The proposed art installation would consist of a projector on the hotel’s rooftop. The projector would project art onto the adjacent wall of the Council Towers South building located on city-owned property at 533 Collins Avenue. The building has no windows and would serve as a blank backdrop. The City’s Art in Public Places (AiPP) Committee would review and approve the proposed projected art.
The artwork projection being proposed includes portraits by Dutch master artists, including Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh. The owner of the Fritz Hotel, Mr. Frits Boers, has contacted the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to propose a collaboration on art curation. (See Attachment).
The Administration understands the desire to implement this art installation through the special event permit process managed by the Tourism and Culture Department.
Special Event Permit Process
The Commission-approved Special Event Guidelines include some salient provisions such as:
- In no case shall a permit be issued to an applicant or venue, for similar events, for more than four (4) consecutive days or five (5) non-consecutive days each during the course of a fiscal year.
- The City Manager shall have the discretion to approve a Special Event Permit for events which exceed the consecutive day clause/limit of permissible events per venue, and shall also have the discretion to amend, modify or temporarily suspend the permit for such events.
This project would require a prolonged Special Event permit and would necessitate approval by the City Manager.
Art in Public Places Review
Pursuant to the Art in Public Places Ordinance, the AiPP would review and provide a recommendation based on the following criteria:
Sec. 82-612. Selection of artists and works of art.
(i) When providing an advisory recommendation to private nonprofit applicants seeking to install works of art in public places and/or noncommercial artistic murals, graphics and images on private or city-owned buildings, which mural, graphic or image art is not funded by the city, the committee shall utilize the following criteria:
(1) Appropriateness to the project or existing site.
(2) Maintenance requirements.
(3) Quality of the work.
(4) Likeliness that the artist can complete the work within available funding of the private nonprofit applicant.
(5) Reflection of enduring artistic concepts, rather than transitory ones.
(6) History of the artist in terms of completion of works on time.
The recommendation shall be issued prior to any required review of the design review board or historic preservation board.
The next AiPP meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at 9:30am, at which time the proposed art projection can be reviewed prior to the June 26, 2024 City Commission meeting. .
Additional Considerations:
In addition, it is recommended that Elderly Housing Development & Operations Corporation (“EHDOC”), Council South Towers building ownership review and approve the proposed projection site and images.