DATE:
October 15, 2024
TO:
Adam Politzer, Interim City Manager
FROM:
Chadrick Smalley, Community Development Director
SUBJECT:
Resolution Of The City Council Of The City Of Emeryville Approving The Purchase Of An Artwork For The City’s Annual Purchase Award Program Entitled “Lanzón de Chavin Totem” By Roberto Gastelumendi With Funding Of Up To $37,850 From The Public Art Fund (Fund 243) For The Purchase And Installation Of The Artwork; Acknowledging William Schwob’s “Past Future Figure” and Jeannie O’Connor’s “Curved Wall” As The Honorable Mentions; And Appropriating $12,850 From Fund 243 To The Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Operating Budget For The Purchase Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution to purchase an art work for the City’s Annual Purchase Award Program. The artwork is entitled “Lanzón de Chavin Totem” by Emeryville artist Roberto Gastelumendi and the estimated cost to purchase and install the artwork is $37,850. The attached resolution also provides for the appropriation of an additional $12,850 to the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Operating Budget to fund the purchase, installation and community celebration of the work. Further, the attached resolution acknowledges William Schwob’s “Past Future Figure” and Jeannie O’Connor’s “Curved Wall” as the first and second Honorable Mentions, respectively.
Background
The 38th Annual Emeryville Celebration of the Arts Exhibition (Exhibition) opened on October 4, 2024, and will run through October 27, 2024. For the past eighteen years, the City’s Purchase Award Program has supported the Exhibition through the purchase of artwork for display in City facilities. The intent of the City’s Purchase Award Program is to build the City’s permanent art collection through acquisition of art works on an annual basis from the Emeryville Celebration of the Arts Exhibition. The program is also intended to highlight the City’s commitment to the arts and its local artistic community and improve visitors’ experiences in public facilities. Potential sites for this year’s Purchase Award artwork include City Hall, the Emeryville Center of Community Life, and the Senior Center. As all participants in the Exhibition are either residents or employees working in Emeryville, the Purchase Award reflects the talents and abilities of those within Emeryville.
Selection Panel
On September 15, 2024, the City Manager appointed a five-person Selection Panel, with an alternate for each panelist, based on the September 12, 2024, recommendation of the Public Art Committee (PAC). The appointed members of the Selection Panel were: 1) Christine Koppes, as outside arts professional; 2) Taryn Walker as the PAC representative; 3) Theresa Fortune, as a community member; 4) Kava Massih, as Emeryville Celebration of the Arts (ECA) Board Representative; and 5) Nicholas Sayarad, as City staff representative. The Selection Panel alternates were: 1) Dianne Martinez, community member; 2) Tessa Wilcox, outside arts professional; 3) Albert Repola, ECA, and 4) Lois Porter, City staff representative. The Selection Panel convened on October 3, 2024, with Tessa Wilcox serving in place of Christine Koppes to review the artworks installed at the Exhibition available for consideration for the Purchase Award, and to make a recommendation of artwork to be purchased by the City. The Panel’s recommendation was presented to the Public Art Committee on October 3, 2024.
Selection Process
The Selection Panel began the process with review of the existing collection in City Hall, Senior Center and Emeryville Center of Community Life (ECCL) and available spaces in and around the facilities.
Potential sites at each facility include:
City Hall – New City Hall Lobbies and stairwells
Senior Center - Large panels on the east and south walls of the second-floor multi-purpose room, including a large wall (south side) and south wall of 1st floor multipurpose room Emeryville Center of Community Life – Building A
Panelists then convened at the Exhibition site to review all works available for purchase. The Selection Panel members provided a score on a sheet listing each artwork that was available for consideration. To avoid conflicts of interest, works being shown by current members of the PAC, City Council, and City staff or consultants were not considered for the 2024 Purchase Award. Other art not considered for purchase included works that were not available for sale, works created by artists whose work has been purchased through the Purchase Award Program in the last five years, and artwork whose dimensions would not fit into the potentially available locations.
In the first round of selection, the Panelists individually viewed the eligible works among the over 220 artworks by 155 artists and selected their top five choices. Of the total top selections,14 pieces were noted on walkthrough as possible candidates and eight pieces were included within the top five artworks by two or more panelists. The group walked the gallery space together and revisited these eight top pieces and additional pieces that panelists felt should be reconsidered. Pieces that gained support from at least three panelists were considered further.
