CITY COUNCIL: Resolution Approving Management Policy for the City's Art Collection

Meeting Date: June 8, 2010
Prepared by: Rich Guillen

City Council
Agenda Item Summary

Name: Consideration of a Resolution approving a management policy for the City’s art collection.

Description: The City has collected art since approximately 1928. Some of the art has been on display at various City buildings including the Library, City Hall and Sunset Center. A few years ago, a consultant completed an inventory and appraisal of the City’s art. The art must be managed by a qualified professional whose responsibilities will include managing the collection to include accession/deaccession, conservation, storage, insurance coverage, loaning and periodic inventory and appraisal updates.

The attached art management policy was developed by Sheryl Nonnenberg (see
attached resume). Please note that Ms. Nonnenberg has a home in Carmel and
has been informally advising the City for several years. With the adoption of this policy, the City would contract with Ms. Nonnenberg to: 1) research and prepare a report regarding the possible deaccessioning of works from the collection for review by the Council; and 2) upon Council approval of any works for deaccession, determine the best method to proceed and then oversee the process.

Overall Cost:
City Funds: $10,000
Grant Funds: N/A

Staff Recommendation: Adopt the Resolution.

Important Considerations: The need for an art management policy will assist in the possible deaccession of existing art and accession of new art. In addition, portions of the current collection are stored in a vault in the Sunset Center basement. This room does not have the proper storage equipment or climate control. A permanent central storage facility is needed so the art collection will be properly catalogued and maintained.

Decision Record: Recently, the City has: 1) completed an appraisal of all of the City’s art; 2) loaned two pieces of art; 3) conserved several other pieces; and 4) drafted this overall management policy.

Reviewed:

Rich Guillen, City Administrator Date

CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION 2010-
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA APPROVING A MANAGEMENT POLICY FOR THE CITY’S ART COLLECTION

WHEREAS, the City began collecting art in 1928; and

WHEREAS, the City’s art collection has been inventoried and appraised; and

WHEREAS, a Management Policy is needed to protect the art collection including recommending deaccession of art; and

WHEREAS, a qualified consultant is needed to perform the management tasks; and

WHEREAS, Sheryl Nonnenberg is a qualified consultant and is willing to perform the duties of managing the City’s art collection.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA DOES:

1. Approve the Management Policy for the City’s art collection.

2. Authorize hiring Sheryl Nonnenberg to begin the deaccession process in an amount not to exceed $10,000.

3. Authorize the transfer of $10,000 from the Capital Reserve Fund.

PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA this 8th day of June 2010, by the following roll call vote:

AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:

SIGNED:

_______________________
SUE McCLOUD, MAYOR

ATTEST:

_______________________
Heidi Burch, City Clerk

September/October 2009 | FINE ART CONNOISSEUR.COM
HIDEN COLLECTION

When the stagecoach topped the hill from
Monterey and we looked down through
the pines and sea fog on Carmel Bay, it
was evident that we had come without
knowing it to our inevitable place.
— Robinson Jeffers, 1914

The California village of Carmel by the Sea is known around the world for its white sand beaches, windbeaten pines, mild climate, and charming cottages inspired by those in the Cotswold hills of England. Tourists
flock to this small city on the Monterey Peninsula year-round to shop, play golf, explore art galleries, dine at fine restaurants, and enjoy scenic coastal walks.

Carmel has never been shy about promoting its unique beauty and cultural
activities to potential tourists. Moreover, most promotional materials cite
Carmel’s origins as an “artist colony.” What few people know, however, is
that the city of Carmel possesses a large and impressive art collection, one that has accumulated over 90 years totally without plan. In an era when other municipal governments have created “percent-for-art” programs and other mechanisms for beautifying their communities, Carmel has never spent a penny on the purchase of art. To understand how this could occur, it is helpful to review the history of the Carmel-Monterey area, an “inevitable place” for artists to live and find inspiration.

WAVES OF SETTLEMENT
It is generally assumed that artists flocked to the peninsula following
the devastating San Francisco earthquake of 1906. But in his well-researched book, Artists at Continent’s End, curator Scott A. Shields
provides ample proof that artists began visiting as early as the mid-
1870s. Jules Tavernier is usually cited as one of the first to seek respite from the bustle of rapidly growing San Francisco. The rugged
beauty of the coast, fleeting changes of sunlight, and moody transience of the fog soon attracted other artists such as Elizabeth
Strong, Julian Rix, Meyer Strauss, and Raymond Yellan. By 1878, painters working under colorful umbrellas dotted the area’s beaches. Soon the Southern Pacific Railroad opened a line that could bring travelers from San
Francisco to Monterey in just a few hours. Some artists, such as William Keith and George Innes, bought land and built cottages. For most, however, a day trip south provided enough inspiration and a folio of sketches that could be worked up later in a San Francisco studio.

