Easthampton City Arts Coordinating Committee

Easthampton City Arts Coordinating Committee Meeting Minutes November 2, 2020 Present via Zoom: Pasqualina Azzarello, Jeff Bagg, Jon Carroll, Tracey Eller, Kevin Monaghan, Ted Perch, Hillary Smith I. Public Speak Motion to approve prior meeting minutes. Unanimously approved. II. Current Programming • Artist Grants Initiative - Phase II is well underway. - Garnering lots of positive responses from the community. • Artist Residency Program - Received many thoughtful applications; all artists have now been notified. - Particularly meaningful as there is a real need for artist residencies in our area. • Youth Arts Initiative - Diana Alvarez and Sindy Mojica continue to push this initiative forward. • ECA Virtual Gallery - POST PAUSE!, spearheaded by Maggie Nowinski and assisted by ECA’s Artist Grants Initiative, is now live. This is a great new resource on our webpage. III. Public Art Update • Wayfinding Project - The Wayfinding Project is an effort by the Planning Dept. to establish an EDIC (Economic Development Industrial Corporation) and create cohesive branding and recognizable wayfinding throughout Easthampton. • Union Street Pocket Park - Proposal submitted two weeks ago for a pocket park (benches, public art, etc.) - Pasqualina has met with the local chapter of the National Association of Realtors. - If approved, grant is for $5,000, with matching grants for an additional $5,000 ($10,000 total), and 1 year after approval to complete the project. • Council on Aging Sculpture - Due to unforeseen consequences of COVID-19, unfortunately the Council on Aging can no longer support this project. - Subcommittee on public art will continue to look into the project / alternative sources of funding. IV. Future Programming • Pasqualina emphasized the need for flexibility, feasibility (including funding), and prioritization of public health and safety when considering future programming ideas. • Cultural Chaos will not be happening this spring; Winter Fest will be moving forward virtually with the possibility of some outdoor events. • Tracey suggested a virtual “Arts Night Out” with interactive elements including possible Zoom discussion panels.  • Jeff noted that MassDOT has funding opportunities for activating shared outdoor spaces that might be valuable to consider for spring programming. • Sequenced events and coordinating with the business community - Reach out to River Valley Co-Op to see if they are interested in sponsoring a weekly series of events. - Engage the business community, such as local restaurants, perhaps pairing a restaurant with an event. - Continue to utilize 50 Payson for events (easily contained space); perhaps invite vendors/food trucks? Liquor license? Movie nights with Kevin’s equipment? - Create a calendar of events, ideally to be announced in February. - Possible $10 entrance fee to help cover the cost of event staffing / fundraising. Next Meeting: December 7, 2020 at 5 pm via Zoom