MINUTES OF THE FINE ARTS COMMISSION MEETING OF 14 NOVEMBER 1988

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90M01364R000700120002-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 28, 2013
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: December 8, 1988
• Content Type: MISC

? Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/01/28: CIA-RDP90M01364R000700120002-6
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CONFIDENTIAL
8 December 1988
MINUTES OF THE FINE ARTS COMMISSION MEETING OF 14 NOVEMBER 1988
The Fin meeting of 14 November 1988 was attended by:
Chairman
was in ro uce as e P representative vice
In the first order of business, minutes from the previous meeting were
accepted.
the new head of the Federal Women's Program for the Agency,
spoke about er attempts to arrange a special exhibit in commemoration
of Women's History Month next March. She has been looking into an exhibit
of "Women Artists of the New Deal Era" that is available from the National
Museum of Women in the Arts,and she passed around clippings and brochures
regarding the exhibit and the museum. The exhibit, valued at approximately
$132,000 for insurance purposes, is available for rent at something over
$2000. The museum is willing to insure the exhibit if the Agency uses an
experienced mover of artistic objects; the OEEO/FWP would bear the costs
of the rental. The FAC gave he green light to pursue the
securing of the exhibit by raising it with her council members.
asked the previous month to draft a proposal regarding
a potential artist-in-residence program, did so. The presentation of the
draft proposal provided the opportunity for FAC members to debate whether
we preferred an artist-in-residence whose mission was solely to create
a given number of pieces of art over a specified period or a more hybrid
officer who would, create art and serve as a curator/coordinator for the
Agency's growing collection of art.I raised possibility of
making the job entirely one of curating and coordinating. The sense of the
group --each member was polled individually-- was that the artist-in-
residence prpgram, were it to be implemented, should not at this stage be
burdened by curatorial and coordination duties.
It was agreed that would offer an amended draft proposal
at the December meeting for further refinement of the concept and possible
n on it.
CONFIDENTIAL
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FAC Mtg/14 November 1988-page 2
An update on the work of the kiosk/bulletin board committee was not
available. This will be taken up at the December meeting.
:irculated brochures on several table models available
for emplacement in the snack bars of the new building. The FAC voted for
a fiberglass model that comes in different colored laminates.
An update on the decision to mount some explanatory material on the
Melzac collection of Washington Color School art in the main lobby of
Headquarters was not available. This will be taken up at the December
meeting.
The FAC disapproved a request from OIR to mount on the 'ground-floor
wall entrance to the library large letters advertising that entrance.
The rationale was that the heavy flow of trash carts and mechanical
equipment through the GF corridor would likely damage the letters.
will follow through with a letter to OIR.
The FAC concurred in proposal that OL look into dealing with the
slippery quality of the polished stone corridors that lead from the
25X1 cafeteria areas into the new building. will look into
placing carpets in those areas.
The FAC disapproved a proposal from OMS to place health-related literature
in the restrooms. It was believed that such placements would create
too much clutter and that OMS had other means --such as its newsletter
and its own lobby area displays-- for disseminating information. John
25X1 will follow through with a letter conveying the FAC decision.
It was agreed that the FAC will, in the future, look into who places
notices on the b rds and who bears responsibility for their
25X1 timely removal, will look into drafting a notice for
general distribu ion regar ing he need to keep the boards as up-to-date
and clean as possible.
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Other business:
--the DCI has approved Kinsler for his official portrait.
--The Director of the Hirshhorn would like to come to see the
Washington Color School art in the lobby of Headquarters Building.
will look into arranging this.
--James Sanborn will present a maquette of his proposed sculpture
for NEA panel and Agency consideration on 29 November. At the same
meeting, the attendees will review choices for a graphics artist
for the new building.
The next meeting of the FAC will be at 1100 hours on Monday, 12_December.
CONFIDENTIAL
Secretary, FAC
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CONFIDENTIAL
8 December 1988
MINUTES OF THE FINE ARTS COMMISSION MEETING OF 29 NOVEMBER 1988
A special meeting of the Fine Arts Commission took place 29 November
1988 to review the concrete proposal offered by James Sanborn for a
sculpture for the new building and to review slides of five graphics
artists' work in support of a decision on a contract that would substi-
tute for that earlier offered Matt Mulligan.
The meeting was attended by Marilyn Farley of GSA's Art and Architecture
Group, by four members of the National Endowment for the Arts panel that
she has put together for the Agency compound project, by James Sanborn,
and the followin A enc Personnel:.
AC chairman
AC member
AC Member
AC member
nterior designer, OL; adviser to FAC
Deputy Director for Admnistration
ecutive Director, CIA
ecutive Assistant, DDA
The model presented by Sanborn showed a sculpture composed primarily of
slabs of red granite, with verdigris copper plates (pierced by frequency
code alphabet tables), lodestone, and petrified wood used as secondary
materials. Sanborn proposed locating, elements of the sculpture at three
sites: the walkway from the parking structure in West Lot to the new
building, the northwest corner of the courtyard formed by the two buildings,
and the eastern edge of the courtx#ard against the glass wall of the
cafeterias. His maquette showed the inclusion of a small whirlpool at the
second site and of a larger, still pool surrounded by miscanthus grass
at the third. The third site would, moreover, include a meterorite to
be obtained from the southwestern United States. He estimated that the
project would take 1 to 21 years to complete, noted that he was still
refining the details of the project, and asked to be allowed some flexi-
bility in that refining process.
