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United States Mint 801 9th Street NW Washington DC 20220 CCAC Public Meeting Tuesday, June 12, 2018 CCAC Members: Robert Hoge Erik Jansen Mary Lannin Donald Scarinci Jeanne Stevens-Sollman Dennis Tucker Thomas Uram (via telephone) Heidi Wastweet US Mint Personnel: Betty Birdsong Pam Borer Vanessa Franck Ron Harrigal Joe Menna April Stafford Megan Sullivan Apryl Whitaker Roger Vasquez Program Liaisons: Ms. Linda Cook, Superintendent – Weir Farm National Historic Site Ms. Christina Marts, Deputy Superintendent – Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Mr. Vester Marable, Park Ranger – Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Ms. Kristen Hase, Superintendent – Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (via telephone) Mr. Jason Bordelon, Chief of Interpretation and Education – National Park of American Samoa (via telephone) 1. Chairperson Lannin opened the meeting at 9:41 am. 2. Chairperson Lannin noted absent members Michael Moran and Herman Viola. A motion was made to accept the minutes and letters of the March 13, 2018 meeting by Erik Jansen and this was seconded by Robert Hoge. 3. Committee member Dennis Tucker asked for clarification of design elements breaking the border for the America the Beautiful Quarters® series. Ron Harrigal of the US Mint responded by stating that the designs are taken on a case by case basis, allowing for the artwork to break the border over the plateau to create a 3-D effect. 4. April Stafford, of the Office of Design Management, presented the portfolio for the 2020 and 2021 America the Beautiful Quarters Program, the final coins in the series, listing Weir Farm National Historic Site (Connecticut), Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (Vermont), Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (Alabama), Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (Kansas), Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve (US Virgin Islands) and National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa). 5. Committee member Heidi Wastweet restated for liaisons and fellow Committee members the key items that a design should follow: clarity, size appropriateness, creativity, composition, message, minimal text and incorporated text. 6. Weir Farm National Historic Site - Weir Farm National Historic Site is the finest remaining landscape of American Impressionism and provides a pristine setting where contemporary artists can connect to and paint in the same place that American masters painted at the turn of the 19th century. Program liaison, Superintendent Linda Cook, added to the description by stressing the importance of the en plein air artists’ work as an integral part of the site as a National Park for the Arts. 7. A vigorous discussion followed, with most Committee members coalescing around the innovative easel within a landscape idea. A motion was made by Heidi Wastweet, seconded by Erik Jansen, to rework designs CT-13 and CT-14 based on the committee's feedback and to discuss them at a future meeting. The motion was amended, at the request of the Mint, to allow for refinements to other designs, “If there are strong preferences the liaison still has after hearing…discussion between this and the CFA, we would include those as well.” The motion passed unanimously. Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park –nestled among the rolling hills and pastures of Eastern Central Vermont, the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is the only national park that tells the story of conversation history and the evolving nature of land stewardship in America. The park’s forests are one of the oldest scientifically managed forests in the US, and was originally the home of George Perkins Marsh, one of America’s first conservationists and a pioneer in reforestation and scientific farm management. The site was given to the American people by Laurance S. and Mary French Rockefeller. 8. Deputy Superintendent Christina Marts spoke to the park’s legacy and stewardship of the land The following designs were voted on by the Committee: VT – 01 4 VT – 01A 10 (recommended) VT – 02 10 VT – 03 6 VT – 04 1 VT – 05 8 VT – 06 0 VT – 07 0 VT – 08 8 VT – 09 0 VT – 10 0 Since the threshold of thirteen (13) votes was not reached, Apryl Whitaker, US Mint counsel, suggested the Committee discuss the top choices, VT – 01A and VT – 02. After discussion, a motion was made by Donald Scarinci, seconded by Jeanne Stevens-Sollman, to recommend design VT – 01A, depicting hands planting a sugar maple, representing regeneration and conservation, with the Green Mountains in the background. The motion passed 6 – 2. 9. Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve - this national historical park and ecological preserve's blend of sea and land holds some of the largest remaining mangrove forests in the Virgin Islands. The water, which makes up the majority of the park's 1,015 acreage, is home to 27 species that have been listed as rare, threatened or endangered. Coral reefs form the basis of communities that are comparable to tropical rainforests for their biological richness and global significance. 10. Committee members agreed that all the designs were appropriate, and although three used a favorite, albeit unchosen design element of a turtle, that the liaison’s choice of the singular red mangrove (VI – 01) in the early stage of its life cycle was an ideal representation. The following designs were voted on by the Committee: VI – 01 VI – 02 VI – 03 VI – 04 VI – 05 VI – 06 23 (recommended) 8 4 6 8 7 Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site – This site commemorates the heroic actions and achievements of the famous Tuskegee Airmen flying in the Mediterranean theater of 11. operations during World War II. The airmen were awarded numerous high honors, including Distinguished Flying Crosses, Legion of Merit, Silver Stars and Purple Hearts. With the support of civil rights organizations, the Tuskegee Airmen movement became known as the Double V campaign, meaning victory in both fighting racism at home and fascism abroad. Park Ranger Vester Marable thanked the Committee for making the park’s coins “come to life”. Committee member Heidi Wastweet noted the challenge of honoring the site itself, and not the history and stated is was a subtle challenge the Committee needed to remember. A discussion followed about the two leading designs, AL – 01, the liaison’s preference, and AL – 13. The Committee felt the active stance of the airman, suiting up to join the fight, with Moton Field control tower in the background as two P – 51 Mustangs pass overhead, shown in AL – 01 was more indicative of the site’s meaning. The following designs were voted on by the Committee: AL – 01 AL – 02 AL – 04 AL – 06 AL – 08 AL – 09 AL – 10A AL – 10B AL – 10D AL – 12 AL – 13 18 (recommended) 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 15 12. National Park of American Samoa – It is one of the most remote national parks in the United States. The people and villages of American Samoa play a significant part in helping to manage the park. These members of Polynesia's oldest culture have been keenly attuned to their island environment. The park is only one in the United States having both a mixed species paleotropical rainforest and the endangered flying fruit bat. Chief of Interpretation and Education, Jason Bordelon, joined the meeting by phone and spoke of the Polynesian and Samoan culture, and the beauty of the islands, home to both the Green Sea Turtle and Samoan Fruit Bat. Four of the designs featured the Samoan Fruit Bat, but the Committee was drawn to the elegance of the Threadfin Butterflyfish (AS – 13), common to Samoa, with a background tattoo design symbolic of a wave. Chairperson Lannin remarked that Pe'a, P-E-'-A, is the popular name of the traditional male tattoo of Samoa. Pe'a is also the Samoan word for flying fox or fruit bat. The following designs were voted on by the Committee: AS – 03 6 AS – 04 2 AS – 05 1 AS – 07 10 AS – 08 7 AS – 09 2 AS – 10 6 AS – 12 5 AS – 13 22 (recommended) AS – 14 10 13. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve - This site encompasses nearly 11,000 acres and is located in the heart of the Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma, the largest expanse of tallgrass prairie left in North America. Only four percent remains today, and its incredibly diverse ecosystem is home to a vast variety of flora and fauna. Grasslands birds like the Greater Prairie Chicken, a type of grouse, and the Regal Fritillary butterfly are distinctive symbols of the area. Superintendent Kristen Hase joined the Committee by phone. After discussing the symbols of the Greater Prairie Chicken, tall native grasses and butterflies, the Committee felt that the elegant design (KS – 09), showing the underside of the Regal Fritillary butterfly against a backdrop of the iconic Big Bluestem and Indian grasses, suggested both the movement of the wind and the height of the grasses. The following designs were voted on by the Committee: KS – 01 KS - 02 KS – 03 KS – 04 KS – 05 KS – 06 KS – 08 KS – 09 KS – 10 KS – 11 0 0 1 12 0 0 1 23 (recommended) 0 11 14. A brief discussion among the Committee members noted the productive day, with interesting and engaging art. The Committee is pleased to welcome Mr. David J. Ryder as the 39th Director of the US Mint. 15. A motion was made by Robert Hoge, seconded by Erik Jansen, to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously. 16. Chairperson Lannin adjourned the meeting at 3:06 pm.
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