Arts Commission

Amended Minutes of the Regular Meeting Wednesday, January 25, 7:00 PM Room 208, Municipal Bldg. 245 deKoven Drive, Middletown, CT Hybrid – To Be Held Both In-Person and By WebEx In attendance Also in attendance Absent Lee Godburn, Chair Kisha Michael David Wolfram Pam Steele, Vice Chair (Arts Coordinator) Barbara Arafeh Domenique Thornton, Secy Julia Faraci (Staff) Common Council Charlotte McCoid Ed McKeon, Mike Marino Anthony Pandolfe Kate TenEyck 1. Call to Order: Chair called the Meeting to order by the Chair at 7:04 PM. 2. Public Session: No members present 3. Approval of Minutes: December 14, 2022 Meeting  Motion made by Steele and seconded by Pandolfe to approve minutes. TenEyck said that the December minutes noted in error her presence at the meeting; however she was absent. All voted in favor or approving the corrected minutes were approved, excepting TenEyck who abstained. 4. Approval of Agenda:  Motion made by Steele and seconded by TenEyck to approve agenda. Without discussion minutes pass unanimously. 5. Remarks from the Chair No remarks from the Chair. 6. Old Business – A. Staff Report Housekeeping: Michael noted that there is $19,923.36 in the Arts checking account. Julia Faraci has joined the Arts Office as Assistant Secretary. She is doing data entry, rebuilding an email list of the arts sector, and researching the history of the Arts Advocacy Awards. Michael reminded Commissioners to use Faraci’s City email address, and to respond “reply all” to Faraci’s emails so that Michael will receive responses. Arts Office procedures and correspondence are being updated and standardized, including forms for purchasing art for the City Collection and other correspondence. Brief discussion ensued about future purchases of art. Commissioner TenEyck recommended that new artwork should not be purchased while currently held pieces needed restoration, repair, and maintenance. She also noted the “disastrous” City Hall building entry area which has been a matter for  Amended Minutes of the Regular Meeting Wednesday, January 25, 7:00 PM Room 208, Municipal Bldg. 245 deKoven Drive, Middletown, CT Hybrid – To Be Held Both In-Person and By WebEx concern. Further discussion by the Commissioners included decommissioning art works, rotating the art works, and finding ways to showcase items in the Collection. The proclamation awarded to John Risley has been found in the Arts Office. Staff will track down his family and send the plaque to them. Michael said that she received feedback at the Open Air Market from the public about programming and events people would like to see, including nature walks, open air operas and ballets, teen art, and art contests. PSAs on WESU and social media (Instagram and Facebook) were suggested. Grants: Applications are available for Commissioners to review via Box; please let her know if you have any problems accessing them. Bus trips: Michael is planning two or three bus trips to art museums. The first trips will be to local museums, like the NBMAA, Yale, or Wadsworth Atheneum, with the possibility of going farther afield, to MassMOCA next year. The trips are made possible with ARPA funds. Artist Workshops: With the assistance of Shoreline Arts Alliance, Michael plans to initiate workshops to support the efforts of artists navigating the grant process. The workshops introduce participants to resources and teach them skills like budgeting, marketing, and finances, to better prepare them to apply for funding from the MCA, the state, and other sources. Fireworks Event: The Independence Day Fireworks are scheduled for July 1, rain date July 2. Carol Schulz: The Commissioners expressed sorrow at Michael’s announcement of the passing of Carol Schulz, artist, and former Russell Library staff. 7. New Business a. Committee Reports Public Art Committee: Discussion of artists whose work is under consideration for future purchase. Committee members will follow up on review of procedures for purchasing, maintaining, and decommissioning art. Clean guidelines are needed for acquisition of art for the City Art Collection. City departments solicited for their vision of art to be displayed in the Municipal Building. Concerns expressed about Building foyer. River Reconnect: TenEyck has created the formal proposal for the River Reconnect tunnel project, announced at the November meeting. The project has obtained $25,000 seed money from the DBD. Thornton moved that the MCA submit a letter of support for the project as described by TenEyck, seconded by Steele. Michael will draft a letter, to be signed by the Chair and voted on and approved by the MCA. Thornton advised that the project obtain the commitment of support promised verbally by organizations.  Amended Minutes of the Regular Meeting Wednesday, January 25, 7:00 PM Room 208, Municipal Bldg. 245 deKoven Drive, Middletown, CT Hybrid – To Be Held Both In-Person and By WebEx Nominating Committee: Several candidates for Commissioner positions will be approached. Commissioners continue to discuss ideas for recruitment, including from local social clubs, churches, businesses, organizations, and city agencies. Current Planning & Projects: Pandolfe will serve as temporary Chair; he will schedule next meeting. Staff member Faraci performed research into the history of the Arts Advocacy Award; the criteria for selection of Awardees will be reviewed. Executive Committee: No report b. Grants Michael said the new slate of applicants applied for a total of $77,847; total funds available are $68,600. The applications are in Box for Commissioner review. Five of the fourteen applicants have never applied for MCA funding before. General Operating Grants Interviews scheduled for February 2nd and Project Grant interviews scheduled for February 8th. Interview panels were chosen. Four grantees from the 2021-2022 cycle reached their grant end date; two have requested extensions, and one has filed an updated interim report. One has noted a delay in their project resulting from financial constraints; their project is still in pre-production. They were advised to keep in touch with the Arts & Culture Office if they need assistance. 8. Announcements: No announcements 9. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:15pm. Respectfully submitted, Julia Faraci, Admin. Secretary III Arts & Culture Office