Arts and Humanities Council of Falls Church

Arts and Humanities Council of Falls Church Meeting August 18, 2022 Virtual Meeting Minutes Members Present: Laura Hull, Mary Sellers, Elise Neil Bengtson, Maureen Budetti, Ron Anzalone, Ellen Gross, Nikki Graves Henderson Liaisons: Corey Price, Keith Thurston, Letty Hardi, Ed Henderson Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Laura Hull at 9:36 a.m. Receipt of Public Comments  No public comments were received Minutes: Minutes were approved for July meeting with edits Roundtable Discussions  Victorian Society o Hosting booth at Falls Church Festival (Sept 17) to recruit new members o Victorian Literary Evening scheduled for Fri Oct 28 highlighting Oscar Wilde and the 100th Anniversary of the discovery of King Tut’s Tomb o Victorian Christmas event scheduled at Cherry Hill for Thursday Nov 26  FCA o Plein Air scheduled for Sept 24 (rain date Oct 1) o Current exhibition, Wild, followed by Scapes o Art Critique Group – Mon Sept 19 (third Mon of each month) o Intro to watercolor – Oct 17 from 3-5 pm  CATCH Foundation o Watch Night planning in the works  VPIS o Summer Concerts taking place on Thursday evenings in Cherry Hill Park o VPIS has expressed some concerns around the Founders Row Project  Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation o Mural project still working with 3 building owners including Foxes Music and the optometrist building o Donor interested in sponsoring a utility box mural o Boy Scout Eagle Scout Project- Banners Marking Tinner Hill Heritage Trail and plantings  Historical Commission o Meeting scheduled for Aug 25  FCPS o AHC members are welcome to take a tour of High School Theatre Space. Contact Marybeth to schedule tour 1   Chamber of Commerce o Working on Fall and Winter Programs  Creative Cauldron o Summer Cabaret 22 series going strong o Upcoming season released – Ichabod, The Princess and the Goblin, The Christmas Angel, Holiday Cabaret Series, Passport to the World, Diagnosed, The Snow Queen, and Audrey o Hired Bi-lingual fulltime teaching artist o Afterschool drama program partnerships with Second Story and Fairfax County title 1 school. o Approached by Arts Fairfax about grants reaching underserved communities  City Council o Founder Row hosted live music event with frozen treats New Business:  Fellows Property Draft Master Park Plan o City of Falls Church is soliciting community feedback to establish a Master Park Plan for the Property o Comments:  Disappointment that the house was not salvaged  Is there a connection to Harry Fellows? Past Mayor of Falls Church  Consider historic interpretation (plaque) to Fellows family  Request property be used to preserve and protect endangered species such as monarch butterflies  Recommend using native materials to create the park  Consider incorporating art that blends with nature such as the artwork in Howard E Herman park.  Park Avenue – Great Streets Project o This project will transform Park Avenue from N. Virginia Avenue to N. Washington Street into a “Great Street,” which are lively, attractive roadways that accommodate all modes of transportation while promoting social interaction, civic activity, and/or commerce. o Comments:  The Farmhouse and Barn are not included in any of the plans and should be considered in the design  Recommend accessibility to the farmhouse from the road such as an access ramp around the retaining wall  Museum needs distinctive signage  Bulbouts should be considered with caution. Other bulbouts in the City have caused cars to veer into ongoing traffic.  More information needs to be provided on the planned plaza in front of City Hall  Concerns with relocating the Farmer’s market in front of City Hall  Consider adding cherry trees in front of the farmhouse as a reminder of the farms name and the cherry trees that lined the Blaisdell’s driveway. 2   Falls Church City’s 75th Anniversary o City Council has asked the city to do something to commemorate the year  Recommendation has been made to create a committee o Suggest creating a 75th logo/branding o Arts & Humanities festival event o Review the timeline of what happened 75 years ago (what are we commemorating) o Start and end the year’s celebration with Watch Night Old Business:  Falls Church Art Walk o EDA approved the AHC adopting/modifying the Little City logo for the art walk. o The EDA was particularly drawn to the design with the paintbrush and pallet  Arts & Economic Prosperity Report o Reminder to our nonprofit organizations that we need to work hard to collect surveys at all our programs and events this year. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 11:06 AM The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 15 at 9:30 am Submitted: By Corey Price 3