Arts Commission

Minutes of the Meeting Regular Meeting Middletown Commission on the Arts Wednesday, December 13, 2023 7:00pm, Room 208, Municipal Building 245 deKoven Drive, Middletown, CT Virtual – Held Via WebEx In attendance Also in attendance Sandra Russo-Driska, Chair Arts Office Staff: Anthony Pandolfe, Vice Chair Kisha Michael, Arts Coordinator David Wolfram, Secretary Julia Faraci, Admin. Secy Sari Rosenblatt Gary Wallace Renee Soares (arr: 7:05pm) Ad Hoc, Common Council Members: Sharon Riley (arr: 7:24pm) Steven Kovach Jon Pulino Absent: Pamela Steele Domenique Thornton 1) Meeting Call to Order : Meeting called to order by Chair Russo-Driska at 7:01 pm 2) Public Session: no members of the public present 3) Approval of Minutes November 15, 2023  Motion to approve Minutes by Anthony Pandolfe, seconded by Wolfram, passed unanimously with no discussion. 4) Approval of Agenda  Motion to approve Agenda by Rosenblatt, seconded by Anthony Pandolfe, passed unanimously with no discussion. 5) Remarks from the Chair – The Chair wished happy holidays to all. a) Councilmanic Appointments to MCA The Chair will wait till the January 2024 meeting to address the new appointments. The Chair reiterated the Commission’s goal to assist the Arts Coordinator in the work of the Arts Office, and praised the work of the Arts Office staff. b) MCA Regular Meeting Schedule – Year 2024 The 2024 MCA meeting schedule has been submitted. 6) Old Business a) Staff Report A group photo of the MCA Commissioners will be taken after January. The Arts Coordinator has obtained a secure cabinet for storage of permanent City Art Collection items when they are temporarily removed from the display case for seasonal displays.  Minutes of the Meeting Regular Meeting Middletown Commission on the Arts Wednesday, December 13, 2023 7:00pm, Room 208, Municipal Building 245 deKoven Drive, Middletown, CT Virtual – Held Via WebEx The Music Ambassador proclamation honoring Sam Vinci has been drafted by Faraci and is nearly ready. The Arts Coordinators asked the Commission for a date, time, and place for the award event so that a press release can be prepared. The Council Chambers will be booked for the expected large attendance. The Chair suggested that Mr. Vinci should be consulted about the date, and that a snow date should be planned. The Arts Coordinator reminded Commissioners to connect to the Arts Office social media. Posts are generally Middletown-focused, and occasionally provide a platform for arts events in other towns. Signing up to the listserv will connect Commissioners to city-wide communications forwarded by the Arts Office. The Arts Office is considering the purchase of branded merchandise, including mugs, T-shirts, and pins, supporting the promotion of arts and culture in Middletown. The Ordinance 44-11 revision has been sponsored by Council Member Kovach and will go on the GCC’s January agenda. Two Arts Commission items were unanimously approved at the December 5th Common Council meeting. Four grant applications totaling $14,999.00, recommended by the MCA. Two grant confirmations: The Shenker Fund and the Community Arts Activity Fund The next round of grants will be due January 8, 2024. Commissioners agreed to plan to interview the grant applicants during the week of January 16th. A Q&A session for grants applicants was held on Wednesday, December 6, 4:00 to 4:30pm, with one new grant applicant in attendance. The theater excursion to see “Dreamgirls” at the Goodspeed Opera House is full. The Arts Office is planning future excursions to the Bushnell, Shubert, and The Kate, marketed to engage adult / youth family relationships through the arts. The Arts Office is planning for a Kwanzaa event on December 29. Events currently being planned for 2024 include Black History Month and Women’s History Month. The Arts Coordinator said that programming is ahead of schedule for seasonal events, thanks to Arts Office support staff. The Arts Coordinator will be giving more performance opportunities to Middletown High students. The MHS Jazz Band is the opening act at the Fireworks Festival, and moving forward, they will be invited to perform at the Mayor’s Holiday Coffee Hour every year. These experiences have lasting benefits and are great additions to the students’ resumes. Michael received great feedback about the band that played at the Mayor’s Holiday Coffee hour on December 1.  Minutes of the Meeting Regular Meeting Middletown Commission on the Arts Wednesday, December 13, 2023 7:00pm, Room 208, Municipal Building 245 deKoven Drive, Middletown, CT Virtual – Held Via WebEx Michael reported that she and Faraci went to the Wesleyan art studios to attend Kate Ten Eyck’s session with MacDonough fourth graders creating tiles for the Mosaic project. The Buttonwood Tree has called the Arts Office twice with inquiries. Their board has dwindled and they are lacking strong leadership. The current director requested resources for artists with disabilities. The Arts Office will research resources and make them available to the City. b) Committee Reports i. Planning & Projects – Criteria Drafts – no report a. Music Ambassador 2024 criteria draft is attached to these minutes for review. b. Arts Advocacy Award 2024 criteria draft is attached to these minutes for review. ii. Public Art – No Report iii. Nominating – Report o Approval - Nominating Subcommittee Minutes May 11, 2023 None of the Commissioners in attendance at the May meeting of the Nominating Subcommittee is still on the MCA to approve the minutes of this meeting. The MCA Chair asked for approval of these minutes for the purpose of closing them out. Pandolfe made a motion to approve the minutes, seconded by Wallace. Approved unanimously. o Commissioner Recommendation At the November Nominating Subcommittee meeting, Phil Pessina was recommended for the MCA. Kovach reported that in a Special Meeting on December 12, Common Council approved the appointment of Pessina, who will begin service at the January meeting after being sworn in. o Sunshine Correspondence The Arts Coordinator proposed creating holiday cards and a standard thank you card for the MCA. o Youth in Gov’t Discussion on Commissioners’ expectations on the role of Youth Commissioner, reaching out to contacts with administration and faculty in the arts and music departments of Middletown High, and recruiting students. The Arts Coordinator commented that program description should include the opportunity it offers for students to “interest, learn, engage, grow”. Kovach and Pandolfe commented how their involvement with Youth In Government led to years of further involvement in City Government as adults.  Minutes of the Meeting Regular Meeting Middletown Commission on the Arts Wednesday, December 13, 2023 7:00pm, Room 208, Municipal Building 245 deKoven Drive, Middletown, CT Virtual – Held Via WebEx 7) New Business - none 8) Announcements Faraci reported that Rosenblatt’s public reading of a recently-written story was an enjoyable event. Russo-Driska reported that the Downtown Business District has used some grant funds to hire local artist Eddie Rivera to paint three murals to be hung in the windows of the former Bob’s Store on Main Street. 9) Meeting Adjournment Motion to adjourn by Riley, seconded by Pulino. Meeting adjourned at 7:45pm. Next Regular Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 7:00pm, and will be hybrid. Respectfully submitted, Julia Faraci Admin. Secretary III, Arts & Culture Office CC: Mayor’s office Attachments: MCA 2024 Meeting Schedule (PDF) Arts Advocacy Award Criteria (PDF) Music Ambassador Criteria (PDF) Nominating Subcommittee Minutes May 11, 2023