Easthampton City Arts Coordinating Committee

ECA Meeting Minutes 10.2.23 | 5:00PM at 50 Payson, Conference Room B Attendance: Pasqualina Azzarello E. Maude Haak-Frendscho Jeff Bagg Ted Perch Steve Collicelli Cyndy Sperry – forthcoming member Tracey Eller Approval of August Meeting Minutes: - Approval by all in attendance – Steve, Tracey, Maude, and Ted Public Speak: - none Programming Updates: Porch Fest: • Great attendance! All 12 bands, 6 porches, ~20-30 folks per porch, est 150-200 attendance • Lots of great connections made between musicians towards future collaborations • Easthampton Media was there, happy unexpected coverage and participation • Heard from lots of folks, first time they had walked the neighborhood of New City • Contained, walkable, lots of folks met and talked • Needed the ~12 CERT team members who were training, they were great • Program delivered a lot of goals – let’s talk about this being recurring, work session on the agenda for this winter • There’s a feedback survey circulating – responses will be useful for helping shape future plans • Next time planning, address: evaluation metrics, selection criteria for musicians, ECA brand visibility • Homework: put together an organizing plan one-sheet for future planning Art Walk: • Attendance was good last month, more participating galleries for this upcoming event • Should have the banner for Oct 12 • Pasqualina booked a roving musician for Oct 12 – Daring Coyotes • Tracey will meet with Eastworks to talk about Art Walk programming & marketing possibilities, including interior wayfinding • Past and prospective gallery / venue participants about dates and production – next step putting together a survey with follow up discussion • Galaxy offered to be an Art Walk after party • February first Art Walk of 2024, no Jan Art Walk Public Art:  • The MVP Action Grant-funded RFP for community-engaged climate design planning process in New City, Emerald Place, is open thru Nov 1, info session on Oct 10 • Volunteer Sculpture for Cottage Street in fabrication, installation Spring 2024 • Recent discussion about more public artwork along Manhan Rail Trail, will be coordinated alongside city development • Sculptural bike rack on Union St at the Rail Trail is going to get refinished Organizational Updates: Financial Report: Will be pushed to next meeting ECA Gallery: • Open call out for 2024 ECA Gallery exhibitions, have a number of applications already • Ideas for additional spaces for art activation: Another gallery space? Or activating window spaces? Little library-style mini-exhibitions? Revisit if many applications for multiple years, capacity limitations to expanding in the meantime; focus on refining not expanding • ECA Gallery Invitational: Across / Between featuring Kathy Guo & Paul Specht, opens Oct 12; co-curated by Pasqualina, Tracey, and Maude • Invitational led to conversation about fees for artists, in next meeting discuss initiating $100 fees for exhibitions • Future meeting agenda: review and update artist agreement Cottage St Cultural District Visioning Session – Wed 10/11/23 from 9-10:30AM @ 50 Payson ECA Marketing Efforts: have discussed Easthampton Cultural Council • Full Committee of 9 members, 8 are new – exciting to have a full committee • Doing a LCC Grant info session Wed, Oct 4 from 6:30 – 7:30 @ ECA Gallery • LCC Applications due Oct 17, 2023 • Tracey will take on administrative roles until a Chair is identified; Pasqualin and Tracey will support committee orientation to standard practices, open meeting law, etc. ECA Administrative Practices, ie: recording meetings, future contracts • Recording Meetings: unanimously in favor of recording meetings starting with November meeting – Jeff, Steve, Ted, Tracey, and Maude New Business: • Add to the agenda to talk about a holiday party – not as a fundraiser, but as a volunteer party Next Meeting: Monday November 6, 2023 at 5:00pm, 50 Payson St