Arts Board Meeting

CITY OF MADISON HEIGHTS CITY HALL - EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE ROOM, 300 W. 13 MILE RD. ARTS BOARD MEETING AGENDA MAY 12, 2025 AT 6:00 PM CALL TO ORDER 6:05 ROLL CALL Toya Aaron, Vice Chair (absent) Mark Bliss, Council Representative Michael Covert, Chair Brian Davis, Member (absent) Ali Dorsey, Student Representative (ex-officio) (absent) Laurie Geralds, Member Susie King, Member Bill Mier, Council Alternate Harley Mordarski, Staff Liaison Jennifer Nagle, Social Media (absent) Vita Palazzolo, Member (arrives 6:22) Keaton Soto-Olson, Member (absent) Thomas Wrona, Alternate Sandie Young, Alternate Motion by Bliss, Second by Geralds to excuse Nagle, Davis, Soto-Olsen, and Aaron. Yea: All Nay: None Motion Carries ADDITIONS/DELETIONS Motion by Bliss, Second by Geralds to remove High School Art Exhibit and the HREC Cookbook Collaboration from agenda for the meeting of May 12 Yea: All Nay: None Motion Carries APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of Minutes Motion by King, Second by Young to approve April 2nd, 2025 meeting minutes. Yea: All Nay: None Motion Carries MEETING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC REPORTS 2. Treasurer Report (Mordarski) Mordarski presented the treasurer’s report, and Geralds clarified a misstatement regarding the summer concert series, noting that the board does not owe any money, as sponsor contributions are covering the costs; the board simply has funds set aside for related expenses. Mordarski agreed to revise the language in the report to make this clearer. 3. Social Media Report (Bliss) Bliss delivered the social media report, highlighting that the Facebook page received 53,000 views over the last 28 days (the highest ever for the board). There has been significant engagement with the gala content, with users liking and saving posts, though ticket purchases remain low. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 4. Arts Prom 2025 (Geralds, Bliss, Nagle, Covert, King) Geralds reported that the break-even point for the Art Gala was 60 ticket sales, and 61 tickets have been sold. The event will be set up for 80 attendees at Club Venetian. Geralds will send an email update to all ticket holders prior to the event. There will be nine auction items, and a few tables have been reserved for City Council, Stagecrafters, and other guests. The DJ is confirmed and enthusiastic about the event. Trivia questions about Natalie will be included as part of the evening’s activities. Event setup will begin between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. Geralds will also assemble a swag basket with Arts Board merchandise. The table that wins trivia will receive a prize. Harley will secure a cash box with $100 in change and prepare PayPal signage. Harley will also send Laurie a QR code to include on the silent auction form. In lieu of a raffle, due to the lack of a license, Geralds will organize an “envelope game” to raise additional funds. Further, Geralds expressed concerns about the Board's capacity to continue organizing this type of event in the future and requested that the board reconsider event for future years. 5. Skelebration Trail (Geralds, Dorsey, Young, Wrona) Geralds met with Brendan from Recreation to discuss collaborating for Truck or Treats and Skelebration Trails. She noted it may be a fruitful partnership. There was also mention of Recreation hosting a Harvest Fest instead of a Truck or Treat. Young also obtained a pin the tail on the skeleton game on Halloween clearance.  6. Trail Tunes 2025 (Bliss, Palazzolo, Aaron, Mier, Davis) The subcommittee has not had the opportunity to meet. They need to meet to review their process for applications and Battle of the Bands, since the Madison Heights Community Foundation will not fund events that give away prizes. 6. Civic Center Hopscotch (Geralds) Geralds will reach out to Eve Sandoval again. 7. DIA Inside|Out 2025 (Geralds, Nagle, King, Young) Mordarski reported that paintings will be installed during the week. The City will also have three additional paintings via Oakland County Parks (Nature Center, Water Park, Golf Course). The subcommittee would like to host a few events, including a bus tour with a DIA volunteer, a painting in the park event, and an art contest where participants can create their own rendition of the photos. They are also interested in hosting a scavenger hunt. 8. Summer Concert Series (Aaron, Bliss, Geralds, King, Soto-Olsen) The Garveys will not be available to perform with their band for the summer concert series. However, the subcommittee is brainstorming backup options. Geralds will reach out to the Garveys to ask if an alternative date would work better with their schedule. Palazzolo offered her support to the subcommittee, should they need another hand. 10. Arts Board Merch (King, Covert, Aaron, Wrona) Wrona made a few mockups to review for merchandise. Covert requested that Wrona make another logo print-on-demand of the paintbrush. Palazzolo noted that the board is more than just a paintbrush and requested some variety with the logos. 11. Bandshell Utilization Subcommittee (Geralds, Covert, King, Mier, Palazzolo) The dancing under the stars event and an open mic night are in the planning process. Ian Fritz (Soundwave Detroit) could be a host for an open mic night. Bliss also believes that a free dance lesson in the park would be great for residents. If the subcommittee has dates, they should send to Mordarski by June 6th for the Communications Department to review and put in the C&G insert. 12. Arts and Pride (Nagle, Dorsey, King, Wrona) Arts and Pride is scheduled for June 22nd. The subcommittee has not had a meeting yet, but they’ve been messaging amongst themselves about the event. Mordarski has been forwarding vendor- related emails to Nagle. NEXT MEETING: June 11th at 6 PM NEW BUSINESS ADJOURNMENT 7:12 NOTICE: Persons with disabilities needing accommodations for effective participation through electronic means in this meeting should contact the City Clerk at (248) 583-0826 or by email: clerks@madison- heights.org at least two working days in advance of the meeting. An attempt will be made to make reasonable accommodations.