Title
Recommend to City Council that Public Art Funds be used to repair and restore the Birth sculpture in an amount not to exceed $55,000
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Public Art Commission
BACKGROUND
In early 2020, a local conservationist contacted staff with concerns about the condition of the "Birth" sculpture, by artist Arthur Williams, located at 900 Atlantic Avenue (Exhibit 1). Birth is a painted steel sculpture, sitting approximately 9 feet from the ground on a concrete plinth.
After some research, staff determined that this artwork is owned by the City of Alameda, purchased (with the land it sits on) by the City in 1989 as part of a cooperation agreement with Alameda Real Estate Investments, the developer of the Marina Village Business Park (Exhibit 2: Ordinance 2418).
An initial inspection of the artwork by staff revealed areas of rust and disrepair, which suggested the need for a more thorough review by a conservationist.
In July of 2020, staff requested an evaluation of the artwork and an estimate for its repair from Conservation Strategies, the local artwork conservation firm that first brought the condition of the artwork to city staff's attention. The report (Exhibit 3) suggests the need for substantial repairs to the artwork, with an estimated cost of $42,151 to $49,151. Staff contacted the artist, Arthur Williams, who reviewed the conservation report and expressed his approval of the recommendations included.
DISCUSSION
Staff recommends that the repair of this artwork be funded by the Public Art Fund (the Fund). The current available balance of the Fund is $308,374. The use of the Fund for maintenance and conservation purposes will need an amendment to the Public Art Ordinance and also Council approval of the use of the fund for this particular repair. If use of the fund for this purpose is approved, staff would competitively bid the repair project.
Once the artwork has been repaired, recommended future maintenanc...
Click here for full text