Public Arts and Culture Advisory Council

PUBLIC ARTS & CULTURE ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING SUMMARY October 19, 2015 Members present: Chair Lindsay Brubaker – Niles Park District Janet Spector Bishop – School District 63 Mary Dowd Demas – Artist Debi Gajewski – Artist Dr. John Kosirog – School District 71 James Kozak – VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Susan Lempke – Niles Public Library Carol Luc – Artist Jonathan Mazur – Artist Ericka Stoor-Burning – Artist Staff present: Village Manager and Project Manager Steven Vinezeano Staff Liaison Cathy Spadoni Members absent: Michael Crisci – Niles Historical Society Rossana Macejak – Niles Sister Cities Katie Schneider – Niles Chamber of Commerce and Industry Staff absent: Mayor Andrew Przybylo Trustee George D. Alpogianis I. Call to Order Chair Lindsay Brubaker called the meeting of the Public Arts & Culture Advisory Council to order at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 19, 2015 at the Niles Historical and Cultural Center, 8970 N. Milwaukee Avenue. II. Approval of Meeting Summary Debi Gajewski made a motion, seconded by Janet Spector Bishop, to approve the meeting summary of September 21, 2015. On voice vote, all concurred. III. Old Business – Questionnaire Workshop continued Chair Brubaker continued the discussion of the questionnaire distributed to Council members at the September 19 meeting. Comments are as follows:  Public Arts & Culture Advisory Council October 19, 2015 5. What do you see as opportunities (outdoor sculpture, indoor/outdoor art fest, Sister City student art exchange/display, snow plow art program, etc.) that could be accomplished sooner than later? Participation in Niles Holly Jolly Christmas Market; Sister Cities events; Second City/Toys for Tots; Empty Bowls for Hunger; New Year’s Day 5K; USO collection; arts & craft show; block parties; Plain Air Art; cemetery walk; sidewalk art; ice sculptures; wine and paint party; student art displays; pop-up galleries; Winter Hawaiian event; plant exchange; art gallery space and “History of Candy in Chicago” at the library; bus stop design 7. What are ways to integrate arts and culture to enhance existing community events (i.e. Holly Jolly, Taste of Sister Cities, Bike Niles and 4th of July)? Holly Jolly: display decorated Christmas trees near the large tree, judge the best one and then donate all the trees to needy families; “Mrs. Claus” can tell stories to the children. Taste of Sister Cities: student art exchange with Pisa, Italy. 8. Would you want to serve on an Arts and Culture Master Plan Steering Committee? There are three things that need to be done over the next few months: 1) create a web presence; 2) plan events for next year; and 3) make budget recommendations for next year, which includes creating the Master Plan. The Master Plan will be a road map to help prioritize and implement the goals set forth by the Council. The Village will hire a planning firm. The steering committee would be asked to attend approximately six additional meetings over a six month period and would be a sounding board for the planning firm. IV. New Business – Discussion of Community Calendar The Niles community calendar promotes all events in Niles that are free, open to the public and take place in Niles. Anyone can submit events to the community calendar by accessing the link on the bottom of the homepage at www.vniles.com and filling out the online form. Submissions are subject to approval by the Village Communications Coordinator, Hayley Garard. It was noted that there are often scheduling conflicts between all the organizations – civic, schools, churches. V. Open Discussion The Free Bus currently does not stop at the Historical and Cultural Center. Creating a bus stop at this location is under consideration. 2  Public Arts & Culture Advisory Council October 19, 2015 VI. Public Comment 8th graders at St. Paul of the Cross School are looking for service hours and would be willing to volunteer. Misericordia Candy Days conducted in the spring might coordinate well with the “History of Candy in Chicago” library event. The Taste of Sister Cities event, scheduled for March 19, will conflict with various St. Patrick and St. Joseph celebrations in Niles. VII. Next Meeting – Agenda Items and Date a) 2016 Meeting Schedule Meetings of the Council will be held on the second Monday of the month. The next meeting will be held on Monday, November 9, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. at the Niles Historical & Cultural Center. Communications Coordinator Hayley Garard will discuss the treatment of arts and culture on the Village of Niles’ website. VIII. Adjournment There being no further business to come before the Council, Debi Gajewski made a motion, seconded by Lindsay Brubaker, to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 6:24 p.m. 3