Art commission approves donation of digital print 'Zingiva La Quinta' for Fran Ryan Center

The Columbus Art Commission approved accepting a permanent donation of a digital print titled "Zingiva La Quinta," by artist Derek Adams, to be accessioned into the City of Columbus public art collection and installed at the Fran Ryan Center.

The piece was offered by Haystack (formerly Pizzuti Collections) and presented at the special meeting by Sofia Lanza of Pizzuti Solutions. Staff said the Recreation and Parks Naming, Signage and Art Committee reviewed the proposal with no objections and that the donation meets criteria in City Code 3115.05. A maintenance plan was included with the donation packet.

Sofia Lanza, who said she represented Pizzuti Solutions as the owner's representative on the Fran Ryan Center project, described the firm's practice of donating a piece from its collection for projects it manages. "We also like to donate a piece of our art from our collection for each piece that we work on," Lanza said, and described working with the building's staff and curator to choose a work that fit the center's senior-focused programming.

Staff presentation described the work as a framed, limited-edition digital print presented in a vintage wood-grain television–style frame and to be protected with plexiglass and security hardware because it will be displayed in a public, high-traffic area. The applicant said the print edition is limited (typically about 20 copies) and that the donor can provide documentation of ownership and, if requested, a valuation; a valuation was not provided at the meeting.

Erin Blue, director of the Department of Development, told the commission the city is preparing a city-hall art plan that will recommend accession and deaccession guidelines and said staff did not recommend delaying acceptance of the donation while the plan is finalized. "The city hall art plan will include … recommendations for, you know, kind of collecting, and that's the thing that we want to bring to you to review before it's finalized so that we can get your input on that as well," Blue said.

Commissioners moved and approved sending the piece into the city collection; the meeting record shows the motion carried but does not list a roll-call vote tally. Staff said accessioning the work will make the City of Columbus the owner and responsible party for maintenance and location decisions, subject to the commission's oversight and any policy that the city adopts going forward.

Next steps noted at the meeting: staff will process the accession paperwork, the donor said she can provide additional documentation or valuation on request, and the commission will apply its accession policy and any future city art-plan guidance to the work's labeling and future relocation.