I think these items need to be pulled in Tuesday’s meeting and discussed. (Item #1) Not saying they are controversial, but I am curious about a NORTH gift shop at the Pavilion (they already have a South one) and why it is costing taxpayers half-million to renovate one floor of City Hall. Of course this is the same building that had to spend around $60K for a ‘backup’ air-conditioner for the IT room.
But as usual, when you go digging at the Pavilion, you are bound to find something that isn’t quite right;
At the center of this exhibition is a rare collection of approximately 150 works on paper by Toulouse-Lautrec. This includes 12 of his iconic posters as well as 35 of his sketches, which were often the draft ideas for the posters themselves.
So what are the other 103 pieces? Prints? Reproductions? Giclees? Here we go down the Norman Rockwell road once again.
Not at all, they are Litho’s and VERY nice reproductions. If I had one complaint about the exhibit (which is a very large collection) it would be the collectors need to re-frame the collection (looks very Hobby-Lobbish)
So this got me curious about the ‘origin’ of the exhibit. Greece. You know, the country where people are actually wearing barrels and suspenders for clothing.
If you do a little research on the ‘Private’ museum the collection came from, you have to remember the economic crisis in Greece, or should I say the bottom freaking dropping out?
They have had only one major exhibition in the past two years, something about math. Seems the Greece’s treasury department needs to head over and take a gander at it.
Enough of that, the show is fantastic, I wasn’t even irritated by the $10 entrance fee, but I will say this, I was disappointed with the appearance of the Visual Arts Center.
First off, they knocked out some rag-tag wall at the back of the main gallery (Everist) for the Native gallery (don’t trip on the weird ramp) secondly, as you will see in the image below, they had some kind of trash and seating project going on in the middle of the exhibit (probably an educational program) but why not clean it up? It’s Saturday, not Tuesday, lots of traffic, in fact I saw several viewers staring at this collaboration of trash cans.
I have also heard, the PAV has been renting out the VAC for private receptions, this might be the remnants.
The other inklings I have heard is that the Pavilion has been ‘cutting’ corners. Which surprises me, because, they get a large subsidy from the taxpayer. It has probably been since this summer that I have been there, but the one thing I have noticed is how un-inviting and dirty it is. Even in the Everist Gallery, with a ‘world-class’ exhibit, the carpet was extremely dirty, scuffs all over the walls, shades drawn over the expansive windows (not sure why) and this appearance of ‘Half-Assery’. I was surprised the art was not crooked and laying on the floor.
Trust me, I keep my house about as clean as a truck-stop. But if you are charging an entrance fee to see TL, get out the vacuum cleaner.
I have often said, the new city council needs to ask for a FULL FORENSIC & FINANCIAL AUDIT of the Pavilion. Things are not right over there, shit is going on!
But they could save taxpayers a lot of dough, and forgo the audit, and just fire the current management company, you know, like everybody.
It breaks my heart, because I worked there the first 4 years it was opened, had an art exhibit there, donated to arts night and was personal friends with the first director. I really felt it could work, and that is what is frustrating what I see when I walk into the place.
Okay, I know what you are thinking, peeps make mistakes, typos happen. Would agree. Worked in printing for 20 years, they happen everyday;
So the next logical step after going through Marketing as well as the Visual Arts Center’s Curator and Director is to fix it, make new printouts, copies, etc, before sending it nationally. Ah, oops;
Leaky 10 year roofs are one thing, typos on art entry forms are another. Taxpayer money going towards this stuff, freaking mind-boggling.
I am still in a little bit of shock over this. During the SF City Council meeting, Councilor Staggers asked why we are replacing a roof after only 14 years (it is leaking, and apparently only had a 10 year lifespan) and why isn’t the city’s engineering department looking at this issue instead of a private engineering company, Director Huwe’s response, “No one in the city engineering department has roof expertise. (sic)”
I am no engineer, but, I would think if the city engineering department put their heads together, they could figure it out.
Besides the fact that we have spent over $40 million on the reconstruction and construction of the Pavilion over the past 14 years and a roof lasting only 10 years is inexcusable, what is even more disappointing was that council chair Entenman has known about this plan to replace the roof since early November, he was informed by Larry Toll in an email, and the council did not learn about it until Friday when the consent agenda was released.
You will not be missed on the council, Jim.
Also a little troubling is who was one of the lead designers of the Pavilion? Koch, Hazard. Besides a leaky roof after 14 years and a bouncing mezzanine, the Pavilion has experienced many other issues, including the removal of carpet on the main staircases because the design was causing people to misstep and fall. Guess who is involved with the design of the new Events Center. Yup, you guessed it, Koch, Hazard. Oh boy.
Person who helped implement SIRE wins city award
What’s the best way to pretend there isn’t a 700 pound gorilla in the room? Give people that are part of the problem (not the solution) an award. The city employee who was responsible for the implementation of SIRE in 2011Â received a non-management employee award last night. Maybe she will get another award after she actually gets SIRE to work. I would like to present it 🙂
GRAPHICS BELOW:
1) Agenda for the Public Services Committee, 2) Pavilion Engineering Expense, 3) Ice & Tennis contracts
1) Looks like the city council is back to square one on the taxi cab ordinance. They are now reverting back to a work session to discuss further changes. The first thing that needs to go is the 24-hr requirement and they need to actively explore a central dispatch program. I have trouble believing the state department of revenue is hampering this program.
2) The Cinedome’s roof is only about 14 years old, (consent agenda) and already needs replacement? After spending millions on the Pavilion and Cinedome we can’t even build a roof that will last more then 14 years? Maybe the Kirby Family and Wells Fargo can donate some more money to get it fixed?
3) The council will be voting on the Ice & Tennis contracts (items 9 & 10). But they are not being presented as resolutions or ordinances, just contracts. I wonder if public input will be allowed?