Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

TO:

David L. Corliss, City Manager

FROM:

Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager

Date:

April 3, 2013 – Updated 04/08/13

RE:

Public Library Expansion Project Percent for Art Contract

Please place the following item on the April 9, 2013 City Commission meeting agenda:

Authorize the City Manager to execute the contract with Rock Cottage Glassworks for the design and installation of the art work for the Public Library project in the amount of $75,000, if appropriate.

Background:

In August 2012, the City Commission approved the release of a Request for Qualifications to artists regarding public art for the Public Library expansion project. A budget of $75,000 for the artwork was established. A Public Art for the Library Expansion Project Selection Committee was established to review the proposals and make a recommendation to the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission and City Commission in accordance with the City’s percent for art resolution.

The Public Art for the Library Expansion Project Selection Committee consists of the following members:

· Jenny Cook, Lawrence Public Library Children’s Librarian and artist

· Karen Allen, Lawrence Public Library Teen Services Librarian

· Christopher Burger, member of the Lawrence Public Library Board of Trustees and a trial attorney with Stevens & Brand, L.L.P.

· Susan Craig, Head of the Murphy Art and Architecture Library in the Spencer Museum of Art, member of the Friends of the Lawrence Public Library, and former Lawrence Cultural Arts Commissioner

· John Hachmeister, KU Associate Professor of Sculpture and community art projects specialist, Lawrence Cultural Arts Commissioner

· Grace Peterson, artist and Lawrence Cultural Arts Commissioner

· Harvey Robinson, Office Manager, Lawrence Arts Center

· Matthew Farley, Artist

On October 5, 2012, the proposals were due from the artists and 71 submissions were received from artists from all over the country. The Selection Committee met for three meetings to discuss the proposals. The Committee invited Dierk Van Keppel/John Shreve to visit about their proposal and qualifications. At its meeting on November 6, 2012, the Committee made a motion to recommend to the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission and the City Commission that the team from Rock Cottage Glassworks (Dierk Van Keppel and John Shreve) be selected to complete the art for the library project within the budget of $75,000 and that the Committee and City staff be asked to work with the artist on contract documents for the work. The Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission (LCAC) considered the Committee’s recommendation at its November 14, 2012 meeting. A motion was unanimously approved to accept the recommendation from the Committee and further the recommendation to the City Commission.

On November 20, 2012, the City Commission selected the team of Rock Cottage Glassworks (Dierk Van Keppel and John Shreve) to complete the art for the library within the budget of $75,000 and requested staff work on the necessary legal agreements. Since that date, there have been more discussions between Rock Cottage Glassworks and the Steering Committee to further refine plans for the design. Additionally, there has been coordination between Gould Evans, the architect for the library project, and the general contractor, BA Green.

Summary of Art:

Rock Cottage Glasswork’s proposal and background is using the medium of glass, metal and light. The team has a track record of public and private commissions in the range of between $3,000 and $175,000. The Committee particularly commented on the beauty of the glass, the team’s proposed use of recycled glass materials for the project and the team’s proposed use of glass in several locations through the library project, including some areas where the glass could be touched by children and people with visual disabilities so that they could have direct contact with the art material.

The artwork for the library project will be beautifully integrated with the architecture of the building. The art will consist of some glass panel signage at the entryway of the library, continuing with colored glass panels installed on the ceiling to take advantage of backlighting, leading from the entrance toward the interior of the library, culminating into a large glass and aluminum sculpture that will be suspended from the ceiling of the atrium. The atrium sculpture will be entitled “A Ribbon of Light" and will be constructed of clear and colored glass that will be suspended by a stainless steel aluminum structure from the ceiling. The sculpture will be approximately 25 feet in length, will vary in width from 5' wide at the head to 3' wide at the waist, to 8' wide at the tail. Additionally, there will be some glass discs that will be used in the children’s area, including some utilized for reading cubbies and the children’s project room. Also, 15 glass discs will be placed around the library so that the library staff can use them for a children’s treasure hunt concept to introduce them to various library areas.

Because the artists are designing this project specifically for the Lawrence Public Library project, there are not exact renderings of the work completed yet. However, some preliminary designs have been prepared. Additionally, the artist’s prior work serves as an example of the type of project envisioned for this space. The artist’s complete submission proposal can be found online.

Next steps:

The next step is to execute an agreement with Rock Cottage Glassworks for the art. Under the agreement, the artist team will construct a model and further plans for the artwork. They will closely work with Gould Evans and the contractor regarding the artwork to ensure that it is installed upon completion of the building construction. The budget for this project has been closely coordinated with Gould Evans as it relates to the overall construction budget for the library project. The contract amount of $75,000, which is the amount budgeted for the art, will not have any additional monetary impact on the library project budget.

Suggested Action:

Authorize the City Manager to execute the contract with Rock Cottage Glassworks for the design and installation of the art work for the Public Library project in the amount of $75,000.