City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: OCTOBER 3, 2012
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RASHAD M. YOUNG, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of Selection of the Artist Team For Public Art for the Contrabands and Freedmen's Cemetery Memorial.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of selection of the artist team for public art for the Contrabands and Freedmen's Cemetery Memorial.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Receive the recommendation of the Alexandria Commission for the Arts;
(2) Schedule a public hearing on Saturday, October 13; and
(3) Following the public hearing, approve the artist and design proposal (Attachment 1) for the Contrabands and Freedmen's Cemetery Memorial, as recommended by the Alexandria Commission for the Arts.
BACKGROUND: The Freedmen's Cemetery was established in 1864 as a burial ground for African Americans who fled slavery, seeking a safe haven in Union-controlled Alexandria during the Civil War. Between 1,700 and 1,800 people were buried in the Cemetery during the five-year period the federal government managed the Cemetery.
Over the years, the Cemetery was compromised and hundreds of graves were lost. A gas station and office building were constructed on the site. It was generally unknown that a burial ground survived under the commercial development until historical research revealed the presence of the Cemetery in 1987.
Within the last 12 years, community interest and archaeological investigations to identify and protect the graves have resulted in an appreciation for the Cemetery and its long forgotten story. With financial support from a settlement with the Federal Highway Administration regarding the construction of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, the City acquired the Cemetery site in 2007 in order to remove the buildings, reclaim the Freedmen Cemetery, and create the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial. Several descendant families have been identified and actively participate in providing rich historical information related to the Cemetery.
The Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial is currently under construction with completion anticipated spring of 2013. The Memorial, which will include a sculpture, will be a sacred site dedicated to honoring the people of African descent who were buried in the Cemetery during and immediately following the Civil War.
The sculpture element of the Memorial has been the subject of a public art process that has been managed by the Office of the Arts with the Public Art Committee of the Alexandria Commission for the Arts. The sculpture is scheduled to be installed at the Memorial upon completion of the project construction.
DISCUSSION: By invitation of the City Manager, a Selection Panel of design and art experts, citizens, neighborhood representatives and descendants was formed to provide a recommendation to the Public Art Committee and Alexandria Commission for the Arts on the selection of a sculpture to be placed in the Memorial.
The Contrabands and Freedmen Memorial Selection Panel included the following representatives:
David Hamilton, Chair, Design Professional
Char Bah, Historian
Terry DeBardelaben, Professional Artist/Sculptor
Maureen Dugan, Old Town/Hunting Creek Civic Association
Lillie Finklea, Friends of Freedmen's Cemetery
Matthew Hardwood, Public Art Committee, Alexandria Commission for the Arts
Mike Hill, Architect/Landscape Architect
Louise Massoud, Friends of Freedmen's Cemetery
Kathleen Pepper, Society for Preservation of Black Heritage
Sam Shanklin, Descendant Family Representative
Karen Wilkins, Alexandria Historical Society
City staff, designated by the Directors of the following departments, served in a non-voting, ex-officio capacity on the Selection Panel: Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities; Office of Historic Alexandria; and Transportation and Environmental Services.
A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued on August 19, 2011. The RFQ sought proposals from artists/design teams for consideration by the Selection Panel to determine qualifications for the design, fabrication, and installation of the sculpture that will be located inside the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial. In response to the RFQ, the City received proposals from 38 different artists/design teams.
The Selection Panel reviewed and evaluated the submissions and recommended the following three finalists:
1. Erik Blome
2. Mario Chiodo (aka Chiodo Art Development)
3. Edward Dwight
These three finalists were awarded an honorarium of $2,000 each and were invited to present proposed sculptures.
The Selection Panel met on July 7, 2012 to receive the proposals and interview the three finalists. A reception was held after the Selection Panel meeting to present the three proposals to the public. After the public reception, the finalists' proposals and maquettes were placed on public display at the Durant Arts Center, 1605 Cameron Street, Alexandria, VA from July 7, 2012, to August 6, 2012.
On August 11, 2012, the Selection Panel met to discuss the public comments and evaluate the proposals using the following criteria:
• Artistic merit of completed projects based on references, appropriateness of materials, and concepts as they relate to the project goals and setting;
• Ability to meet the Project's intent;
• Ability to convey knowledge and authenticity of the contrabands and freedmen's history and experience;
• Evidence of collaboration with the construction management and inspection contractor and other design professionals working on the Memorial and members of the public to integrate the Sculpture with other interpretative elements of the Memorial;
• And, maintenance requirements of completed projects.
At the meeting, each Selection Panel member was provided an opportunity to discuss his or her evaluation of each of the proposals, review the public comments, further discuss the proposals, and complete the final recommendation process by providing a final score for each proposal.
The Selection Panel considered the public comments, artists' resumes and staff interviews of the artists' professional references before submitting their evaluation forms, scores and rankings. After careful consideration and discussion, the Selection Panel recommended that the public art commission be awarded to Ed Dwight, who received the highest average score.
On August 12, 2012, the Public Art Committee held a special meeting to review the Contrabands and Freedmen Memorial's Selection Panel recommendation. The Public Art Committee members discussed the artistic merits of all finalists' maquettes. After review the public comments and deliberation, the Committee's vote did not support the recommendation of the Selection Panel. The reason for disapproval was that the artist failed to comply with the Request for Qualifications requirements. The Public Art Committee instead recommended that the commission be awarded to Mario Chiodo.
On August 14, 2012 the Alexandria Commission for the Arts held a special meeting to receive (Attachment 1) the recommendations from the Selection Panel and the Public Art Committee. The Arts Commission reviewed the recommendations; the comments received from the public comment period; and discussed the artistic merits for each proposal. The Arts Commission then voted unanimously to support the Public Art Committee's recommendation to select Mario Chiodo to be the artist to be awarded the commission to design, fabricate and install the Contrabands and Freedmen's Memorial Public Art sculpture (Attachment 2).
Staff recommends that City Council support the recommendation of the Arts Commission.
FISCAL IMPACT: The $350,000 budget will include the design, fabrication, materials, insurance, delivery and installation, travel, and any other incidental costs associated with the sculpture. This public art budget is part of the Freedmen Cemetery project with funding provided by Woodrow Wilson Bridge Settlement Agreement. This funding is 100% state and Federal with no City matching funds. Maintenance funds will be allocated through the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities' operating budget. The approximate cost for site and memorial maintenance is $50,000 annually.
Finalists' images and public comments can be reviewed by visiting the Office of the Arts' website: alexandriava.gov/arts.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Public Art Committee Recommendation 08-12-12
Attachment 2: Alexandria Commission for the Arts Recommendation 08-14-12
STAFF:
Debra R. Collins, Deputy City Manager
James Spengler, Director, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA)
Cheryl Anne Colton, Acting Deputy Director, RPCA/Office of the Arts
Richard Baier, Director, Transportation and Environmental Services
Emily Baker, City Engineer, Transportation and Environmental Services