HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2017 0524 CCSA SPC ITEM 05B -ITEM 5.B.
CITY OF i1/MOORPARK,CALBFORN A
City Council Meeting
MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL of -0-"Ail-094/7
AGENDA REPORTV: MIK
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TO: Honorable City Council
FROM: Jeremy Laurentowski, Parks and Recreation Directo7
BY: Chris Ball, Management Analyst C?j
DATE: May 19, 2017 (Special Meeting of May 24, 2017)
SUBJECT: Consider Update on Moorpark Police Services Center Public Art
Project
BACKGROUND
In March of 2015 the City issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for an artist to
design an art piece to be located at the Moorpark Police Services Center (PSC). •
Eighteen responses were received. On May 19, 2015, the Arts Commissioners
reviewed the submittals and selected five artists to interview for the project. The
interviews were held at a special meeting of the Commission on June 23, 2015, and the
concept presented by sculptor Heath Satow titled "The Thin Blue Line" was
unanimously selected for recommendation to the City Council. On November 4, 2015
the City Council concurred with the Arts Commission's recommendation and approved
the selection of Heath Satow as the artist for the PSC Art Project and approved an
Agreement with Mr. Satow in in the amount of $145,000. On November 17, 2015 the
Arts Commission selected Commissioners Rose Hoberg and Randall Pugh to serve on
an Ad Hoc Committee for project.
Mr. Satow has been designing public arts projects since 1993; and has an extensive
public art resume. Most of his commissions have been public art projects and they are
showcased around the world, including locations in California, Colorado, Nevada, Dubai
and South Korea. Mr. Satow primarily works in mirror polished stainless steel. In
addition to being a material that changes the way the artwork looks throughout the day
due to light reflection, the maintenance required by the material is minimal, which is
attractive when considering maintenance funding for the piece following installation.
Mr. Satow's proposed project centered on a concept within the law enforcement
community known as the "Thin Blue Line". The Thin Blue Line has been used to
commemorate fallen law enforcement officers, but also represents the relationship of
law enforcement in the community as the protectors of civilians from criminal elements.
Mr. Satow proposed an abstract figure of a police officer made from mirror polished
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•
stainless steel set on a pedestal located in the front entry plaza. The abstract figure
would be split down the middle, and consist of two stainless steel pieces set close
together. At night, the artwork would be illuminated through the middle with a blue
lighting effect creating a "thin blue line" through the piece. At night all that would be
seen of the piece is the blue line.
DISCUSSION
On April 26, 2017 Heath Satow met with the Arts Commission Ad Hoc Committee
(Commissioners Hoberg and Pugh) and City Staff to discuss project design
development and present the final design proposal for the piece. The final design is a
refined version of the design presented in the original proposal. While angles and
• curves have been defined, overall the piece maintains the look and feel of the initial
proposal. The space between the two halves of the sculpture is widened to two inches,
as the artist feels this will provide better reflection of the central lighting and improve the
"blue line" effect. The orientation of the sculpture on the base is modified to align with
the pathway, providing better visibility from the sidewalk on Spring Road, rather than
oriented at a 45 degree angle as originally proposed.
The "thin blue line" lighting effect will be created by painting the center-facing sides of
each half of the piece with high intensity blue paint and illuminating them from the
center of the base with high powered white LED lighting. According to Mr. Satow this
reflective lighting technique will allow the blue line to be visible both during the day and
at night, whereas using blue colored light to illuminate the center seam would only allow
the "thin blue line" to be visible at night. One concern with this approach, however, is
that the paint will be subject to fading over time. The artist feels that the use of high-
intensity urethane paint, and the location of the painted surfaces in the center of the
sculpture, will minimize fading. Mr. Satow has indicated that he will consult with expert
lighting engineers in the selection of paints and the design of the central lighting to
ensure that the blue line effect is achieved as planned.
Four bronze plaques are proposed for the base of the sculpture, one on each side, with
content still to be determined. Possible content includes; a definition of the "Thin Blue
Line", a description of the artist's vision for the piece, a quote of significant meaning to
the police station staff, and/or quotes taken from a survey distributed to the officers.
This survey, distributed to officers at the PSC in March of 2017, is part of a planned
social media outreach campaign that will coincide with the installation of the sculpture.
The survey collected anonymous real-life stories and opinions from officers. These
stories will be paired with photos representing the story and shared with the Moorpark
community through an Instagram account specifically set up to support the Thin Blue
Line project. The intent of this social media campaign is to support the installation of
the art and allow citizens to connect with the human side of the police department.
Staff anticipates review of the concept by the Arts Commission in June and final review
and approval of the concept by the City Council in June. Once the concept is approved,
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Mr. Satow will commence with ordering materials and engineering the piece. The
current schedule would have fabrication conducted at his Los Angeles studio in the
summer and installation at the PSC in the fall of 2017.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Receive and file report.
Attachments:
Final Design Illustrations (2)
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