In 1903, J. Franklin Devendorf and Frank Powers formed the Carmel
Development Company and began promoting their town as a place where
“School teachers of California and other Brain Workers” could find peace,
contentment, and a healthful climate. Soon, professors from Stanford
University and the University of California (Berkeley) began to buy lots,
usually for less than $100. Artists and writers followed before long and
became known as the “Bohemians.” The artists included Charles Rollo
Peters, Harry Stuart Fonda, Xavier Martinez, Frances McComas, Mary DeNeale Morgan, and Arthur and Lucia Mathews. Among the writers were George Sterling, Mary Austin, Jack London, and Robinson Jeffers.

Unlike such predecessors as Thomas Hill and Albert Bierstadt, who had come to California for the mountainous grandeur of Californian sites like Yosemite, the artists who came to Carmel were interested primarily in the coastal landscape. Working in various styles, but especially impressionism
and tonalism, they captured the ever-changing panorama of sea, sand, and pines. The Bohemians enjoyed an active social life, captured by the photographs of Arnold Genthe, which record clam bakes on the beach and
amateur theatricals in the woods.

The 1906 earthquake destroyed the San Francisco studios and homes of many artists, including William Keith and Carleton Watkins. Those who owned second homes in Carmel moved there permanently, while others relocated to
Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. With the destruction of many San Francisco galleries, Monterey’s luxurious Hotel Del Monte became an important place to exhibit art in northern California. Artists continued to visit the peninsula to work and sell, but by 1915 the original Bohemians had moved
on. Some felt Carmel was now too crowded, while others found the carefree, undisciplined lifestyle unconducive to producing enough artworks to make a living. Although Carmel would always be attractive to artists, there would never again be an established colony like the Bohemians.

A NEW FOCAL POINT FOR COLLECTING
Carmel continued to grow, though always with an eye toward preserving
its charm. In 1928, a public library was completed downtown
through a generous bequest from Ella Reid Harrison, the wife of California
Supreme Court Justice Ralph Chandler Harrison. Designed by
architect Bernard Maybeck with open-beamed ceilings, large arched
windows, and an outdoor balcony, the Harrison Library epitomizes
the harmonious Spanish Colonial style for which he is admired. But
Mrs. Harrison did not bequeath only construction funds; she also
left to the library her extensive and eclectic collection of artworks and
rare books. The gift included paintings by local artists, etchings by
Rembrandt and Millet, and even a letter signed by Charles Dickens.
It was promptly housed in the library’s storerooms and became the
basis for the Carmel by the Sea Art Collection.

As the second and third waves of artists arrived in Carmel, they
sought not to re-create the Bohemian experience but to establish an
organization that could address the needs of working artists. Founded
in 1927, the Carmel Art Association is the second oldest nonprofit
artist cooperative in the U.S. From its humble beginnings in a variety
of venues, this group offered lectures and demonstrations, and
provided its members with a place to exhibit and sell their work.
Today artists must already have exhibition experience and live within
35 miles of Carmel in order to be considered for membership. Some of the most illustrious early members included Francis McComas, Armin Hansen, Percy Gray, and E. Charlton Fortune.

Not surprisingly, many members have donated their art to the city’s
collection over the years. The other primary source of gifts to this collection has been nonartist residents. From a distance, it may seem odd for such citizens to give artworks to a library, and also that the community never developed its own municipal art museum. Having said this, one must keep in mind the unique demographics of the area.

Although it certainly has full-time residents, Carmel has always had
proportionally more “second homes.” (Today as many as 50 percent
of its houses are estimated to fall in this category.) As people have moved away, or died without heirs, their art collections have gradually
been donated to the Harrison Library.

And so, without any conscious effort, this sleepy town has become
the steward of a large art collection. Like most U.S. art museums, the
Harrison Library has room to display only a small portion of its treasures, the vast majority of which are in storage. Usually on view are some of the collection’s oldest works: paintings by Mary DeNeale Morgan,
William Silva, and Sidney Yard, and also an unusual work painted on
cigar box lids by Jules Tavernier, Cypress Point and Monterey. The collection includes important works by Charles Rollo Peters, Arnold Genthe,
Josephine Culbertson, Ferdinand Burgdorff, and Edward Weston. The contemporary artists represented include Dick Crispo, Loran Speck,
Pam Carroll, and Morley Baer. One of the most notable works, Armin
Hansen’s Animals and Figures (The Story of Life), has been moved out of
the library for conservation reasons and can now be found in the City
Council Chambers. Artworks have also been installed in various offices
at City Hall, in the Park Branch of the library, and in the recently remodeled Sunset Center, a performing arts venue.

THE ROAD AHEAD
Today, Carmel by the Sea finds itself with an intriguing conundrum.
Given its very small staff, limited storage, and uncertain tax revenues,
the city is trying to determine how best to care for its collection.
In 2007, a professional appraisal (the first in many years) revealed
that a number of works had increased in value substantially. Because
there has never been a designated registrar to administer the collection,
its documentation is haphazard. Various advisory groups (composed
mostly of local artists) have called public attention to the situation,
but no meaningful progress has been made. Moreover, the random
nature of gifts and bequests over the years means that many objects
in the collection (e.g., Japanese woodblock prints, clocks, tapestries)
lie well outside its regional scope and thus may eventually be
deaccessioned. Recently, a consultant was hired to make recommendations
regarding future management of the collection.