All members of the NEA panel, as well as all Agency personnel listed above,
were enthusiastic about the proposed theme of the sculpture and Sanborn's
early ideas for its execution. A few suggestions were made: that two slabs,
vice a possible three, be used for the walkway site, and that the style and
placement of walyway lights and courtyard picnic tables might need to be
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CONFIDENTIAL
Minutes-29 November/page 2
redesigned once the sculpture was in place.
The five artists considered for the graphics contract for the new building
were:
Charles Luce, a specialist in the use of signage and symbols,
whose work tends to be unidtmensional in mode and intimate in
scale.
Terry Allen, a performance artist who specializes in installa-
tions that often have light and sound enhancements and text
that refers, on many occasions, to the Vietnam War.
Tom Green, a producer of large-scale paintings that (in the
words of this recording officer) bear a strong resemblance
to Australian aboriginal paintings.
Jonathan Burafski, who specializes in flat _presentations
of world flag symbols.
Vernon Fisher, who relies heavily on narrative text in his pieces.
The NEA panel had sus in their rankings of the suitability of
25X1 the artists. speaking for the Agency, expressed a preference
for giving top cons' era ion to Charles Luce and Tom Green. Because
questions were raised by NEA panel members regarding the willingness of
several of these artists to take on a contract for the Agency, it was
25X1 agreed that would telephone each of the five, determine
that willingness, and then --by a telephonic conference call-- get the
sense of the panel...The panel's recommendations will then be forwarded to
Chairman, FAC.
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CONFIDENTIAL
FAC
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Confidential
27 December 1988
MINUTES OF THE FINE ARTS COMMISSION MEETING OF 12 DECEMBER 1988
The Fine Arts Commission meeting of 12 December was attended by:
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airman
Minutes from the previous meeting were accepted.
Furthger discussion regarding proposal-to establish an
artist-in-residence program was deferred until the January meeting
because ?who are working on
drafting the relevant legal document-- were not able to attend.
had, however, sent a letter expressing her views about the program, and
read this to the group. Her major concerns dealt with
funding such a program in a period of budgetary constraints.
repopted that the Office of Security, had been asked to
place security barriers (eg, concrete vehicle barriers) on the long
Approach from West Lot to the NUB. It was agreed-that-the security
requirement was legitimate but that James Sanborn would be contacted for
advice on a barrier design compatible with his proposed sculpture.
reported a request asking that signs be placed outside each
restroom in the NHB saying 'Please open door slowly.'' suggested
that the more gebneral problem of hard-to-open doors on the new
restrooms be reviewed in the Office of Logistics. The issue of FAC
aproval for the signswas deferred.
reported on behalf of the Bulletin Board Committee. She
suggested that proper bulletin boards, covered with fabrics that match
the elevator areas of the NHB, be installed, but that bulletin boards be
kept out of the NHB atrium area. The Office of Logistics willlook into
getting this done.
Confidential
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/01/28: CIA-RDP90M01364R000700120002-6
Confidential
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reported considerable positive feedback on the White
House Christmas card display. She announced the following schedule for
upcoming exhibits:
January: Afghainstan
February: Black History Month exhibit cancelled. Afghanistan exhibit
to be extended.
March: Lithographs of Women Artists
April: Employee Photographs
May: Bill of Rights Bicentennial
reported that FBIS,-?in anticipation of its 50th anniversary
in early 1991, had asked to reserve the exhibit corridorfor .
?mid-February to mid-March-1991. will advise to
_contact the EEO to seek a compromise as the corridor is usually reserved
in February and March for Blac -Month and Women's History Month.
also reported-tha ad-called regardingLan_exhibit
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in connection with Deaf Awareness Week. She was advised to contact the
Handicapped Program to possibly join forces.
reported that he had prepared a memorandum for the DCI,
DDCI, DDA, and Executive Officer seeking final approval for the Sanborn
sculpture proposal. (ADDENDUM: On 19 December, briefed the.
DCI and DDCI on the sculpture and won their approval for it.) John
showed the FAC a color sketch that demonstrated the two courtyard
elements of the Sanborn preoposal. He also briefedthe meeting on the
Slides shown 29 November at a special meeting of the FAC convened to
help choose a new graphics artist for NHB.
announced that additional monies had been budgeted to cover
per diem and framing costs of the portrait of the E0CVto be done by
Raymond Kinstler.
plans to attendan out-of-town colloquium on corporate art
:collections. He has also asked the Office of General Counsel to
determine wherther we can solicit private businesses regardihng the loan
or donation of art.
The next meeting of the FAC will be held at 1100, Monday, 9 Jasnuary.
Secretary, FAC
Confidential
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