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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDonation - R. Hero Artwork by K. and T. BaroneCITY OF PALM DESERT ART IN PUBLIC PLACES COMMISSION STAFF REPORT REQUEST: ACCEPT "R. HERO" BY KAREN AND TONY BARONE AS A DONATION TO THE CITY OF PALM DESERT FOR PLACEMENT ON THE EL PASEO MEDIAN IN FRONT OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PALM DESERT SUBMITTED BY: Deborah Schwartz, Public Art Coordinator DATE: December 8, 2011 CONTENTS: Images of the proposed artwork Images of the proposed installation location Information on Karen and Tony Barone About "R. Hero" "ArtAdoption" program Recommendation By Minute Motion, accept "R. Hero" by Karen and Tony Barone as a donation to the City of Palm Desert for placement on the El Paseo median in front of the Historical Society of Palm Desert located at 72-861 El Paseo, Palm Desert. Executive Summary Palm Desert's Public Art Guidelines allow for artwork to be donated to the City upon recommendation by the Art in Public Places Commission and approval by City Council. If "R. Hero" is accepted into the City's permanent collection, the City would be responsible for the cost of the pad, installation, plaque, and ongoing insurance and maintenance. The proposed donation of "R Hero", a sculpture of a purple Dalmatian with a collar that reads "R. Hero", is part of an "ArtAdoption" program created by Rancho Mirage artists Karen and Tony Barone. Through the program the artists would seek a donor to purchase the sculpture directly from them with the stipulation that the artwork must be donated to the City of Palm Desert for placement on the median of El Paseo in front of the Historical Society of Palm Desert. Upon approval from City Council, the artists will work to secure donors for the sculpture, which the artists anticipate will take approximately six months. Staff will then work with the artists to determine a timeline for installation. Staff Report "R. Hero" Donation December 8, 2011 Page 2 of 3 Background "R. Hero" is the first sculpture to be completed in what will be a series of pieces based on the same platform. The number of sculptures that will be fabricated will depend on the number of locations that are available and the private citizens who are willing to purchase the artworks for donation. Each sculpture in the series will be 6' 2" H x 3' 7" W x 6' 10" L, made from aluminum, and executed in different brightly colored iridescent painted finishes with signature Dalmatian black spots and a silver collar that reads "R. Hero". Each piece in the series will be hand painted, so there will be a unique quality to each one. The artists selected to create Dalmatians in order to honor and pay tribute to the heroic acts that fire fighters do on a regular basis. The Barones would like to create a "Dalmatian Nation" by placing their sculptures in communities across the nation, with Palm Desert being the first. Karen and Tony Barone presented the "ArtAdoption" program to the Art in Public Places Commission at its meeting of September 21, 2011. The proposal included placing "R. Hero" in the landscaped area in front of Fire Station 33 located at 44-400 Town Center Way. After much discussion, the Art in Public Places Commission continued the item to its meeting of October 19, 2011 to allow staff, two Commission Members, and the Barones to meet with the Fire Chief to get feedback on the sculpture from him and the staff who work in the building. At the Commission's meeting of October 19, 2011, staff relayed the comments from the fire station staff, who were not in favor of the artwork, in particular, the color and size. The Commission voted against accepting the sculpture for placement at the fire station and continued the item to its meeting of November 16, 2011 to allow time for staff to consider other locations for the placement of "R. Hero". At the Commission's meeting of November 16, 2011, staff recommended that the sculpture be placed in the median in front of the Historical Society of Palm Desert, located at 72-861 El Paseo. Staff chose this specific location because the Historical Society site is the former home of the City's first fire station and houses a collection of historical fire fighting memorabilia. The Barones are in full support of the new location. The Commission unanimously approved staff's recommendation for the placement of the artwork. Staff Report "R. Hero" Donation December 8, 2011 Page 2 of 3 Fiscal Analysis There will be no cost for the sculpture acquisition or delivery. Costs incurred by the City's Art in Public Places Fund will include pouring of footing pads, installation, and a plaque, all of which is estimated to cost less than $1,500.00. Ongoing costs will include insurance and maintenance. Funds are available in Public Art Account Number 436-4650-454-4001. No general fund money will be expended. Submitted by: J Deborah L. Schwartz, Public Art Coordinator Pau Gibson, Director of Finance Approval: Jon . Wohlmuth, City Manager Department Head: Lauri Aylaian Director of Community Development CITY COUNCILACTION APPROVED ✓ DENIED -------- RECEIVED OTHER MEETING DATE a o// AYES: inr00ne/ iea NOES: Mnr:� A13SENT: _ U�r�N. A i3S-LAU N: N one. VI;lUMA) BV:- Oril inal on File with Cite Clerk's f ice ABOUT THE ARTISTS Karen & Tony Barone, who reside in the California Palm Springs Valley, are