Arts Commission

Meeting Minutes Wednesday, December 19, 2018, 7:00 P.M. Community/Senior Center, 61 Durant Terrace Attending Also in Attendance Absent Cassandra Day, Chair Kisha Michael, Charlotte McCoid, Vice Chair Julia Faraci, Secretary Arts Coordinator Franca Biales Barbara Arafeh Robert Santangelo, David Bauer Lee Godburn Councilman Joyce Kirkpatrick Sebastian Giuliano, Crystal Laffan Councilman Cheryl Hale, Poet Laureate A t Members of Middletown Greent Community Center (MGCC): Jeff Hush Jimmy Draughn Joan Hedrick E Rachel Hedrick n Kwame Ocansey d Gail Thompson-Allen Serenity Quinones i Cookie Quinones n Karina Garcia g Sandy Gordon : Maria Louise Brower 1. The Meeting was called to order at 7:05pm. 2. Public Session: Jeff Hush, founder, and a number of team members of the Middletown Green Community Center (MGCC) addressed the Arts Commission to voice their concern about the future use of the former Green Street Arts Center building at 51 Green Street. Rachel Hedrick stated the case for the neighborhood, noting that about 30 children were dropped off from school buses at Pearl and Grand Street. Many of these children are from single parent homes and economically disadvantaged families. They have nowhere to go, often playing in the road, and being exposed to substance abuse and crime. She said MGCC would be an all age’s operation and would support art, health, and the economy in the area. Joan Hedrick pointed out that of the three proposals that were evaluated, MGCC had the greatest community support, including support from Middletown leaders and council people. MGCC would benefit North End and other Middletown populations with arts and technology education, keeping young people in the neighborhood, and stabilizing the area. Though there is a lack of funding, there is strong community support. Gail Thompson-Allen, of the Russell Library, noted the lack of a youth center in Middletown. The Green Street facility has served youth well. She questioned the need for more office buildings and stated that the building should be a youth center. Cookie Quinones said that she had worked at the Green Street facility for 15 years. She commented the CHC proposal would not give job opportunities to you. The Green Street building was made for youth and the community. Homeroom and other programs were taken away, and if the community loses the Green Street building, youth would feel like everything was being taken away. Green Street was a place where kids could learn and know that there were people who cared about them. Maria Louise Brower, a member of the MAC650 Artists Coop adjacent to Green Street, said that the neighborhood kids, some of them homeless, were afraid of violence in the area. The gallery was opened to allow the children to have creative expression. The area really needs creative space and Green Street is that space. Jeff Hush, the president and founder of MGCC, commented that the Green Street building was given away and that Mayor will not speak to MGCC about its proposal. He said that the group is willing and able to make the funds required to take over the space, and that they will take their proposal to the state. He commented that CHC and St. Vincent both have other options for spaces. Kwame Ocansey said that the center will stay in the community and that MGCC will fight for it. Serenity Quinones said that the center is not meant to be used any other way. She said people at Green Street helped when kids didn’t have anyone else, and that it’s a building that kids need. If they had the building back, kids could go there if they needed to talk to someone. The public session ended at 7:22pm. Councilmen Giuliano and Santangelo exited the meeting. Chair Day thanked the MGCC team for sharing their concerns with the Commission. Cheryl Hale, Middletown’s new poet laureate, was introduced to the commission. 3. Approval of Minutes of Meeting of November 28, 2018: Laffan moved to approve the minutes, Godburn seconded; Day, Arafeh, Godburn, Kirkpatrick, Laffan voted aye; Faraci abstained. 4. Approval of Agenda: Laffan moved to approve agenda, Kirkpatrick seconded, approved unanimously. 5. Remarks from the Chair: Day remarked on the passion that was brought to the meeting. She thanked the Commissioners for attending year round, and wished all happy holidays. Councilmen Santangelo and Giuliano returned to the meeting at 7:32pm. 6. Old Business: a. Budget Report: No report b. Program Update: i. Artist Stakeholders Group – No report ii. Grants – Awardees were sent their contracts and packets. iii. Music Ambassador – Neely Bruce has accepted the position, and a reception for him is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, January 10th at 3pm. iv. MCA 2019 Meeting schedule – Arts Coordinator Michael forwarded the meeting schedule to the Arts Commissioners. All meetings will take place at City Hall, except the November and December meetings which will be in the Senior Center on Durant Terrace. 