Lawrenceville Arts Commission

LAWRENCEVILLE ARTS COMMISSION MINUTES Tuesday, January 09, 2024 Third Floor GwMA Conference Room 6:00 PM 70 S. Clayton St, GA 30046 Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM, recognizing a quorum. Approval of Agenda Motion to approve the agenda was made by Commission Member Walden, Seconded by Commission Member Stone-Collins. Voting Yea: Commission Member Chitwood, Commission Member Stone-Collins, Commission Member Walden, Commission Member Sanders, Commission Member Spinks Swearing in of New Commission Members 1. Swearing in of Commission Members Mayor David Still swore in Aura-Leigh Sanders, Amber Walden, Alice Stone-Collins and Casey Spinks. Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes 2. Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes Motion to approve prior meeting minutes from November 14, 2023 was made by Commission Member Stone-Collins, Seconded by Commission Member Chitwood. Voting Yea: Commission Member Chitwood, Commission Member Stone-Collins, Commission Member Walden, Commission Member Sanders, Commission Member Spinks General Discussion 3. Officer Elections  The following were elected by the Arts Commission Members to serve as the 2024 Officers: Chair - Aura-Leigh Sanders Vice-Chair - Amber Walden Secretary/Treasurer - Jasmine Billings 4. Budget Update Jasmine Billings provided an overview of the budget and where money had been spent. The City is about to start the budgeting process for 2025 Fiscal year and Jasmine asked the members to consider any Capital Projects they would like to work on in the coming year and approximate cost of those projects so requests can be made during the budgeting process. 5. Subcommittee Assignments The Arts Commission originally had 3 subcommittees, however, combined Outreach and Branding. Due to quorum rules, only 3 members can serve on a subcommittee. Current members of Outreach would like to continue on that committee (Amber Walden, Alicia Chitwood and Alice Stone-Collins). The Grants subcommittee members will continue as well (Aura-Leigh Sanders, Katrina Fellows and Jennifer Hammonds), however, there may be an opportunity for the newest member, Casey Spinks, to participate on the Grants subcommittee. The subcommittees will potentially meet via zoom and they will update the Commission members during their monthly meetings. Members were asked to think about what it will take to develop an Arts Commission Grant. 6. 2024 Retreat Aura-Leigh Sanders shared she had hoped to have some brainstorming sessions in January for the upcoming retreat, but time is a factor. She would like the Arts Commission to be more purposeful and tackle larger projects. In addition, she would like to potentially develop a Master Plan for the Arts Commission, using other city master plans as a guide. Timing for the Retreat was discussed, and Aura-Leigh will send members several potential dates via Doodle Poll so a date and time can be determined. 7. Crogan Street Mural Jasmine Billings provide an update for the mural. Jasmine will be presenting at Council Work Session on Wednesday, January 10th to ask for approval for the Easement Agreement that will extend until 2029 to allow for maintenance for the next 5 years, and extended beyond that if needed. She is hopeful this agreement will be approved, so signatures can be obtained and the project can move forward, and can provide a start date to the Arts Commission by the February meeting. The artist will work with the Communications Team to put teasers out to the public and not release the full mural all at once. Commission members were asked not to post the project on their personal social media until the City and the artist have agreed to the content. The Police Department is aware of the project and will determine the safety plan for the project and Jasmine will provide that to the group once she has received it. 8. Lawrenceville Blooms Mural Extension Jasmine Billings shared two pictures of the walls that are in the direct vicinity of the existing Lawrenceville Blooms mural. She will work with Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to obtain approval for the wall and stairs that are across from the existing mural. The wall directly behind the Post Office is owned by the City, so no additional approvals will be needed. Teresa Abboud will work on the artwork for these two areas, and will blend with color and style since she did the Lawrenceville Blooms mural. Jasmine advised that Lawrenceville Blooms will be submitted for an award at the Southern Festivals & Events Association (SFEA) meeting she and the Events Team are attending in Jekyll Island in February. 