Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission Meeting – October 8, 2018
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Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission Meeting – October 8, 2018
The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (SMAC) met on Monday, October 8, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. The meeting included a special presentation by a Creative Economy Grant recipient, action on a public art selection for the Convention Center and Community Center Theater (CCT) project, deaccession of an artwork due to demolition, and updates on the Arts Consortium, Cultural Plan, and committee reports. Commissioners also heard public comments regarding local artist inclusion and equity.
Special Presentation
- Vincent Damyanovich, recipient of a Creative Economy Grant, presented his LED-enabled sculpture Living Colors: An Interactive Art Experience. He described his journey from special effects makeup to large-scale interactive art, emphasizing themes of community connection and mental health. The grant amount was approximately $25,000, with a total project cost of about $49,000. The sculpture is mobile and has been displayed at SMUD and the George Sim Community Center; future locations include the North and Thomas Library and a return to SMUD. Damyanovich noted the importance of artist-business skills and suggested the city continue streamlining the grant process.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: Unanimously approved the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission Special Meeting Minutes dated September 10, 2018. (Motion by Commissioner Winlock, second by Commissioner Vismara; all in favor.)
Discussion Items
- Item 2 – Convention Center and Community Center Theater (CCT) Public Art Selection: Staff recommended selecting artists Einar and Jamex de la Torre for the design phase of a public art concept at the corner of J and 13th Street. Lennée Eller presented the artists' preliminary proposal featuring a large heart-shaped metal cutout with lighting, intended as an iconic piece representing Sacramento as the heart of California. The selection panel evaluated over 300 applicants. Commissioners discussed the heart's realism, materials (stainless steel, possible stone), and cultural relevance. Staff noted that future phases will include local artist opportunities (haiku workshops, studio work, digital art). Motion to approve the selection passed unanimously. (Motion by Commissioner Meritz, second by Commissioner Wallace.)
- Item 3 – Deaccession of Artwork Skylight by Joseph Distefano: The artwork, located on the Convention Center's East Terrace, was in very poor condition due to weather and age. The artist is unable to restore it, and the site will be demolished for the CCT expansion. Staff requested waiver of the appraisal requirement, as appraisal costs would exceed value. The city attorney concurred. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve deaccession and waive appraisal, with a suggestion to offer any salvageable pieces to the artist.
Reports and Updates
- Item4 – Arts Consortium Update (Oral Report): Vice Chair Steve Winlock reported that the consortium is developing a strategic plan with the Kaufman Group and applying for a $1 million federal Title I grant for arts education. The grant would support a community-of-practice model for district art leads, lead teachers, and arts organizations to build capacity in arts education.
- Item5 – Update on Cultural Plan (Oral Report): Director Jonathon Glus noted progress on the city's equity audit, with the new Director of Equity showing interest; the equity summit planning is underway.
- Item6 – Outreach and Advocacy Committee Report: No meeting held.
- Item7 – Grants and Education Committee Report: No meeting held.
- Item8 – Art in Public Places Committee Report: Commissioner Ishmael (not present) reported via summary that the committee prepared the two agenda items voted on.
- Item9 – Director’s Report: Glus introduced new staff member Susanna, welcomed the Arts and Justice Conference at Sac State, and noted that grants manager Ray is convening citywide grant managers to find efficiencies.
- Item10 – Chair Person’s Report: Chair Jason Silva highlighted the successful “Tearing Walls Apart” event with over 350 high school students, celebrated next-generation artists, and requested staff provide detailed accounting of public art funding (2% for art) broken down by total project cost vs. funds used, including local economic impact.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jade Nicole (spoke multiple times): Representing Magnum Opus and local artists, she urged the commission to include more local artists in projects. She read a letter from artist Sonia Fay, who criticized Sacramento’s art scene as rigid, excluding female and minority artists, and favoring safe, male-dominated work. Nicole also asked that the arts consortium consider organizations like Sojourner Truth Museum and Art Nurs Collaborative for underserved communities in South Sacramento.
