the public. So I see this more as an issue of how we're doing curation and how do we encourage public initiative for it.

I would just like to say, if it's okay, that that was step one for us, just identifying what we have. It would be hard for us to know how to curate and move things around until we know what we have. That was the next plan. We do have things that have been in the same place for years. We have items that are huge that are in hallways that can't go too many other places. But our first step was to identify what we have, verify, and then see if we could do some changes just like you do here to keep it fresh. One of the projects that we're looking at is identifying everything and having a walking tour of the current art for a while, see how that goes, and then take it from there with looking at additional art that we can move through. Yeah.

And also, it might be a good fundraiser to have an art sale for things that you don't have space for and use the proceeds for the benefit of the library. Let's see, Lois?

Thank you, Mayor. So when I saw commissioned, I had to go look up the definition, so I was crystal clear on what commissioned is. And one of my concerns is using taxpayers' money when we have a lot of other priorities to be commissioning and paying for art. so um that's one of my concerns is that we should not be using taxpayers money commissioning that somebody would like to do it and donate it to us is one thing but paying for art i don't think that's the mission of our city it's certainly not basic city services and right now we've got bigger fish to fry with trash and water and sewer so if we consider commissioning, whether it's commissioning only or commissioning, I just want to be crystal clear that this should be either donated or lent to us as compared to us paying for art. I totally agree, Jay, with some of your points about you get to the point where you don't see art anymore because it's not fresh, it's not new. So I think that's a great point to think through in a new policy because even like the art in this room has been here and It's probably due for moving around the building or moving somewhere else where people will notice things. We could probably take some of your art from the library and bring it in here. But the other thing for me is that I think some of the coolest art in our community is when you're out and about in the outdoors and you see it painted on the side of buildings or you see it in our parks. And so that for me, like just in the last few months, the Prescott Downtown Partnership was talking about, we've got all these unplanted planters, not only in the garage, but we have unplanted planters, those big giant cement bowls that have turned into giant cigarette ashtrays. And they were saying, can we do something with this? Can we plant it? Well, no, we're not gonna pay for watering it. The plants are gonna die as they have. could we think about art and in, for example, and they're brought up was let's start with the, if we wanna make our garage fresher, newer, more interesting, feeling safer, maybe we could start with some sculpture into the planters around around and I said fine let me find out who manages our garage and I ended up talking with Gwen because she said yes I would be open to that but they would have to follow the policy they would have to install it you know those kind of things so there's I think nothing's come of that because everyone's super busy with planning other things that are going on in the community by that group but I just think There's lots of ways. I feel bad when art comes into the Civic Enhancement Committee. That was the reinvigorated, what used to be Art in Public Places Committee. So now it has four missions and one committee. But, you know, we've had, at least in the two and a half years I've been here, we've had some art that, you know, I... Some people loved it and some people absolutely hated it. And so if you think about permanent installations, that's where you start having much more arguments from the community that I don't like this and I'm gonna have to look at this in the park every day for the next 30 years. So I think something in here about if we're gonna commission or take, it's gotta stay fresh, it's gotta move. Now that's someone's responsibility and I know staff just has tons of time to deal with all that. So that's the other concern is who would do this and not be a burden on our staff.

Yeah, that's, I think, where the art community volunteers would come in, and I think they would be more, have the better eye and be better experts if they want to participate and volunteer. And let's see, Ted.

Lois mentioned the word commission, and being an engineer and a sales guy, I understand commissions. But Ruby mentioned curation, so I had to Google curation. And I think what Melissa has written is curation. You're talking about rotation, and the word rotation doesn't appear anywhere in the definition of curation. I think you put a lot of work into this. This is a pretty good job. I agree with Lois. We shouldn't pay for any art. We got more art than we know what to do with. So we ought to find a way to use the art that we have and rotate it.

Patrick?

Yeah, I'm sorry for my continued confusion. You just said that our library director put a lot of work into this. I don't understand still what's generating this. To me, this opens up the need for more folks in our art community to actually engage in this conversation as opposed to just us city officials up here. I think it's a broader issue. I think art in public places is a broader issue. i didn't actually like the fact that we blended all those committees together and understand some of those committees didn't like being blended into just a civic enhancement i think the art that we have in our community really adds a lot of vitality and i was hoping this study session was going to be more about what what can we do to you know continue to sustain that momentum around public art and public places mr ruby

Who would do this? I think that's the question that Lois asked. And I think Patrick began to answer it. We need people who are familiar with the process of curation and rotation, people who can understand quality, people who understand how shifting content can be really engaging. And I think then the people who would be doing that, and they exist in this community, they do need to be part of this process. So I'd like to give direction to the potential creation of people who would be looking at how do we establish a curation process for the city that is run by different civic groups. Don't have a name for it, but I think that would move us in the direction. I think this has to be citizen-led for the most part. Like, I very much agree with my... Like, when you do hear the word commission with art, it's about the city would be commissioning it. That sounds like the city is going to be paying for it and putting it up. And I don't think that's going to fly in this community. Like, but I do think... There's artists in this community who would be very happy to lend their knowledge and expertise to help with the situation at the library. I just think we have to empower them to be able to establish that. Maybe that's something for charter review to work out, or maybe we as council can initiate a committee or a council for that.

