Arts Commission

Minutes of the Meeting Middletown Commission on the Arts Monday, June 14, 2022 2:00 p.m. Room B-11, Municipal Bldg. Nominating Committee (Julia Faraci, Kate Ten Eyck) 1) Call to order at 3:35pm 2) Public session: None 3) Approval of Agenda – Unanimous 4) Old business – a. Two candidates approached by the Nominating Committee have confirmed their interest and agreed to serve on the Arts Commission. Anthony Pandolfe is a musical theater artist and teacher. He has been involved with the Greater Middletown Chorale. He is registered Independent. Kerry Kincy is a teaching artist and the founder and director of the Free Center Middletown. She is a registered Democrat. The names of these candidates will be submitted to the MCA for approval at its next meeting on June 22. b. The Nominating Commission will continue to reach out to its contacts in the Middletown arts, business, and social communities in order to find more nominees for Commissioner seats – the ones that are currently vacant and those to be vacated in the next year. c. The slate of MCA officers was finalized: Chair: Lee Godburn Vice Chair: Pamela Steele Secretary: Domenique Thornton The Slate will be presented to the MCA for a vote at its next meeting on June 22. 5) New business a. TenEyck and Faraci of the Nominating Committee met with Mayor Florsheim on June 14 to discuss finding more / new commissioners. i. The Nominating Committee reviewed their search process with the Mayor, discussing leads they have been pursuing and contacts that have been made. The Mayor said he’ll put some thought into other possible nominees. He assured the Nominating Committee that he would consult with them, and contact them with any additional names. Because of the charter revision and the term expirations of two members, the Commission needs to recruit four Commissioners, only 1 of whom can be a  Democrat. By June 2023, three more Commissioners, all Democrats, will reach their term limits. The charter requires that no more than 7 of the 11 Commissioners can be registered Democrats. The Commission should be reflective of the diverse backgrounds of the Middletown community. ii. Discussion of creation of a list of people who are interested in becoming more involved in the arts and in attending Commission meetings. Such a list can be used as a jumping-off point to engage people and to recruit community members to fill Commission seats. iii. The Mayor stated that the Commissioners whose terms are expiring June 2022 will not be required to leave the Commission until their replacements have been nominated, and approved by the Mayor. iv. Ad hoc Common Council members have had schedule conflicts and have been unable to attend MCA meetings. Discussion of the possibility of changing the meeting day to accommodate schedules of ad hoc Council representatives to Arts Commission should be addressed in a future Arts Commission meeting. v. Tunnel under Route 9: Mayor Florsheim confirmed that the property is owned by the City. TenEyck suggested some ideas about projects that can make these spaces more interesting and inviting, incorporating light, sound, and other media. Mayor Florsheim was enthusiastic about possible projects for this tunnel, and for the tunnel near Berlin Street as well. Possibly a competition and / or a short term installation project can be launched. This idea can be discussed further at a Public Art Committee meeting. 6) Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 3:57pm Respectfully submitted, Julia Faraci Nominating Committee