Key Outcomes
- Votes:
- Consent calendar minutes approved unanimously.
- Public art selection for J and 13th Street (Einar and Jamex de la Torre) approved unanimously.
- Deaccession of Skylight with waived appraisal approved unanimously.
- Directives: Staff asked to provide clear accounting of 2% public art funding breakdown (total project cost vs. applied amount) and to track local economic spending from artist commissions.
- Next Steps: The Arts Consortium grant application due next week; Cultural Plan equity audit and summit in progress; future phases of CCT public art (local artist opportunities) to come to commission in early 2019.
Meeting Transcript
Oh no, I didn't. Oh that's up here. All right, let's call the order the October eighth, two thousand eighteen Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. And let's begin off with a roll call. Marie Mertz. Maya Wallace. Michael Marion. Steve Winlock. Here. Veronica Delgado. William Ishmael. Matthew Gillam. Do we have a quorum? We have a quorum. And um, forgive me for not getting a pronunciation of your name before I got up here. And so I'm gonna say Vincent Domonovich. Is that close enough? That is close. Who's the recipient the recipient of the Creative Economy grant? He's gonna discuss his LED enabled sculpture, living colors, an interactive art experience. And the floor is yours, sir. Thank you. Thank you. I'll say as an introvert uh public speaking as a stretch, which is probably why I keep saying yes to these things. You know, I've really appreciated in the past several months getting a chance to work more closely with the Sacrament Arts Commission, gaining a much stronger sense of the key role you all play in supporting artists and their projects, especially ones that enhance our sense of belonging within the community and transform how we experience art in the 21st century. So thank you for having me here today to speak to you a little bit about my creative journey and to share a bit more about what informs my approach to create innovative work. Right now it's primarily about exploring themes of meaningful connection. It's something that I keep coming back to, creating building blocks that empower and generating art form as a positive method of social outreach. As a recipient of the Creative Economy grant, it's been a tremendous boost of inspiration for my company, allowing us to prepare for the next steps necessary for expansion and gaining the kind of local visibility that leads to further collaborations in our community. So I'd like to show a selection of images here. Ah, perfect. To provide a brief sense of the momentum and degree of preparation leading up to the Living Colors project, and then touch on some of the more involved processes and then highlight its success. As some of you know, I started my career in special effects, primarily prosthetic makeup. I was one of those kids that always knew what they wanted to do, saving up to buy my first set of grease paints when I was only 10 years old, for instance. And the thing about this fascinating craft is it's highly multidisciplinary. Design, sculpting, mold making, painting, often working closely with many different departments while under pressure to achieve a common goal. This backbone of experience really continues to serve me in how I effectively manage the projects we take on. And working in effects also helped me to move through trauma and major depression throughout my 20s. And this really allowed me to get a clear sense of my life purpose, utilizing the creative arts to raise awareness on comprehensive mental health, helping me to find my voice as an artist and cultivate the courage to express it. And what you see here represents 18 years of artistry in that field. This took six months to bring to life and about seven hours to apply to our model each time, and this was for I believe a trade show. Then we moved into themed environments, which was a partial solution. And as far as the entertainment sector goes here, Sacramento has tremendous potential, a place where larger productions can frequently come film, and then being able to call upon local businesses to handle most aspects of that process is another reason why having an infrastructure that supports creative economy matters. This positive convergence of industries inspiring and building upon each other is to my mind how our city becomes better known worldwide as a recognized leader in creative and cultural industry. And innovation. Just food for thought. As for my commitment to move into larger sculptural work, especially around publicly funded opportunity. This included a three-year process dedicated to research and development. For me, it's about creating art that adds beauty and elegance to our social environment, not just for entertainment purposes, but to really be a contributing part of something that helps us connect to each other. Connectivity then is at the very heart of what I'm doing, which is why I consider that this form is an evolving cultural process of dynamic bridge building that helps unite us, not divide us.
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