Perhaps none of this is surprising for a town where Clint Eastwood
was once mayor, high heels are banned, and a major city-sponsored event
is the annual Sand Castle Contest. Social trends come and go, but art
will always be a mainstay of this remarkable community. As Arnold Genthe
once observed, “The unique beauty and charm of Carmel will never
cease to be an inspiration to painters and writers.”

SHERYL NONNENBERG is an art researcher/writer who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Resume – Sheryl Nese Nonnenberg
5 Sunrise Court
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650-854-3864, Nonnenberg@aol.com

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Library Assistant, Sacred Heart Prep – Circulation desk, assist students with research, cataloging.
Curator of library art exhibitions and counter displays. Guest lecturer and faculty advisor for art history.
(2005- 2008)
Library Assistant, Special Collections, Stanford University – Supervision of Reading Room, assist
patrons with research, manuscript processing of print and photography collections. (2001 – 2003)
Collection Manager, Anderson Collection of Contemporary Art – Responsibilities in all areas of
collection management, including inventory control, registration and curatorial research. Supervision of
loan exhibitions and direction of public tour program. (1994 – 1999)
Cultural Arts Supervisor, City of Sunnyvale – Manager of city-funded visual and performing arts
programs including direction of two facilities (Visual and Performing Arts Centers), budget supervision
and liaison to civic arts groups and City Council. Administrator of public art program. (1981- 1986)

CONSULTING
Art Historian/Researcher – Research and write essays for the Chara Schreyer collection of
contemporary art. Library and internet research as well as artist interviews. (2000 – present)
Guest Curator, de Saisset Museum – Organize, plan and present exhibition of work by Richard Mayhew and group exhibition of landscape- themed art. Wrote press releases, feature article and all label text for exhibitions. Organized a panel discussion with the artists. (March-Sept. 2009)
City of Carmel by the Sea – Assessment of and recommendations regarding the city’s art collection.
On-going assistance with the documentation and management of the 700 piece collection.
Curatorial Project – Research and compilation of information for private clients of Anne
Kaiser/ARTVENTURES. (2002)
Archivist, Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University - Research and organization of archival materials documenting the Center’s restoration and renovation. (2000)
City of Sunnyvale – Research, assess and offer recommendations, in the form of report to Council, regarding the feasibility of a City-funded public arts program.

EDUCATION AND SPECIALIZED TRAINING
MUSEUM COLLECTION MANAGEMENT AND CARE, George Washington
University and National Endowment for the Humanities, Distance Education.
MASTER OF LIBERAL ARTS, Stanford University
Thesis: Women’s Culture in the West: The Philanthropy and Art Patronage of Jane Stanford and Alma Spreckels.
MUSEUM MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE, University of California at Berkeley
THE GRANTSMANSHIP CENTER, San Mateo, CA
MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING, MUSEUM EDUCATION, George Washington
University,Washington, D.C.
LONE MOUNTAIN COLLEGE, Museum Studies Program, San Francisco, California
BACHELOR OF ARTS (CUM LAUDE), Northeastern University, Boston, Mass.
RELATED EXPERIENCE/TRAVEL
Study/Travel, Renaissance Art and Patronage, Oxford University
Internship, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Education Department
PUBLISHED ESSAYS
The Glare Within the Square: The Unflinching Eye of Diane Arbus, Tangents, Stanford
University, Fall 2002
An Unbroken Ladder: Jane and Leland Stanford’s Advocacy for the Kindergarten
Movement, Tangents, Stanford University, Summer 2005
An Artful Exile: The Illustrations of Mary Hallock Foote, Imprint, Stanford University
Libraries, Fall 2004
Wright House, Right Place, ARTWORKS Magazine, Summer, 2006
Runnymede, A Natural Space, ARTWORKS Magazine, Winter, 2006
Diamonds by the Sea: A California Collection, Fine Art Connoisseur, Jan/Feb 2007
An Iconic Passion, The Almanac, April 24, 2007
Artist in Residence, Gentry Magazine, October 2007
A Brush With Success, Heart Magazine, Winter 2007
The Passion Portraits: Capturing What Really Moves You, The Almanac, May 14, 2008
Getting to the Heart of the Arts, Heart of the Matter, Summer 2008
Mal du Mer on the Orient Express, Luxury Travel Magazine, October 2008
Trading Places: Expanding Worlds, The Almanac, December 10, 2008
Stanley Wood, Lost and Found, ARTWORKS Magazine, Spring, 2009
Stanley Wood, An Artist Lost and Found, Fine Art Connoisseur, May/June 2009
The Accidental Collection of Carmel, California, Fine Art Connoisseur, Sept/Oct 2009
A Life in Landscape, Richard Mayhew, ARTWORKS Magazine, Fall 2009