a legendary artist couple working side by side in the execution of their very large-scale sculpture & paintings. This extraordinarily creative husband and wife team, whose works have been exhibited and acquired by individuals & corporate collections & museums around the world, took a sequitous route in reaching their current studio, which they call their "Paradiso Secco". The Barones met in Chicago (where they were both born) and achieved a high level of success. The next stop on their artistic and romantic journey took them to New York where they talk about "getting their stripes" working out of their sprawling 4th floor converted, once factory space, loft. They were known as Soho pioneers. A hillside studio on their horse farm in East Tennessee became their next artistic environ before heading West to become a powerful artistic presence disseminating work from their massive canal -side studio in Los Angeles' artist community of Venice Beach. Early in the new millennium, they moved their high voltage creativity to the California desert community of Rancho Mirage. In recent years, Karen & Tony Barone have focused their indefatigable energy & passion on creating very large brightly painted metal sculptures of puppy dogs, poodles & felines, many of which are 6 to 9 feet tall, for placement in front of animal shelters, parks, and other public art venues. One of their special puppy dog projects is "R. Hero", a nation-wide effort they call "Dalmatian Nation", to place 6'-2" tall uniquely painted Dalmatian puppy dog sculptures in front of fire stations across the country and thus, through public art, honor the brave firefighters housed within. Karen & Tony Barone possess a formidable wit. They create mind - boggling larger -than -life works of art that challenge our sense of scale and spatial reality. They place us in an Alice -In -Wonderland state of mind. For more about the art of Karen & Tony Barone: BaroneArt.com ©MMXI Karen & Tony Barone all rights reserved Updated: 8/22/11 ""R. HERO" giant Dalmatian puppy dog sculptures by Karen & Tony Barone "R. HERO" is a series of 6'-2" tall all aluminum Dalmatian puppy dog sculptures. Each Dalmatian is executed in a different brightly colored iridescent painted finish with signature Dalmatian black spots and the name "R. HERO" on its shiny silver collar. Artists Karen & Tony Barone have created this unique series of sculptures to be installed in front of fire stations or at appropriate public sites (parks, municipal buildings, schools, etc.) as a means of honoring and bringing recognition to our heroic firefighters. When "R. Hero" is placed in front of fire stations, additionally it marks and identifies the unique function of the buildings and the heroes housed within. In addition to honoring firefighters, this project allows artists Karen & Tony Barone the opportunity of achieving a personal goal to create large scale public art that will enhance the quality of life for individuals living in, working in and visiting a city. It also draws attention to the powerful and beneficial relationship of animals to people. Karen & Tony Barone plan to make their "R. HERO" sculptures available to communities across America - creating a "Dalmatian Nation". Having the Dalmatian sculptures executed in different colors allows for a citywide campaign that places a different colored "R. HERO" at each site selection. In the case of "R. HERO" Karen & Tony Barone have restricted Its purchase only to those acquiring the work for donation to honor fire fighters "R. HERO" is part of Karen & Tony Barone's "ArtAdoption" initiative (ArtAdoption.com). Specifications: Size: 6'-2"H X T-7"W X 6'-10"L - approx. weight 150# Media: Transparent sparkle painted aluminum Donor acknowledgment plaque ©MMXI Karen & Tony Barone all rights reserved ArtAdoption Artists Karen & Tony Barone have a vision for their artwork to enrich public spaces by placing large-scale sculptures in communities across the United States. They facilitate this through a funding concept they call "ArtAdoption" in which the artwork is a GIFT to the community and is paid for by private citizens or through corporate and business sector sponsorship - without requiring funds from cities or other public sector governmental bodies. The "ArtAdoption" projects allow for a private sector & citizens grassroots art -in -public -places initiative. It gives art enthusiasts an opportunity to acquire an extraordinary & significant work of art and GIFT it for the public good & enrichment. Fire stations, animal shelters, parks, zoos, etc. receive the work at no charge. The municipality achieves the lofty goal of supporting the arts while also satisfying their need to embellish public spaces - all without using funds raised through taxation. Normally government has to spend money collecting and allocating funds to purchase public art. In Karen & Tony Barone's "ArtAdoption" program, the art acquisition funds go directly from the private sector to the artists. The artists fabricate the work and oversee the completion of the projects through installation in cooperation & coordination with the governing authorities. ©MMXI Karen & Tony Barone all rights reserved Updated: 8/13/11 ra lleF I ta?�, � od. IJ i N I AV ��- � ' _ ..,. 4' _ /� ��. ,r �� � � n r ' { � ' �N� - r�. ��� � �: 7.''; .�: ��. �� ' r, % { �� �� u; !..' '�;,�',' "S'�, '':�i MIA Awn, M