This process resulted in a short list of six art works ranked by panelists on a scale of 1 to 5 according to the following criteria:
Aesthetic Quality
Public Appeal
Curatorial Focus
Longevity
The six artworks were scored individually by panelists. The highest scoring work among these was “Lanzón de Chavin Totem” by Roberto Gastelumendi with 77 points, with first and second Honorable Mentions scoring 75 points for William Schwob’s “Past Future Figure” and 74 points for Jeannie O’Connor’s “Curved Wall”.
Discussion
At its meeting held on October 3, 2024, the PAC discussed the Selection Panel’s recommendations and voted to recommend the purchase of “Lanzón de Chavin Totem” by Roberto Gastelumendi and acknowledgement of William Schwob’s “Past Future Figure” and Jeannie O’Connor’s “Curved Wall” for Honorable Mentions, and to forward these recommendations to the City Council for approval. Additionally, the PAC recommended additional funds be appropriated for the secure installation of “Lanzón de Chavin Totem”, with consideration for the possible relocation of one or more works in the City’s existing collection to accommodate the work in the City Hall lobby Art Work Description
“Lanzón de Chavin Totem” is a tall and narrow joined wooden sculpture, measuring 9’ 8˝ tall, 11˝ wide and 4˝ deep. The work was completed in 2019 from white oak and mixed hardwoods in jointed pieces that provide a structurally sound sculpture. The joinery work is observed on only one side of the work, creating a façade that may be the sole exhibited side if placed against a wall. Many of this artist’s works have functional uses and he has three pieces in this year’s Exhibition. The purchase price of the artwork, representing countless hours of labor, is $30,000.
As described by ECA:
“Roberto Gastelumendi’s rule-breaking woodworking technique defies the reactions of his materials and intricately joins a high-contrast mix of species (North American, South American, and African, which also reflect his own life path) and grains, into a stronger bond. Roberto composes his organic and geometric designs using a mosaic joinery method of his own invention, that he developed and refined over the last decade. This outside-the-box technique defies woodworking conventions, and despite often being mistaken as marquetry or inlay, the resulting jointed pieces, (after being cut, fitted, and glued) provide the structural integrity for each work of functional art.
In these times when mass production churns out the furniture that fills people’s every day, and design magazines replicate standardized brand names, Roberto’s woodwork is a story. In the joinery technique he has invented, it is the laying of hours, of experimentation, of trial and error, just as the tree lays rings of experience — telling of the tides of good fortune and lean years, of pestilence and challenge, of ease and exuberance. He clamps and cuts and glues the layers; investing the joining with his time and attention — his willingness to risk.” Of the work proposed for purchase, ‘Lanzón de Chavin Totem” the artist is said to speak to origin and resiliency with the sculpture referencing the prehistoric Peruvian Chavin peoples’ stone lances. A native of Peru, the work is imbued with the artist’s own stories,writes Jessica Cook in a 2020 Edible East Bay profile:
“Roberto’s mother’s family traces this migrant lineage, a mix of European and Indigenous histories, and his father’s story is that of enslaved Africans displaced to another continent.” ECA elaborates:
“His works offer up unique tales that complement his own personal storylines and those of his ancestors. His sensual sculpture, textile-like patterns, and functional art transforms the ordinary act of sitting or placing into moments of inspiration and challenging daily conventions. His pieces are inspired by the angle of insect limbs, a fanciful cluster of hobbit houses, bodies’ curves, ancient stonework, traditional weavings, the lines of classic painters (many fans refer to Klimt’s echo in his work), the lilt of a land or seascape, or dreams.” Roberto Gastelumendi’s philosophy is based on the premise that there is a richness and resilience in difference, and his furniture-making and artistic vision is a testament to this belief. After unexpected flooding in a former workshop, Roberto was enthusiastic - but not completely surprised - to find that his innovative joinery not only withstood the expansion and contraction indicative of wood meeting water, but the pressure and movement seemed to create an even stronger, interlocking bond.
Roberto is constantly innovating and drawn to collaboration and has expanded his creative reach by co-creating with master artisans to produce paddles in Hawaii, sunglasses with laminate made from his joinery in the Basque Country, surfboard fins in southern California, chess boards, and wood-turned accessories.
Honorable Mentions
Bill Schwob “Past Future Figure”, Anagama wood fired clay with steel base, 2023, 71˝x13˝x16˝ $35,000 First Honorable Mention artist Bill Schwob has a work in the City’s current collection and, while his work was noted as exquisite as the recommended purchase, Schwob’s work was considered both more difficult to site because of the need to walk 360 degrees around the work to view it from all sides and as an existing featured artist in the collection, less beneficial to the expansion of the collection both in diversity of media and opportunities for other artists.
