Athens Cultural Affairs Commission

Agenda for ACAC Commissioners Meeting DATE: July 13, 2020 PRESENT: Executive: Chair: Andrew Salinas Vice-President: Holly Alderman Treasurer: Darcie St. Onge Secretary: Madeline Bates Members-at-large: Beatrice Brown, Melisa (Misha) Cahnmann-Taylor, Linda Ford, Patrice Green, Helen Kuykendall, Montu Miller Advisors: Marc Beechuk, Didi Dunphy, Marilyn Wolf-Ragatz, Stephanie Raines Ex-officio: Jan Bush Guests: Donna Brumby Staff: Tatiana Veneruso ABSENT: None. Approve Previous Minutes: Motion to approve by Misha Cahnmann-Taylor; seconded by Holly Alderman. Passed. Chair’s Report: • It is time to revisit the Public Art Inventory (PAI) and review and/or develop clear criteria by which to assess what should and should not be included in the PAI. These criteria should be holistic and include equitable and proper representation of Athens and Athenians. Items that are found to not meet these criteria should be considered for deaccession, which is mentioned in the Public Art Master Plan (PAMP). Questions about the confederate monument near The Arch downtown spurred this conversation. • A subcommittee will be formed to work on this topic. Tasks will include reviewing the existing PAI, reviewing and/or developing criteria for inclusion, reviewing and/or updating the object maintenance task list, and developing a formal deaccession process as advised in the PAMP. ACAC member volunteers for this subcommittee include Andrew, Patrice, Helen, Donna, and Madeline. Stephanie and Jan also wish to participate as advisors/non-voting members. Marc can provide assistance as well. Other volunteers are welcome; please message Andrew to express interest. • The PAI list is managed by Leisure Services. Public Art Inventory = list of things that are in the public right-of-way, publicly visible, and publicly owned. The current list may not have already been formally adopted as an official Athens-Clarke County inventory. Forming the subcommittee will assist Leisure Services as they develop a website through City Works that will include information about the PAI. Public art maintenance information will also go into City Works. Treasurer’s Report: No significant updates. Old Business:  • Poet Laureate: Misha and Andrew will review the language of the pitch draft; Stephanie will help submit it as an agenda item for the Mayor & Commission (M&C). Didi suggests following the process of the Athens Music Walk of Fame: to have this project go through the Mayor’s office. • Whitehall: On hold until the M&C’s next monthly meeting. M&C have not yet approved the user group’s recommendation, Joni Younkins-Herzog. • Tatiana Veneruso is providing administrative assistance in the interim before the full-time administrative position begins (January 2021). Project Reports: Clayton, Greenway, Whitehall Roundabout, Music Walk, Fire Hall #2, Cooperative Extension, Bus Shelters, Dudley Park, Firefly Trail • Clayton Street: Clayton St. streetscaping should start soon. Artist’s visit in the fall still needs to be formally scheduled and a local artist liaison arranged. • Bus Shelters: Project is basically complete. Digital and printed versions of shelter location map are still being developed. Advertising is needed to raise awareness about the project—possibly a news spot. Misha will work with Marc to request a radio interview. • Music Walk of Fame: o SPLOST is waiting on the invoice from the plaque design artist. o The test run with the first plaque was successful. Working with Transit team, additional plaque locations are being identified between Lumpkin, Clayton, and Washington street. Installation of the remaining plaques will be in August over the course of two days. o Launch/unveiling process: Didi to ask Mayor Girtz for input and guidance on the launch process (including press release, social media presence, photography/videography opportunities, etc.). Ideas to offer to the Mayor: (1) Mayor could talk with recipients live or in a recorded video; (2) photo of recipients with their plaque; (3) curtained off unveiling recorded/posted on social media.  ADDA’s app with plaque locations and information will be ready before they go in the ground. The app should be a part of the launch/unveiling process. o Project future: Funding is secured for 1-2 additional plaques each year for the next three years. Didi recommends revisiting this project with the existing selection committee, possibly in January ’21. • Play On, Athens!: o First round: Complete, except that the few pianos that are still outdoors need to be moved to their permanent home (indoors). Andrew will reach out to Grace (who managed the first round) to discuss this and copy Misha and Holly. o Second round: We have 2 additional pianos that could be utilized. Clarke Central and Cedar Shoals expressed interest in their art teachers painting the pianos with their classes or after school art clubs. Misha will reach out to the art educators and establish a timeline. Pianos are currently sitting at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, which is still closed to the public; Tatiana will reach out to ensure they agree to continue to hold the pianos. • Greenway: Budget and site have been approved. The Call for Art (CFA) for one large project at MLK and North Avenue will be released in early September. Additional smaller art projects are also in the budget; calls for those projects will be released later. • Firehall 2 & Co-op: No major updates. • Dudley Park: CFA is live through August 30. Budget is $9,500. • Firefly Trail: No major updates. 2 New Business: • Arts in Community Awards: Resilience (AICA Round 2): $100,000 total funding o Permissions/where these projects will “live”  Subcommittee: Patrice, Darcie, Andrew, and Madeline; Marc and Montu also expressed interest. Subcommittee should meet again in July to do a preliminary review of the applications received so far and prepare something like a “common issues and their solutions” checklist for the applicants.  Proposals may be provisionally approved with contingencies, such as location, to allow for applicants to secure site permissions or similar details after receiving ACAC’s feedback. o Revisiting the cohort model overseen by ACAC members:  Consensus is to manage cohorts in partners rather than individually, partnering a newer member and a more senior member who will together manage approximately 9-10 projects.  “Manage” means being the point person for questions and overseeing their cohort’s “project reports” on a regular basis (bimonthly or less frequently) to receive photos, questions, and progress updates.  A one-sheet with tasks, expectations, and a contact list should be developed for ACAC members managing cohorts. The contact list should be framed thus: “If you have a question about X-topic, reach out to Y-person.” o Linda has pledged a paid ADDA intern to help administer the awards and likely Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs). Thank you, Linda! o If we do not receive enough eligible proposals by the deadline, we could extend the deadline OR break it up and create a subsequent call. • ACAC’s future: o Full-time position to start January 2021  Stephanie, Marc, and Andrew will meet soon to discuss what the role should entail (before August); then they will open it up to the full ACAC for feedback and input. o Staffing considerations in the meantime; Fall 2020 intern?  We have funds for a paid fall intern if that would be of interest.  Need to consider what the intern would do, who they would report to (likely Andrew), how to make it a useful experience for the intern-- must predetermine what the deliverable(s) would be prior to having the intern come in. Should this be a fellow instead? Maybe the deliverable could be a project report, utilizing the progress updates. Think on it for next meeting. o Knowledge Sharing  Interest has been expressed for a meeting to catch up new members. Andrew to send out a Doodle poll; anyone who is interested can respond with their availability. o Vice Chair Vacancy, March 2021  If anyone is interested in learning what Holly does, let Andrew/Holly know.  What VC duties could roll into the FT position: practical things, such as project tracking, meeting with SPLOST, writing calls for art, etc.  Andrew will be calling on Bea for support in designing the transition w/ the FT role. Other: 3  • Fact-finding questions about the rainbow crosswalk project process and future location were brought up. ACAC is not involved right now; project is in the hands of ACC Commissioners. Notes: Next Meeting Date: August 10, 2020 4