Cultural Council

Lowell Cultural Council Tuesday, January 23, 2018 6:30pm Mayor’s Reception Room Lowell City Hall In attendance: Jerry Bisantz, Maxine Farkas, Laura Frye, Christina Khem, Bianca Mauro, Fru Nkimbeng, Joe Pyne, Justin Sultzbach, and Roberto Dei 1. Reimbursement review: There weren’t any reimbursements to review 2. Discussion and vote on grant extension requests: a. Peg Shanahan: Council discussed and determined that the requirements for completion have been met. Grant extension is not necessary. b. Franky Descoteaux, The Mill Dames: Council discussed and voted that a grant extension is not approved c. Roger Ticknell, A Winter Solstice Celebration: Council discussed and voted that a grant extension is not approved d. Lowell Heritage Partnership, 30 Years of Angkor Photo Narrative Book: Council discussed and voted that a grant extension was approved. 3. Lowell Cultural Council Grant Reception: a. Thursday, March 29, 2018 in the Parker Gallery at Whistler House from 6-8 PM b. Invitation list: 2018 Grant Recipients, Lowell Cultural Council Members, Lowell City Council, Lowell City Manager, Massachusetts Cultural Council representative i. Roberto will email invitation c. Joe Pyne to handle details of the reception. d. Jerry Bisantz volunteered to bring sound system for background music and speaking microphone. e. Maxine Farkas will handle production of the program and Council Member identification buttons. f. Bianca Mauro suggested utilizing Facebook Live during speaking portion of event. 4. Review of press release for grantee announcement: Council members were asked to review press release at home and email if they have any edits. 5. Website discussion: a. www.lowellculturalcouncil.org, a WordPress website is due to expire. Council voted to let website expire, but purchase domain name for future use. 6. Review strategies for using social media: a. LCC Facebook page has been active recently. Recent video featuring Jeff Caplan was viewed 4,600 times and shared 26 times. LCC Meeting Minutes, 01/23/2018 Page 1 of 2  b. Reminder for all Council Members to “like” and “share” LCC Facebook posts. 7. Establish committee assignments a. Maxine asked Council Members to consider joining a committee: i. Fundraising Committee: Jerry Bisantz and Marianna Wood ii. Reception: Joe Pyne and Maxine Farkas iii. Social Media: Christine Khem and Maxine Farkas iv. Publicity: Maxine Farkas 8. Selection of grantee/council member liaison pairings: a. Liaison Program: Each grantee is assigned a Council Member. Council Member will be their contact for the year. Council Member can answer questions, check- in periodically on project, inform other Council Members if project has a public portion, attend public portion if available, and collect photos and information from project. b. Each 2018 grant recipient was assigned to a Council Member as their liaison c. Before Meeting on February 27 Council Member should contact grantee, introduce themselves as their liaison and explain the program. 9. Responses to denial inquiries: a. Maxine Farkas suggested that we adjust guidelines for 2019 Grant Application to state that LCC “Prioritizes grants from people who live and work in the Greater Lowell area.” Upcoming Events: 1. Monthly Meeting: Tuesday, February 27, 6:30 in Mayor’s Reception Room, City Hall 2. Reception: Thursday, March 29, 6-8, at Whistler House LCC Meeting Minutes, 01/23/2018 Page 2 of 2