Title
Accepting the Plan for Artistic Practice in the Central Corridor.
Body
WHEREAS, since the Central Corridor station area plans were adopted in 2008, there has been an interest in strengthening the presence of public art in the neighborhoods along the Central Corridor (Green Line); and
WHEREAS, in 2010, Public Art Saint Paul (PASP) gathered artists, public art curators and urban planners to talk about an artistic vision for the future of the Central Corridor, where public art would be a new kind of connective tissue along the Corridor; and
WHEREAS, in 2010, PASP received a grant from the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative to hire a consultant team to prepare a Central Corridor Public Art Plan; and
WHEREAS, a partnership was formed to guide preparation of the plan, comprising representatives from PASP, the Saint Paul Design Center, City of Saint Paul, City of Minneapolis, University District Alliance, Capitol Region Watershed District and Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District; and
WHEREAS, in 2011, PASP engaged a consultant team of Cliff Garten, artist; Todd Bressi, city planner; Rebar Group and Via Partnership to prepare the plan; and
WHEREAS, the document, A Plan for Artistic Practice in the Central Corridor (the "Plan"), was completed after a two-year planning and community engagement process; and
WHEREAS, the vision for the practice of public art along the Central Corridor involves three fundamental concepts:
· a Living Plan, which lays out a dynamic, organic process for the practice of public art where artists are engaged in meaningful, long-range thinking about how to create healthy, sustainable neighborhoods;
· Urban Languages, large-scale urban systems (food networks, water systems, waste processes, gathering places and cultural identities) that provide the framework for public art practice along the Central Corridor
· Communities of Practice, whereby artists, working within the Urban Languages, immerse themselves in the broader community conversation about issues that are important for a healthy and sustainable urban future; and
WHEREAS, the Plan reflects how public artists and public art can effect social, civic and environmental change; and
WHEREAS, the Plan will help meet several public objectives, including:
· use public art as a platform for citizen engagement, which will help citizens embrace and direct change along the Central Corridor;
· provide a tool for neighborhood exploration, which will help define and strengthen neighborhood identity; and
· give citizens a process for celebrating the diversity of the Corridor, and the expression of that diversity through art.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council hereby accepts the document A Plan for Artistic Practice in the Central Corridor (the "Plan"), which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Plan should be used to prioritize, focus and organize public art practice along the Central Corridor (Green Line); and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Plan should be used by City staff, the Mayor and City Council to implement the City's public art ordinance along the Green Line; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Plan should be used to inform the work of the City Artists-in-Residence along the Green Line; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the involvement of public artists in new public and private development along the Green Line should be weighed against the Plan; and
BE IT FURHTER RESOLVED, that the Plan is accepted only for those purposes set forth in the resolution proper above, that the Plan is not a part of the City's adopted Comprehensive or Sub-Area Plans and that the Plan shall not be used for any purpose regarding zoning permit applications; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Council wishes to express its thanks to: Public Art Saint Paul for its leadership in creating this public art Plan for the Central Corridor; all of the partners who oversaw preparation of the Plan; and, finally, to the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative for its recognition of the importance of public art to a vibrant future for Central Corridor neighborhoods.