9. Georgia Gwinnett College Highway Ramp Mural Aura-Leigh Sanders and Jasmine Billings discussed vinyl heat pressed wrap and if that could possibly help with the texture issue for this wall. A similar material was used at the Lawn on brick and heat is used to adhere the vinyl to the brick, with the seams virtually hidden in the lines of the brick. Jasmine has reached out to the Communications team to see if they can obtain a quote once she has the dimensions of the wall. The entire wall would not have to be done, and a sprayer would most likely need to be used since painting with a brush would be very difficult. It was determined that a more abstract design would probably work well due to the texture and lines on the wall. This could be a great relationship building opportunity with Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC), and the Arts Commission could absorb the costs of the vinyl, and hopefully getting a GGC student to come up with the design. The Arts Commission would need to decide on a theme to get a better quality of artwork if the project was presented to the students. Illuminating the bridge in colored lights was also discussed. More research on materials that may work in this area will need to be done. 10. Georgia Gwinnett College Roundabouts Aura-Leigh Sanders shared that she met with Jasmine Billings, Melissa Hardegree, Barry Mock, Chuck Warbington and Laura with the Hudgens Center for the Arts regarding the roundabouts. The Hudgens Center will be able to send out a Call for Art to their nationwide network. This will be a large expensive project that will be funded by the Arts Commission and not through the Hudgens Center. It has been difficult to obtain input from Georgia Gwinnett College for this project, so the Arts Commission will move forward with the Hudgens Center with the roundabout closer to the City. 11. Traffic Boxes Jasmine Billings has been working on an IGA Agreement for Gwinnett Department of Transportation (GDOT) and hopes to have it completed soon. GDOT indicated that Lawrenceville was the first city to reach out to them for this type of project. The traffic boxes located at Sikes & Davis and across the street near the parking deck to the Lawrenceville Arts  Center will be the first two to be completed, and the Arts Commission will determine the order these will be completed. Finish material was discussed and it was determined that vinyl would be easier to clean or remove if necessary, and GDOT has indicated that they would prefer a vinyl covering. In order to keep some consistence in designs, it was suggested that one artist could get one street, another artist could get another street. Once IGA is completed with the County, and Council has reviewed, this project can move forward. 12. Ironshield Community Art Tables As part of their Beer Garden, Ironshield installed 5 community art tables (picnic tables) that were painted by various groups. When Ironshield closed, they donated these tables, along with 3 others, to the Arts Commission. Aura-Leigh would like to put these tables out in public areas and asked the Arts Commission to figure out where these could be placed. Lois Cooper Park (directly across from Ironshield) and the Lawrenceville Arts Center outparcel that will soon be made into a small green space may be ideal locations. Until locations can be finalized, the tables are being stored, and the city's Facilities staff will seal the tables before they are moved. 13. Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Bobby Sikes Collection Donation Aura-Leigh Sanders shared that 32 pieces of art by Bobby Sikes were donated by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. She would like to find someplace to display these on a temporary or permanent basis. She has pictures and dimensions of the pictures and will share that with the Commission members. There are some original and some prints, some of which are duplicates of what is in City Hall currently. The Historic Courthouse was suggested as a potential temporary site and any costs would need to be determined. If the Arts Commission worked with the Historic Courthouse in a partnership for this project, any potential fees may be waived. Members were asked to brainstorm for ideas on potential locations for this display. 14. Stormwater Community Art Collaboration Madison Smith, Stormwater Coordinator with the City of Lawrenceville, loves to educate people about stormwater. She has inquired about doing potential artwork along catch basins, as well as installing artwork on rain barrels at the schools. These ideas are still in the very early stages of planning, and they hope to invite Madison to a future Arts Commission meeting to discuss this project further. It was noted that Casey Spinks is a master gardener, and she provided a brief summary of her experience. Other Business There was no other business discussed. Citizen Comments Citizen Comments will be limited to two (2) minutes per person. The Arts Commission Members will not respond to comments. One citizen provided comments to the group. Final Adjournment Motion to adjourn was made by Commission Member Sanders, Seconded by Commission Member Chitwood. Voting Yea: Commission Member Chitwood, Commission Member Stone-Collins, Commission Member Walden, Commission Member Sanders, Commission Member Spinks The meeting adjourned at 7:55 PM. Minutes Signature ___________________ Aura-Leigh Sanders, Chairman ___________________ Jasmine Billings, Secretary