Well, I think that we're starting the conversation. And I see we have a member of the art community here. And maybe this will stimulate the art community to realize, hey, we have a need to get the art out there and be displayed in such a way that our library is a library. And you have the viewery up on the third floor where individual groups come in. And it's more of an educational display. And I think hanging art in the library is great, but the librarians shouldn't have to run an art museum either. And so maybe after this meeting, we can talk and see if there's any interest out there in the art community to, on a regular basis, come in and help with art in the library spaces. Lois, do you have another comment?

Yeah, the only other thing I was thinking of is we conscientiously made the choice well, I don't know that I was part of the council when that choice was made, but to collapse four different committees into one. And that's the Civic Enhancement Committee that this policy is run by. And one of the things I do think is important that we were very clear that they are running this art donation policy and that the final decision for the acceptance of art is at the discretion of city council with a majority vote. So I think there's some aspects to art and art being displayed in city-owned properties or places that is consistent with our brand, that is consistent with some of the different criteria that's already been written in the policy. So I want to make sure that we're not open for everything and anything that somebody thinks is cool. Even if it moves, it's got to be not offensive, no curse words. Those are the kind of things for me that I do worry about when you open things up. So this group has always existed, whether they were the art policy, art in public places policy, or now as the Civic Enhancement Committee. I don't want to... disengage them in this process. So they've got to have a part in it, though I don't think most of them are as professional as what you are referring to, Mr. Ruby, on skills. So thank you.

And actually, I'm gonna just follow up. That's actually something that came up recently with the Civic Enhancement Committee in terms of the way that the applications for the ACCA grant were being processed. And that I think the knowledge of that committee on how to like give awards to art or to actually place it in the community, I think there's probably some skills and training and experience that could be infused into that committee to help it function with this responsibility.

And Mayor, may I address a couple of things? I think that it's sort of relevant, the changes we made in 2024, just for your information and kind of context here. But in large part in 2024, it was to clarify that ultimately council says yes or no on every piece of art and yes or no on every location. Because that was sort of the other problem was... a donation with a contingency, meaning we'll give this, but it has to go in this location. And so there's to remove that sort of obligation. And so as it currently stands, the council has ultimate say whether to accept any art or to say yes or to say no. And then after that decision is made whether to accept the piece of art, it's council's decision on where it goes. And so it's up to staff and the committee to indicate certain areas or locations where it makes sense, but then council ultimately approves it. So that's sort of different than the library discussion, but I think as it currently stands, even donations to the library should be coming to council rather than going directly to the library for the library to say yes or no. Ultimately, that's a council yes or no. As another kind of piece of history, in 2024, when we updated this policy, we had a discussion about whether it should be, for example, cowboy art or Southwest themes, or if donated art should follow certain themes that are consistent with Prescott-style artwork. And at the time, it was decided not to place those limits because it still, Council sort of has the freedom to say yes or no. So ultimately, this is really just kind of in the heart of a legislative matter. So it's up to council on what you want to do, how you want this policy to look. But I just wanted to give some of that background information.

And I'd like to add It says here that there was a policy in 2015, that we had a 2015 policy. I didn't even know we had an ART policy. But what was important in our 2024 policy was we added the 60-day public input period. Because previously, the public didn't have any input. And this is ART in public places. So now we have a 60-day public comment period before council decides. And boy, let me tell you. they like to comment and it really you know art really resonates with the with the public and it's wonderful how they can get engaged and one minor amendment to the policy on page three on the paragraph second from the bottom the City Council will consider the civic enhancement committee's recommendations at a regular voting meeting And shall accept or decline acceptance of the artwork I think we need to put in after the 60-day comment period just a minor I think you know that's assumed that we will have a 60-day comment period before we Vote on it but Any mr. Gamboge do you have another comment? I see your name still up here. I

I JUST FIXED THAT.

OKAY. THANK YOU. AND MR. RUBY IS DONE. MARY FREDERICKSON, ANY COMMENTS?

Oh, thank you, Mayor. A question for Melissa. On creating this listing of what's on the walls, what's the storage, what's on the books, and what's not in our possession, that seems to be the first step for the library, at least. So do you envision library staff doing that?

No, we have, again, Charlotte Hall, we have a gentleman there who is working with a group of volunteers who are in the process of identifying it. He's already been there several times and knows the majority of it, but he is working with others in the community to make sure we know exactly what we have and can get all of that cataloged for us.

All right. And do we think the final result needs to go back to the Civic Enhancement Committee at some point?

the final result of what?

Well, of the listing and what goes up on the walls and what comes down.

I don't think the Civic Enhancement Committee oversees the library. The Civic Enhancement Committee works with donations that are more permanent. That's my understanding.

Well, the Civic Enhancement Committee as it relates to art is only about the acceptance of art and the initial placement. But there's a million decisions to be made after that that no committee is involved in, including the curation and switching out artwork and so forth.