7. Committee Reports a. Executive Committee – No report b. Public Art Committee i. Sculptor search recommendations for Palmer Field Michael, Kirkpatrick, Day and McCoid met to compile a list of five sculptors to present to the Commission, with three top choices to be considered and two others as alternates. Public Art Committee to meet again in January to present choices to the Commission. c. Nominating Committee i. Arts Commission vacancies The Mayor has a list of six or seven recommendations for the Arts Commission vacancies. His office will contact the candidates to confirm their availability and interest in serving. The names of the final candidates will be submitted to Common Council for consideration at their January 7th meeting. d. Planning and Projects i. Arts Advocacy Award Secretary Faraci will remind Arts Commissioners in mid-January for final nominations of individuals and groups for the Arts Advocacy Award. A list of past awardees will be made available to avoid duplication of previous awardees. Our new Poet Laureate, Cheryl Hale, will participate with one of her works for the celebration ceremony. e. Music Committee i. Middletown Music exhibit The Committee met on December 20. Debbie Shapiro at the Historical Society will be retiring, and the question was raised about location for the Middletown Music exhibit. The Committee will decide which places are available. There should be an emphasis on local education. f. Public Relations Committee i. Winter Wanderland This project will not be moving forward because although the group’s website says that no money is involved, there is a cost for participation. g. Poet Laureate Committee i. Cheryl Hale selected as new Poet Laureate  Ms. Hale was congratulated for being selected as new Poet Laureate of Middletown. She is excited, and thrilled and humbled to be following in the footsteps of the late Susan Allison, Middletown’s first poet laureate. Ms. Hale was the Spotlight Poet for the Connecticut Poetry Society’s September 2018 newsletter. She read her biography, attached, for the Commission. She will be presented as Poet Laureate at the Arts Advocacy Awards ceremony in March 2019. 8. New Business a. City Website 2019 On January 3rd, the new City of Middletown website will be introduced. It is planned to help citizens navigate more easily to city services, meetings and events through user-friendly links and multiple calendars. The Arts Office will have its own calendar, and the Arts Coordinator will be able to post city and arts group events. Organizations like Russell Library will be able to plan events without conflicting scheduled. The Arts Coordinator will work with City IT services to make a fillable form to use with a gatekeeper. b. FOIA Workshop The Office of General Counsel has scheduled Tom Hennick of the CT FOI Commission to give a one-hour refresher workshop on the Freedom of Information Act for members of the Arts Commission on January 23. c. Kids Arts 2019 – ordinance The Arts Coordinator stated that the Ordinance 87-10 referencing KidsArts program fees is out of date, and requested support for the update. Michael stated that she has been working with OGC on this ordinance revision. A copy of the current ordinance was distribute for review by the commissioners. Items 2A and 2B need to be re-written. The references to forms for families that receive free lunch are no longer appropriate because of universal free lunch. Godburn and Laffan said that those references can be removed. Godburn made a motion to accept changes, Laffan seconded, approved unanimously. Changes must go to the General Council Commission (GCC) for ordinance changes, pass through Finance and Governance, and then to Common Council. 9. Miscellaneous a. Meeting of the Arts, Culture and Tourism Transition Policy Committee on the morning of Wednesday December 19 at the Goodspeed Opera House. Arafeh, Faraci, Michael, Dic Wheeler from Oddfellows, and State Troubadour Nekita Waller from Middletown attended the presentation of the Committee, where the draft action plan was read. The action plan will be available on the state website. Arafeh noted the plan’s emphasis on tourism. She commented that though Middletown is the only large city in our region, organizations on the shoreline are better funded. She commented that the regional organizations need to know that Middletown is suffering. Kirkpatrick responded that some grants are donor advised, and since many donors live by the shoreline, organizations there may benefit more from funding. County-wide, funding is competitive, and the north part of the area and the south part should be balanced. Arafeh said that “fair play” is needed and wondered whether Middletown is being “pushed aside”. 10. Adjournment: Giuliano moved that the meeting be adjourned, seconded by Godburn, approved unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:28pm. The next meeting of the Middletown Commission on the Arts will be on January 23, 2019, at 7:00 pm, at the Municipal Building, Room 208, 245 DeKoven Drive. Respectfully submitted, Julia Faraci Secretary