Public Arts and Culture Advisory Council

PUBLIC ARTS & CULTURE ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING SUMMARY December 11, 2017 5:00 p.m. Members present: Chair Lindsay Brubaker – Niles Park District Janet Spector Bishop – School District 63 Edward Eubank –District 207 Debi Gajewski – Artist Kathleen Gallegos - Artist Cory Hance – Artist Susan Lempke – Niles Public Library Carol Luc – Artist Katie Schneider – Niles Chamber of Commerce and Industry Steven Vinezeano – VFW Mr. Kim Wasilewski – Artist Staff present: Staff Liaison Cathy Spadoni Members absent: Michael Crisci – Niles Historical Center Dr. John Kosirog – School District 71 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 5:04 p.m. on Monday, December 11, 2017 at the Niles Administration Building, Room 218, 1000 Civic Center Drive. II. Approval of Meeting Summary Janet Spector Bishop made a motion, seconded by Debi Gajewski, to approve the meeting summary of November 13, 2017. On voice vote, all concurred.  Public Arts & Culture Advisory Council December 11, 2017 III. Organization Representative Reports Niles-Maine District Library – Susan Lempke reported that Abe Lincoln appeared at the Library to kick off the Illinois bicentennial. School District 63 – Janet Spector Bishop reported that all entries of the winter card contest are on display at the Niles-Maine District Library. VFW – Steve Vinezeano had no arts and culture-related information to report. Maine East High School District 207 – Ed Eubank reported that members of the Niles Senior Center attended the winter concert. The school will put on Shrek-The Musical the last week in February; there is free admission for seniors at the March 1 matinee. Artist Kim Wasilewski had nothing to report. Niles Park District – Lindsay Brubaker reported that holiday events are going on now. Staff Liaison Cathy Spadoni reported that Nick Wyatt, Staff Liaison to the Village of Skokie Fine Arts Commission, was unable to attend this meeting to speak about the process of securing art for public display and has shown no interest in attending future meetings. We may have to look elsewhere, such as Evanston. • The Council will vote later in this meeting to cancel the January 8 meeting due to a scheduling conflict. • The Council was well represented at the Holly Jolly Market on November 25: the Gemini Jr. High School band performed; Debi Gajewski portrayed Mrs. Claus; the Library conducted craft-making for the children; and the Chamber ran the horse-drawn trolley. • Cathy announced her retirement as of December 15, 2017. Artist Debi Gajewski reported on upcoming projects: portraying Mrs. Claus, storytelling for the Credit Union, portraying Debbie Reynolds, and working on the Illinois’ 200 Years exhibit. Artist Carol Luc reported that she is teaching the History of Graphic Arts at Robert Morris College. Artist Kathleen Gallegos reported on a recent fund-raising event at Field School and a team-building project, as well as an upcoming painting event. Niles Chamber of Commerce – Katie Schneider reported that the Chamber collected $225 for the Dollars for Scholars Program at the Holly Jolly Market on November 25. She wondered if the Council would want to partner with the Chamber on the Night of Roses event at Chateau Ritz on April 27. More information will be provided as the date approaches. 2  Public Arts & Culture Advisory Council December 11, 2017 IV. Old Business a. “Purse-ue Your Dreams” Charity Auction Final Report Debi Gajewski reported that the auction brought in $532.50 and the raffle brought in $125 – for a total of $757.50 donated to Wings. She thanked the Library and the Historical Museum for hosting the traveling display; Steven Yasell for his photography; Kim Wasilewski and Cathy Spadoni for their help in setting up; the Maine East Demon Strings for playing at the event; and Lot 14 for conducting the auction. She turned in receipts for purchases made and will be reimbursed $350 – the amount approved by the Council. Mayor Przybylo sent his congratulations to Debi for doing a fantastic job. He was impressed with how well it was done and wants it to be bigger, with more people in attendance, next time. b. Twinkle & Lights Contest Final Report Cathy Spadoni reported that judges Debi Gajewski, Kathleen Gallegos and Carol Luc reviewed and scored 32 contest entries on December 9 and 10. The winners were: 1st Place – 8017 Davis; 2nd Place – 8000 Davis; 3rd Place – 6949 Niles Terrace; Simple Yet Elegant – 8440 Clara; Most Whimsical and Best Use of Technology – 8017 Davis. The winners will be announced at the December 12 Board meeting. Cathy Spadoni will distribute the winners’ gift cards, certificates and yard signs. Ideas for next year include: limiting the number of entries to 40; requiring that the house numbers be well lit and visible and readable from the street; better defining the special categories to determine the scoring criteria; allowing people to apply for a category; disallowing last year’s winners from entering; asking last year’s winners to be judges. c. Master Plan Implementation Kim Wasilewski presented information on bench projects in other cities. He set up an email account nilesartsandculture@gmail.com for members to easily access this information. A list of 18 benches owned by the Village was distributed. If possible, these benches will be repurposed rather than replaced. The Council will investigate how to handle the project from conception to completion from the perspectives of the Village (involvement of Public Works employees), the Council (obtaining sponsors), the artists (receiving stipends), and the public (proper notice when a bench is dismantled). Steve Vinezeano will look into whether or not they can be dismantled and brought to artists’ homes for painting. V. New Business a. Report from “Call to Artists” Subcommittee The purpose of the “Call to Artists” is to generate interest in the Council and the bench project and to assemble artists. The event is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, March 21. Subcommittee members Debi Gajewski, Kathleen Gallegos and Kim Wasilewski will secure a location, put out a call on social media and start building a database of artists. 3  Public Arts & Culture Advisory Council December 11, 2017 VI. Open Discussion Katie Schneider noted that the Christmas Train exhibit at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC, included a representation of the Niles Leaning Tower. Debi Gajewski suggested an ornament-painting project at the next Holly Jolly. Ornaments would be sold at the event, with the money going to charity, and the painted ornaments would be hung on a tree. Susan Lempke reported that Mary Dowd Demas, a former Council member, has created and donated a stained glass depiction of the Arts & Culture logo to the Library, where it is on display. VII. Public Comment None VIII. Next Meeting Debi Gajewski made a motion, seconded by Katie Schneider, to cancel the January 8, 2018 meeting. On voice vote, all concurred. The next meeting will be held on Monday, February 12, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. at the Village Hall Conference Room 218. IX. Adjournment There being no further business to come before the Council, Debi Gajewski made a motion, seconded by Cory Hance, to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 6:24 p.m. 4