Cultural Council

Lowell Cultural Council Meeting Minutes Oct 22, 2024 Attending: Erin Duffey (Administrator); Rona Gofstein; Kshitij Karke (KK); Bethanne Welch; Timmy Thamir; Chanmony Huot; Peter Crewe(Guest) The meeting was called to order at 6:40 PM. 1. Review of proposed by-laws ● They are still being reviewed; they were close to being finalized last meeting. ● Updates still need to be added to the shared LCC folder; we will review them once available. 2. Conflict of interest form from Lowell Association for the Blind ● Bethanne will send the form, which will be reviewed at next month’s meeting. ● MCC also has a form available if needed. ● This is intended to improve documentation and guidelines, especially for record-keeping related to conflicts of interest. 3. Setting November deliberation dates, and December meeting date ● November dates: November 19 and 20. ○ Moving the deliberation dates up a week from last year to avoid conflicts with Thanksgiving. ○ Decisions must be finalized by November 30; Erin will send out scoring sheets before that date. ○ Every grant must be voted on unless there’s a conflict of interest. ○ Scoring: 1 to 5, with 25 being the highest possible score an organization can receive. ○ Submit any questions or issues with applications, such as grants not located in Lowell, by November 5. Responses from applicants are needed by November 12. ○ Grants can be awarded up to $10,000. ● December meeting date: Tentatively set for Tuesday, December 17. 4. Requests for reimbursement ● Guest (Peter Crewe): Canal-way gallery along the Riverwalk. ○ Requesting council permission to use the remaining funds to create additional galleries for Fall. There were no objections. ● DIY Lowell: Missed the application deadline; Erin will notify them that applications after the deadline cannot be accepted. 5. Review of public art permit ● Permit for a footbridge art installation scheduled for May 1st. 6. FY 2025 Applications - Preliminary sorting & questions ● Ineligible if the event does not take place in Lowell. ● Ineligible if the event is virtual. ● Ineligible if the venue is not accessible. ● Food reimbursements are allowed this year per MCC guidelines. ● Applications will be reviewed in alphabetical order. ● Erin will inquire about any issues with the panel book. Meeting adjourned at 7:20 PM. END