It sounds like Melissa has a pretty good hand on things. I think it's a matter of getting caught up and making sure that any donations that are made to the city go to the city enhancement committee and not directly to the library.

And that has been what's been happening. So they've brought it to them, but when the artist or the donator brings it, they want it to go to the library. And so since I've been here, I've asked every time that it not be considered at this point because we don't even know what we have. So my hope was that it didn't even have to go to the committee for the library. If it was for anywhere else, that would be another decision, but... because we're drowning in it and we don't know what we have uh we were hoping just to say that we would not like at this point in time to accept anything do you have any phillies memorabilia no unfortunately no oh do you want to make a donation is that it no i want to unburden them from the overload of artwork that you have I'm afraid that's not what we have there.

A Greg Leszczynski bobblehead? I'd pay money for that.

It sounds like maybe you need to have an art sale and raise some funds and do a little house cleaning. It does. Okay. Lois?

You know, we do have other buildings in the city other than the library that the public gets to come in and be at meetings and things like that. And so the only thing I'm thinking through is, you know, the Civic Enhancement Committee is the committee that evaluates things against the current criteria and makes the recommendation. So it's a one-way only role right now to accept art. But the question is, we have a need We don't have the skills. That's not a skill we hire for in the city. And, you know, and you just brought up Charlotte Hall. You brought up the art community. I think there are a lot of places that have those kind of skills to think about curating, rotating, moving art all over the city. The ones that we have and or managing the art. We got it on loan for five years. This piece we got on loan. How do we get it back to people or whatever? Or selling, even if there's going to be an art sale where we clean our coffers of things that we don't understand how we got them. But I think that should be something that maybe... we task back to the Civic Enhancement Committee to think through they were the, you know, could they, would they consider expanding their scope or having a subcommittee under them that talks about curation, cataloging, knowledge, placement, and keep it there so it doesn't become, it's meant to be something that enhances the quality of life and the quality of work and the quality of place, but we don't have the staffing in the city, it's not our mission, so can't we get volunteers under their charter? So that's the only idea I had.

It might be. It's a five person committee. And what we're starting to talk about is beyond their current purview. It might be wise to expand the committee, like put two, two to four more people in there with these like added responsibilities. Hmm.

Okay, well, I'm glad we're having this conversation, and thank you, Melissa. And we have Mr. Lutz, who has an art gallery, and he is the guru of art on Whiskey Row. If it wasn't for him, his gallery would just be another dive bar on Whiskey Row. Yeah.

Thank you, Mayor Ruesing. Thank you, Council, for hearing me. You know, just listen. I really didn't know exactly what this subject was when I showed up today, but listening to your concerns here and everything, it really does sound to me like the Civic Enhancement Committee needs a subcommittee to do curation for the city. And I think that... Someone like me would be willing to participate in that community to start with, I should say. But I think you need to get people, maybe a volunteer from the FIPPIN, a volunteer from Charlotte Hall, a volunteer from a number of different organizations. Yeah, by college, Prescott College. I don't know. But anyway, that sounds like a great idea. But my main reason for coming today and wanting to speak is that my job is always to promote local arts. And I just want the council, as you move forward in this, to hear out that we have a very vibrant, as the mayor recognizes, local arts community. And it's really important that you... elevate them and take every chance that you have to elevate artists in our community, whether that are performing artists, visual artists, you know, AZ Phil, the Prescott Chorale, you know, there's a million different wonderful things, Chalk Festival going on in town. And so when you either accept donation or I really can't think that there really would never be a time when you wanted to commission art. I mean, you could decide that your new city hall needs a piece for somewhere, and you might be willing to put something out there to do that. But in those cases, should anything like that come up, or even when you accept donations, please think about that we have a local active arts community. Use local sculptors. Feature local artists. This is what invests in your community. All the artists in town, what I run, we have 65 artists represented in Van Gogh's here. Those are all local cottage industries that we help support. And so this is small business, and it's the small businesses of art, yes, but always focus on that. And that's really what I really came here to say is that, you know, always look at your local resources, and we have a lot of them. We are so rich. Thank you.

Thank you, John. OK, well, I think we've had a lot of comment, and we can't take a vote. This is a study session, but we're going to make a few changes and bring it back, hopefully, for a vote at the next city council meeting August 11, I believe. Okay. I don't know. When is the next civic enhancement committee meeting? It only meets quarterly.

I should know that, but I don't. I don't think they meet every month, though.

It's just quarterly. Yeah. Yeah.

And they did just meet. Well, we had a special meeting. And before that, they met in June. So it may not be till September.

SEPTEMBER. SO DO YOU THINK MAYBE WE SHOULD RUN THE POLICY BY HIM FIRST AND THEN BEFORE WE VOTE ON IT?

I THINK IT'S PRETTY IMPORTANT THAT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A NUMBER OF PEOPLE GIVE FEEDBACK ON AND THAT'S THE PLACE TO START BUT I THINK IT ACTUALLY HAS TO GO BEYOND THERE TOO.

SO WE'LL PUT IT ON THE NEXT CIVIC ENHANCEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING BEFORE WE BRING IT TO A VOTE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED.