Arts Commission

MINUTES OF MEETING Middletown Commission on the Arts PLANNING AND PROJECTS COMMITTEE February 16, 2023 5:00 p.m. Room 208, Municipal Building Hybrid - Held Both In-Person and By Webex PLANNING AND PROJECTS COMMITTEE Minutes of Meeting In attendance: MCA Commissioners: Anthony Pandolfe, David Wolfram Via Webex: Lee Godburn (Chair), Domenique Thornton (Secretary) Arts & Culture Office Staff: Kisha Michael, Arts Coordinator; Julia Faraci, Admin Sec’y 1. Call to order: meeting started at 4:59 p.m. 2. Public session: no one from the public was present. 3. Secretary assigned: Faraci was assigned to take minutes 4. Approval of agenda: motion to approve agenda by Wolfram, seconded by Godburn 5. Old Business: Review of meeting minutes from July 19, 2021. All tasks have been completed. 6. New business: a. Year at a Glance - Pandolfe has reviewed Planning and Projects tasks with Godburn, to the goal of creating a Standard Operating Procedure for the Committee. He has created a “Year at a Glance” schedule (*attached) of the Planning and Projects Committee events throughout the year; timelines will be developed for each event, with results due at P & P meetings throughout the year. Events were reviewed, as follows: i. Music Ambassador - Selection of the Music Ambassador falls to the Music Subcommittee. The P&P Committee reviewed the process and schedule for selection and recognition of the Music Ambassador. ii. MCAAAA – The Middletown Commission on the Arts Annual Arts Award (MCAAAA) has been assigned to the Public Art Committee, and will be removed from the “Year at a Glance” document. iii. Wadsworth Mansion Open Air Market – The date for the Open Air Market has been set to August 27th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration is open now: Arts & Culture Office pays the non-profit organization booth fee of $75. Fully formed ideas for new projects and activities for the booth must be discussed by May so Arts & Culture Office can acquire needed supplies. iv. Middletown Pride – The Pride event has been set to June 3rd, with a rain date of June 4th. Lineup is at 10 a.m. The Arts Office has sponsorship forms. Participating groups can staff booths or march in the parade. The buttons and postcards at the Arts & Culture Office’s  MINUTES OF MEETING Middletown Commission on the Arts PLANNING AND PROJECTS COMMITTEE February 16, 2023 5:00 p.m. Room 208, Municipal Building Hybrid - Held Both In-Person and By Webex booth were popular last year, as were the drag show costumes displayed at City Hall. New ideas for 2023 booth activities include an oversized canvas for a community painting, a “front drop” for a photo shop, and organizations invited to distribute “bling”. Musician and artist supporters marching in the parade was also suggested; enlisting marchers has been challenging because many participants prefer to watch the parade. A band at the booth was also suggested. v. Arts Advocacy – National Arts Advocacy Day is in March; vote for Middletown Arts Advocate Awards should be in December or January. Nominations of individuals and/or organizations will be solicited from the public and from arts community stakeholders. Award ceremony date will be determined by the availability of the Mayor, whose office will draft the Proclamation honoring the Advocate Awardees. The Planning and Projects Committee relies on input from the Commissioners on Awardee selection and determining the look of future awards ceremony events. vi. Poet Laureate – Proposal to change position to “Artist Laureate” will be brought to full Commission. Purpose of position should be further defined. The Laureate position should be stewarded by a member of the Planning and Projects Committee. The Committee proposed adding members of the public to the Laureate Subcommittee. b. New Projects 1. Godburn proposed that the Planning and Projects Committee should initiate a new project yearly. The Riverfront Tunnel project will require the Committee’s attention this year; future projects to be considered. 2. Faraci reported on her research on the history and past awardees of the Arts Advocacy Award, in the interest in establishing best practices for future nomination, selection, and awarding of this honor. *Attached. 3. Pandolfe will fine tune the Year at a Glance document; it will be shared at the next regular Commission meeting on February 22nd. c. Next Planning and Projects meeting will be at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 16. 7. Adjournment: Thornton moved that the meeting adjourn at 5:53 p.m.; seconded by Godburn. *PandP-Year at a Glance (1) *PandPArts AdvocacyHistory-reportJF Respectfully submitted, Julia Faraci Administrative Secretary III, Arts & Culture Office