Cortez Public Arts Advisory Committee

Cortez Public Arts Advisory Committee Meeting January 9, 2019; 3:40 P.M. Cortez City Hall Conference Room Present: Sonja Horoshko (president), Corinne Damore-Rome , Aaron LeMay, Heidi Brugger (scribe), Eric Ikenouye (city liaison), Kirbi Vaughn Absent with notice: Brandon Shubert, Dan Simplicio Guests: None I. Call to Order. Sonja Horoshko called the meeting to order at 3:40 P.M. II. Approval of December minutes. Heidi Brugger made a correction to the minutes and Sonja made a correction to the budget addendum. Corinne Damore-Rome made a MOTION: To approve the minutes as corrected. Aaron LeMay seconded the motion, which PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. III. Presentations. None. IV. Citizen Participation. None. V. Old Business a. Art in City Hall Exhibit Reception. Eric Ikenouye reported that there will be a reception for the artist and the exhibit in City Hall. The reception is scheduled for Wednesday, January 23 from 4:30 to 5:30 P.M. b. Artist Survey/Registration on Survey Monkey. Sonja reported that the survey is up on line and needs to be tested by committee members before it can go public. She also noted that she had 40 hardcopies of the survey. Ten will be left at City Hall and Aaron will distribute 10 copies each to Cortez, Dolores, and Mancos libraries. Sonja has a press release that will go to the papers on January 10. We will report any additional sites for hardcopies on the committee’s Facebook page. c. Mural Tour Brochure. The brochure has been printed with some last minute and much appreciated updates. Most of the businesses with mural are ready to receive copies of the brochure. Aaron and Heidi will assist in distribution. An article on it is planned for later; Sonja voiced concerns about encouraging people to walk around the city in the winter and plans to delay announcements about the brochure until the weather is more conducive and the walking safer. d. 2018 Projects. Committee members were asked to consider the following two perspectives on the past year: i. Unexpected new or renewed interest as a result of our projects. Members shared thoughts roundtable fashion including—getting the committee up and running. Discussion included the focusing on city interest in the arts, the rapid  interactions on Facebook, helping the city to gain direction on the arts, city hall employees wanting art in their spaces, great response to the survey of city- placed art, bringing value to what exists, bringing pride to Cortez’s arts environment, the growing support from high school art teachers and students, surprise at the city managers’ support, growth from the investment in student artists. ii. What we planned but did not accomplish. Committee members all agreed that the lack of completion of the cottonwood tree sculpture in Montezuma Park was one of two things that we did not accomplish, although we did make progress on it. The other item was a public concert series. Aaron noted that he needs committed ad hoc committee members and these are lacking. He also noted that he needs to do more on funding since this is a big ticket idea. e. 2018 Budget Report. Sonja reported that there was a typo in the budget, which she corrected (dollar sign used instead of hours). Otherwise this is a good guide to past expenses and a window to future financial needs. f. Fundraising. The committee continues, under Kirbi Vaughn’s facilitation, to consider “What does funding arts look like now and what might it look like in five (5) years? How can we grow beyond our budget limits?" Focusing on the potential for the Cortez Public Arts Advisory Committee to take on solicitation of funding, members noted the need for a treasurer to be in charge of funds; the committee does not currently have a treasurer. While it did not make any decisions, the committee noted that if there were to be a Friends of Cortez Public Arts, there should be no mutual board/committee members to maintain separation. Grappling with the issue of fundraising, Sonja pointed out that financial contributions from members indicates commitment to grantors and other foundations, adding that if revenue from the city stops, the committee cannot continue and there is no guarantee that city council will continue to support our work if the financial climate becomes more challenging. She added that members need to get comfortable asking for money. Kirbi suggested a discussion at the next meeting of pros and cons of establishing a Friends group. Sonja added that the committee should look at the pros and cons of who we are. All agreed that we need a diversified revenue stream. In discussing how a city committee applies for grant funding while under the auspices of the city, Eric suggested we talk with Ben Burkett, the city financial planner, and/or Chris Burkett, who is the city grant writer. He also suggested we look at how historical groups under the city umbrella handle this situation. In growing beyond our budget, the members named city budget, grants, patrons, individual donations, business sponsorships, and fundraising events as current and potential revenue streams. Aaron suggested that an ad hoc group on revenue streams might be a better use of committee time; he volunteered to work on such a committee. Once again all agreed that waiting for the results of the artist survey/registration will assist in answering some of the questions and providing direction. The current plan is for the survey results to be available in March 2019. VI. New Business. None.  VII. Draft Resolutions. None. VIII. Other Items of Business. None. IX. Additional Citizen Participation. None. X. City Staff Liaison Report. Eric reported that he needs letters of intent from any one-year appointments (Kirbi and Dan Simplicio) if they want to remain on the committee. If he can get these and the new student member, the lot can be presented to city council for approval at the February meeting. He opined that he would like to change the term for the student rep to be one year and three (3) months, to help the student learn what to expect and how to participate. Eric reminded committee members that the arts festival is scheduled for June 28 and 29. He will send the contact information to Aaron so he can work with the presenter on sound needs. The Cortez Public Library is planning a Literary Festival for June 7 and 8. The Friday keynote will be Anne Hillerman. The event is in the planning stages and he invited committee members to participate if they are interested. XI. Committee Reports. See “Old Business.” XII. Adjournment. Aaron made a MOTION: To adjourn. Heidi seconded the motion, which PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. The meeting adjourned at 4:50 P.M. Next meeting: February 13, 2019 Respectfully submitted, Heidi N. Brugger