Bill studied painting and sculpture at the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana. After art school, he traveled to Guatemala to visit the Mayan ruins of Tikal. Seeing these ruins made a lasting impression and over the course of his life he continued to visit ruins of ancient civilizations which has influenced the piece “Past Future Figure.” He also travels regularly to Japan and it was there that he first saw the beautiful wood fired ceramic pieces fired in anagama kilns and fell in love with their surfaces and patinas applying the process to this work. In 2008, he began this current series of anagama wood fired clay figurative works. In his exploration of the human form he exposes the anatomy and combinse invented architectural structure in a way that suggests both the fragility and strength of the human condition. He notes, “The broad focus of this series is climate change and the real possibility that life on earth will be completely altered and that all human life is at risk unless we drastically change our global behavior. As I make these pieces I try to imbue them with the sense that the future is not fully written yet (all of my figures are still standing). I hold onto hope that humanity can find a way to mitigate the worse effects of climate change.” Jeannie O’Connor “Curved Wall”, painted film over chalk pastel, 2016, 41˝x28˝ $5,400 Second Honorable Mention, artist Jeannie O’Connor’s “Curved Wall” is located in a space between photography and painting. Her studio is in the heart of West Oakland, which has been going through rapid gentrification since she moved there in 2008. She notes “Abandoned building surfaces become sites of turf wars between taggers and landlords, resulting in alternating layers of paint and graffiti. My photographic images document a moment in time and are often architectural. My painting and collage, added later by printing on clear film and adding hand worked layers below, work in slow time, addressing the feelings and memories evoked by the image.” Locations Considered
The Purchase Award recommendation for “Lanzón de Chavin Totem” is for installation in the lobby at City Hall. The artist and staff in City Hall will be consulted to determine preferred conditions for installation among a short list of options in this area. Existing artwork may be required to be moved and reinstalled elsewhere. A curator’s services may be sought to determine the best location for the work’s features and best installation means.
Next Steps
Following the purchase of the works by the City and the conclusion of the Exhibition, staff will work with the artist to install the artwork. A plaque will be installed near the artwork naming the artist, artwork title, and medium, and indicating its inclusion in Emeryville’s permanent art collection. A reception is planned for early December in coordination with the artist.
Fiscal Impact
Funds from the Public Art Fund (Fund 243) are to be utilized for the purchase’s costs. The cost of purchase of the art work is $30,000. Installation costs have not yet been estimated but as they may require floor attachment, relocation of another work and securing the work, an allowance of up to $5,000 is appropriate. Administrative costs include $1,400 for the reception event and outreach, $1,450 in plaque and stipend costs, for a total of up to $37,850.
The Public Art Fund’s operating budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25 includes $25,000 for the Annual Purchase Award, therefore staff recommends the appropriation of an additional $12,850 for the purchase and installation of “Lanzón de Chavin Totem”. The Public Art Fund (Fund 243) has sufficient funding for this appropriation.
Staff Communication with the Public
As noted above, on October 3, 2024, the PAC reviewed and made a motion consistent with the Selection Panel’s recommendation to purchase “Lanzón de Chavin Totem” by Roberto Gastelumendi and to acknowledge William Schwob’s “Past Future Figure” and Jeannie O’Connor’s “Curved Wall” for Honorable Mentions.
Conflict of Interest
City staff, the PAC and City Council members and their spouses are all precluded from consideration in the Purchase Award Program, as are artists whose work was purchased through the Purchase Award Program from 2019 through 2023.
ConclusioN
The Purchase Award of 2024 will continue an eighteen-year tradition of supporting local artists through purchase by the City. This program and the Sharon Wilchar Bus Shelter Art Program are the City’s only art programs specifically supporting Emeryville residents and workers. Support for local artists was confirmed as a top goal in the 2016 Public Art Master Plan. Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution approving the purchase of “Lanzón de Chavin Totem” by Roberto Gastelumendi and the acknowledgement of William Schwob’s “Past Future Figure” and Jeannie O’Connor’s “Curved Wall” for Honorable Mentions.
PREPARED BY: Amber Evans, Community & Economic Development Coordinator II Approved and Forwarded to the
City Council of the City of Emeryville:
Adam Politzer, Interim City Manager
Attachments
Draft Resolution
1. Artwork Images
2024 Purchase Award
| October 15, 2024
City of Emeryville
CALIFORNIA
MEMORANDUM