On February 22, 2023, the Mayor and City Commission approved a referral to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee sponsored by Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez to discuss the restoration of the Beatles Mandala by artist Kevin Arrow, located at 7251 Collins Avenue.
Prior to that, on February 21, 2023, the Art in Public Places Committee made a motion to deaccession the Beatles Mandala (Amor=Love), 2014 by Kevin Arrow (Bandshell Park, Collins Avenue and 73rd Street). At the meeting, the Art in Public Places Guidelines, which provide criteria for an artwork to be deaccessioned, were discussed. This includes the following: situations where value to repair work exceeds the value of the work itself; the work possesses faults of design or workmanship; the work causes excessive or unreasonable maintenance; the work is damaged irreparably, or to an extent where repair is unreasonable or impracticable; or the work represents a physical threat to public safety.
To provide background, below is a synopsis detailing faults of design and workmanship at the onset of the project and measures taken to conserve the artwork.
· February 6, 2015 the artist received final payment for artwork. In doing so, the artist agreed to the contractual terms of the Professional Services Agreement, which held the artist responsible for the proper execution and installation of the Work in its entirety. Under the agreement, the artist shall be solely responsible for conducting any and all inspections of the Site for purposes of ascertaining the condition of same and for proper execution of the Work, and completion and installation of the Project. In addition, the artist shall be responsible for construction oversight during the fabrication and integration of all artist-designed components, whether fabricated by artist’s subcontractors or included in construction documents to be fabricated and installed by others.
· February 23, 2015 the artwork began to show signs of faulty installation with pooling of water inside the mosaic on the southeast corner of the artwork
· Artist was notified of condition and per Artist Agreement with the City, under ARTICLE 2, SCOPE OF SERVICES, Section 2.11(b)
· ARTIST shall be solely responsible for conducting any and all inspections of the Site for purposes of ascertaining the condition of same and for proper execution of the Work, and completion and installation of the Project.
EXHIBIT A SCOPE OF SERVICES, CONSTRUCTION & INSTALLATION COORDINATION
· The ARTIST shall be responsible for construction oversight during the fabrication and integration of all artist-designed components, whether fabricated by ARTIST’s subcontractors or included in construction documents to be fabricated
· December 2015 tiles began popping out of the substrate
· February 2016-October 2020 (approximate) Parks Department staff were trained by the tile installer to reinstall dislodged tiles. Parks Department staff provided hundreds of hours of in-kind maintenance over this four-year period. By the beginning of 2021, the substrate disintegrated to a point that tiles dislodged immediately after installation and in-kind resources were not able to keep up with the rapid deterioration. Over this period of time, approximately $52,800 was spent in staff hours maintaining the work.
· February 2, 2021, the City contracted with Torres Construction to repair the tile. The scope of this project included sourcing specified tiles and materials, installation of tiles (with possible grout and site remediation) and sealing the final work to prevent future water intrusion. Overall, this process would restore this work of art aesthetically, without addressing underlying foundation issues. Missing tiles would be ordered and installed within the mosaic in accordance with the initial design and in collaboration with the artist.
· June 2, 2021, Torres Construction concluded the tiles were not able to be restored and refunded the deposit to the City. The contractor found several areas that were hollow under the fiber board, which means that water has disintegrated both the adhesive and fiber board. The contractor concluded that even an aesthetic repair to the tiles was not possible, as the area below the fiber board was too damaged. As well, other areas of the mosaic had tiles fall off just by touching them.
· October 19, 2021, the Art in Public Places Committee recommended removal of the mosaic due to damage that seems most likely to be the result of the concrete slab onto which it has been set, which was not canted to slough off water. Standing water has deteriorated the artwork.
· May 6, 2022 RLA Conservation prepared a comprehensive scope of work for the documentation, removal and catalogue crating of the mosaic. The estimate for this work is $60,000-$74,000. This amount does not include security fencing for duration of de-installation, re-surfacing of foundation after removal, grass replacement, etc., which would be an additional cost. Most notably, the cost of reinstallation of the mosaic has yet to be determined. (Exhibit B)
· In late 2022, the artist proposed an alternate solution that would involve filling in the lost tiles with colored grout. However, after further study by the artist, this would not provide the work with long-term stability moving forward without regular maintenance as loose tiles would continue to fall off and well-adhered tiles will eventually become loose.
· The artwork commission was $70,000, cost of removal and reinstallation exceed the cost of the commission.
· On March 27, 2023, Morrissey Fine Art provided an appraisal of the work, as set forth in the Appraisal Standards Board of the Appraisal Foundation (USPAP). The retail replacement value appraisal for insurance purposes is $5,000. (Exhibit C)