Arts Commission

MINUTES of the Executive Committee Special Meeting Tuesday, March 12, 2025 Middletown Commission on the Arts 7:30 p.m., Virtual via WebEx Commissioners present – Anthony Pandolfe, Chair; David Wolfram, Vice Chair; Sari Rosenblatt, Secretary; Richard Pelletier, Robert Santangelo, Pamela Steele, Gary Wallace. AD HOC: Steven Kovach, Common Council Absent: Philip Pessina, Sharon Riley Staff present - Kisha McWilliams Michael, Arts & Culture Coordinator 1) Call to Order – Chair called the meeting to order at 7:30pm 2) Public Session - none 3) Approval of Agenda - motion to approve by Wolfram, seconded by Santangelo, unanimously approved by all present members. 4) Remarks from the Chair/Vice Chair - none 5) Staff Report - Michael noted that the purpose of this meeting is to finalize grant recommendations to submit to the Mayor for approval, so that they can be placed on Common Council’s June 21 agenda. 6) Unfinished Business a) *January FY25 Grant Recommendations - Discussion of award amounts. The Executive Committee, having met on February 24 to discuss award recommendations for January FY25 GOS/PSG Grants submissions, brought forward their dollar amount recommendations. Wolfram explained that the Committee’s calculations were based on apportioning percentages of available funding, with adjustments for need and impact. Organization Amount Project Support Tier 1-3 Resonant Motion $990.00 Connecticut Ballet $1,000.00 Sandra Lira, Sculptor Artist $1,600.00 Community Health Center/Vinnie’s $3,025.00 Emmy Brockman, Artist $3,075.00 Church of the Holy Trinity $3,150.00 Unashamed, Inc. $3,360.00 Artists for World Peace (AFWP) $2,500.00 GMChorale $2,500.00 Wesleyan Potters $2,500.00 General Operating Support Tier 4-5 Greater Middletown Concert Assoc. $4,200.00 ARTFARM $4,500.00 Wesleyan University/WESU $4,500.00 Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet $7,000.00 Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater $7,000.00 TOTAL $50,900.00 After discussion, at 8:08am, Santangelo raised a motion to accept the numbers as presented, seconded by Steele, and approved unanimously. 7) Announcements - none 8) Adjournment - by unanimous consent, the meeting adjourned at 8:10 pm Attachment: FY 2025 Grants Spreadsheet-2 (PDF) Respectfully submitted by, Julia O’Halloran Faraci, Staff