Title
A Resolution approving the concept and donation of a public artwork titled "Coral Carpet" by R & R Studios to be sited in Balboa Plaza in conjunction with 735 and 743 Almeria Avenue in fulfillment of the Art in Public Places requirement for public art in private development. (unanimously recommended by the Arts Advisory Panel approval/denial vote: 4 to 0, and the Cultural Development Board approval/denial vote: 7 to 0)
Body
MG Developer (the “Developer”) is constructing townhouses at 735 and 743 Almeria Avenue (the “Project”). The Developer has chosen the option of petitioning for a waiver of the Art in Public Places Fee requirement by commissioning and donating artwork as specified in the Zoning Code, Article 3, Division 21.
The Developer selected Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt of R & R Studios (the “Artist”) to proceed with a concept design proposal for the artwork. Behar and Marquardt received their Diplomas in Architecture from the Universidad Nacional de Rosario in Argentina. Behar has been a visiting artist at the Getty Research Center in Los Angeles and received a Visual Arts Fellowship from the American Academy in Rome. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard University, Cornell, the University of Maryland, and is an Associate Professor at the University of Miami's School of Architecture. R & R Studios has created award winning landmark projects in Miami, Denver, Austin, and Phoenix, among others and their work has received numerous awards including recognition by Americans for the Arts as one of the best public art projects of 2007 and 2013.
The Developer is proposing donation of a commissioned inlaid terrazzo piece, Coral Carpet, conceived to complement and enhance the commissioned and donated sculptural sofa A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Balboa Plaza. Coral Carpet completes the sense of an outdoor living room at Balboa Plaza and is constructed of unpolished terrazzo inlaid with pre-cast terrazzo elements.
Conceptually, Coral Carpet continues to draw a slice of domesticity into the public realm. The carpet and sofa perform as an extension of home at the park and, together with the tremendous banyan tree at the plaza, act as a fantastic analog of living in Coral Gables.
Formally, Coral Carpet gently accompanies the dimensions of the sofa defining a virtual living-room within the park. The pattern of the carpet introduces a flower motif that appears to be half blooming or pulsating a coral field of flowers to play or dance upon.
The colors of the rug complement the color of the stone in the sofa and the presence of various greens in the plaza. The predominant coral color of the carpet makes a gentle nod to Coral Gables.
The concept proposal is attached as Exhibit A to the proposed Resolution.
The Arts Advisory Panel and the Cultural Development Board voted unanimously to recommend the art concept and donation at their respective meetings on March 27, 2019 and April 2, 2019. The Historic Preservation Board previously issued a certificate of appropriateness on July 21, 2016.
The cost of the proposed art piece and installation is estimated to be $99,427.00 which is less than the required 1% of the two Project’s total budget estimate of $12,000,000. If there is a difference in cost, it will be issued as a check for deposit into the Art Acquisition Fund.
The Developer is required to provide for the perpetual maintenance of the artwork, which will be realized as a one-time contribution of ten percent of the value of the artwork into a public art maintenance fund with the City.
The maintenance of the art work, hereafter, will be the sole responsibility of the City, in accordance with the City of Coral Gables Art in Public Places: Funding, Goals, and Implementation Guidelines. The cost of annual maintenance is anticipated to be minimal and is being proposed through use of the general fund as ordinary maintenance.
The artwork is expected to age appropriately and may develop cracks that are natural to terrazzo.