Lawrenceville Arts Commission

LAWRENCEVILLE ARTS COMMISSION MINUTES Tuesday, November 09, 2021 GwMA Large Conference Room - 3rd Floor 6:00 PM 70 S. Clayton St, GA 30046 Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:06 PM, without a quorum. Aura-Leigh Sanders arrived at 6:11 PM Approval of Agenda 1. Approval of Agenda At 6:20 PM, a quorum was recognized. Motion to approve the agenda was made by Commission Member Walden, Seconded by Commission Member Chitwood. Voting Yea: Commission Member Chitwood, Commission Member Stone-Collins, Commission Member Walden, Commission Member Sanders Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes 2. Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes Motion to approve prior meeting minutes was made by Commission Member Stone-Collins, Seconded by Commission Member Walden. Voting Yea: Commission Member Chitwood, Commission Member Stone-Collins, Commission Member Walden, Commission Member Sanders General Discussion 3. Community Outreach Update  Commission Member Walden provided an update, advising that the Arts Commission participated in three City sponsored events. All of the events were very successful. Lessons learned from these events included the need for a more substantial tent, utilizing three tables was very helpful and the need for more volunteers. Pawfest and Harvest Fest were very windy and the tent needed to be taken down. They discussed weights for the tent, as well as a more substantial tent that included three sides. Commission Member Sanders arrived at 6:11 PM. Boofest was rainy but still very successful for DTLRocks. Harvest Fest utilized 150 small pumpkins instead of rocks. After an announcement was made directing participants to this activity, people were lined up to paint a pumpkin, and providing something other than rocks at other events should be considered. Tables set up in an L-shape worked very well. There is a need for more volunteers and reaching out to the local schools/art schools was discussed. Amber indicated it is usually her and members from the Lawrenceville Women's Club and would like to see more participation from the commission members. Needs realized include a large banner and possibly a pop-up banner with "Free Art" on it so it can be utilized at different events that will include something other than rock painting. It is hopeful that landscaping rocks will decrease in price and also easier to find as they begin to look at purchasing more for events in 2022. The current rock supply should be sufficient for at least a couple of events, starting back up in the spring. The City event calendar, once finalized, can be sent out to members so they can look at what events make sense to the committee as they plan volunteer needs. Commission Member Sanders commended Commission Member Walden on a great job in getting DTLRocks off and running, with a special thank you to the Lawrenceville Women's Club for their help during the events. Meeting agenda and prior meeting minutes were approved prior to moving on to the next agenda item. 4. Grants Committee Update Commission Member Sanders advised that the Grants Committee has not been able to have regular meetings due to other commitments. The Committee Members will discuss meeting prior to the regular Arts Commission meeting in December. They have a list of member benefits to discuss and narrow down, and Jasmine Billings advised that she has sent her feedback to the group as well. 5. 2022 Calendar Jasmine Billings advised that in December the Arts Commission members will vote on the meeting dates for 2022, which are currently held on the second Tuesday of the month, unless another date is proposed. The two vacancies will be filled by individuals appointed by the City Council, most likely in January of 2022. 6. Art Walk Update Commission Member Sanders discussed the Art Walk proposals that were sent to the group via e-mail for review. She indicated she has set up a password protected shared drive for  members to share documents/other collateral with other members. Jasmine Billings discussed the Art Walk and how artwork will be procured. Several questions were discussed, including the timeline, which may be aggressive. The Gwinnett Historical Courthouse is ready to hang artwork, as well as two vacant spaces previously discussed. The initial phase would see Dizzy Gypsy providing the initial artwork, and then reaching out to the community by an open call for artwork, that would also include parameters such as no nudity, family-friendly (depending on location). The installation frequency was determined to be quarterly to avoid constant changing of artwork, and that the artists will have to commit having their art at a venue for three months. It was determined that the artist would be responsible for providing all materials to install their art, but recognize some assistance may need to be given in the beginning. The Open Call should indicate that the art is ready to hang. The artist should determine if a canvas piece should be framed or not. A waiver will need to be signed by the artist, and the current Dizzy Gypsy waiver will be provide so the City's legal council can review as the city, commission and business should be free of liability. Ideally, the business and the artist should communicate and work together, with the Arts Commission working to facilitate the relationship in the beginning. The business will have the ability to chose the art that will be installed, if they so choose, and the Arts Commission will work to categorize the art as it is submitted. FAQ's can be added to the website so businesses and artists can see this information. The timeline for this project will shift due to the need to determine marketing needs, getting other artists, finalizing a waiver, etc. The Commission will need to vote at a future meeting on the specific details. 7. Mural Update Commission Member Sanders provide at update on the murals. The City of Monroe had community members come and paint a piece of art an artist came up with, but the art piece was not completed and sat for a while. The city had to hire another artist to complete the mural. The proposed location for this mural is 250 feet long, and it would be preferable to obtain a 3D rendering of what the completed project could look like. This project would have to take place on a Saturday and Sunday and will require the support of the Police Department (for security), Engineering (to determine the structural integrity of the wall), and Council (for review and input). The artist will need to draw the outline, the community would work in shifts to help paint. The artist would need to "clean up" the mural once the community involvement is complete, and would need to provide upkeep as determined by the Arts Commission. This project would require volunteers to be recruited, an age limit will need to be determined due to the high traffic area and a rain date set so volunteers will know the make up date. The call for art should allow the artists to create their artwork based on what the Commission determines the theme they are looking for. An invitation only call will allow known artists to submit their ideas to the Commission for discussion. The Commission does not need to obtain a permit or obtain afor the murals, however, Planning and Zoning will need to be made aware of the project/artwork, Council will need to review the artwork to provide any  input, and the Police Department needs to be kept up-to-date on the number of volunteers expected. The artist's fee should include everything - paint, paint brushes, wall primed, design etched out, maintenance for at least twice in the first year, and then yearly for potentially 5 years. The Arts Commission would provide the paint brushes (specifications provided by the artist) for the community members that volunteer to paint, and discussed obtaining commemorative paint brushes that contain the Arts Commission logo. The artists should know and visit the location to determine their design and who their intended audience is (pedestrian or vehicle). Other suggestions were made to promote the Arts Commission, and no decisions were finalized. Murals will be sent to Council for input but they will not need to vote on them. The Branding Committee will need to work with Melissa Hardegree with Community Relations on communications and marketing on these projects. Other Business There was no other business. Citizen Comments Comments will be limited to two (2) minutes per person. Arts Commission Members will not respond to comments. There were no Citizen Comments. Final Adjournment Motion to adjourn was made by Commission Member Chitwood, Seconded by Commission Member Stone-Collins. Voting Yea: Commission Member Chitwood, Commission Member Stone-Collins, Commission Member Walden, Commission Member Sanders The meeting adjourned at 7:35 PM. Minutes Signature ___________________ Aura-Leigh Sanders, Chairman ___________________ Jasmine Billings, Secretary