Ann Arbor's part-time public art administrator is getting a two-month extension of his contract while city officials figure out the next steps for the public art program.
The Ann Arbor City Council unanimously voted Monday night to pull $5,410 from the public art fund's cash reserves to continue Aaron Seagraves' services through July 31. He has been under contract with the city as the public art administrator since April 2011.
The council voted separately to eliminate $326,464 in spending on public art for the 2013-14 fiscal year that starts July 1, what's seen as an end to the city's Percent for Art Program.
Aaron Seagraves
Instead of automatically setting aside 1 percent of capital project budgets for public art, the new ordinance language states: "Funding for public art may come from private donations of cash or collateral (specific objects of art), crowdfunding for specific art projects, as part of a capital improvement project specifically designated as an enhanced project, or other funds that City Council may appropriate."
That gives the city a few different funding options, and some discretion over whether certain city projects might benefit from having public art "baked in" from the start.
The City Council took action in early December to temporarily suspend use of public art funds until April 1 with a few exceptions. That was later extended through May 31.
Craig Hupy, the city's public services administrator, said the two-month extension of the contract with Seagraves, who acts as a part-time consultant, carries the art program through July 31.
Hupy reported that Ann Arbor's public art program is in the process of completing several new public artworks in 2013 and into the first half of 2014.
Installation of a new artwork in the Justice Center lobby is scheduled to take place during Memorial Day weekend, and four artists from across the country also are competing for a potentially $360,000 contract from the city to create a new public art installation at the site of the Stadium bridges.
The four finalists will be presenting their proposals for the Stadium bridges art project at 2 p.m. June 7 at a meeting taking place inside city hall.
Public art projects associated with a new rain garden at Kingsley and First streets and at the Argo Cascades also are underway, Hupy reported.
This $150,000 public art project to be installed in the lobby of the Ann Arbor Justice Center, titled "Radius," was designed by Portland artist Ed Carpenter.
Courtesy image
As the chief contact person for the Public Art Commission, Seagraves directly reports to Hupy. He is contracted to work an average of 20 hours per week.
Hupy said Seagraves' services include providing overall leadership, general management and assistance in daily operations of the public art program, planning and development, public relations, and the coordination of projects with city staff, stakeholders and artists.
The city, which has discussed making the art administrator's job a full-time position to improve the quality of the program, first contracted with Seagraves from April 2011 to May 2012.
In June 2012, the city entered into a professional services agreement with Seagraves for the period from June 11, 2012, through May 31, 2013, in an amount not to exceed $24,000. An earlier amendment increased the total compensation to an amount not to exceed $24,990.
Approval of the two-month extension to Seagraves' contract Monday night brings the total compensation amount up to $30,400 from June 2012 through July 2013.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.