Arts Commission

ARTS COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2022 – 6:00 - 7:00 PM AGENDA To allow public access, anyone may access a meeting by telephone or Zoom. Specific instructions and links can be found at www.norwalkct.org/meetings. Members of the public can call in and listen to a meeting. They will not be able to speak or see any of the meeting participants. Each meeting will use a unique Meeting/Webinar ID. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide "live comments" will need to register in advance and use the Zoom meeting platform. All participants will be muted upon entering the meeting. To speak, click the “raise your hand indicator” and you will call on by the host of the meeting during the public comment section. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment are encouraged to submit those via email in advance of the meeting. For these comments to be read into the record, they should be submitted at least three hours in advance of the meeting start time. Please email Maritza Alvarado at malvarado@norwalkct.org to provide written public comment prior to the meeting. I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IV. ADMINISTRATION a. Approve the minutes of the April 5, 2022 regular meeting. V. NEW BUSINESS a. Approve the display and acceptance of the Norwalk Harbor Splash! Dragon Boat trophy in the Norwalk City Hall Community Room or any other location deemed appropriate by the Commission. VI. COMMITTEE/STAFF UPDATES a. Budget Committee Update i. Finance update – Nori Grudin b. Communications Committee Update Page 1 of 2  i. Social Media update – Marc Alan c. Infrastructure Committee Update i. Committee Report – Brian Kaspr ii. Art in Public Places RFQ and proposal update iii. MLK Lighting Project update VII. OLD BUSINESS VIII. ADJOURNMENT Page 2 of 2  City of Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting April 5, 2022 ATTENDANCE: Mark Alan, Chairman; Janet Evelyn; Brian Kaspr; Robert Abriola; Melissa Metuska; Nori Grudin; Steven Rust STAFF: Sabrina Church OTHER: Ingrid Aarons; Briana James I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Alan Called to meeting to order at 6:00. II. ROLL CALL Chairman Alan gave a roll call of the members present. There was a quorum present. III. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION There was no public participation. IV. ADMINISTRATION a) Approve the minutes of the February 1, 2022 regular meeting. ****Mr. Kaspr moved to approve the minutes. ****Mr. Metuska seconded the motion. ****The motion passed with Mr. Abriola abstaining. City of Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting April, 5, 2022 1  b) Approve the minutes of the March 1, 2022 regular meeting. ****Ms. Evelyn moved to approve the minutes as submitted. ****Mr. Rust seconded the motion. ****The motion passed with Mr. Abriola and Mr. Kaspr abstaining. V. COMMITTEE/STAFF UPDATES a. Budget Committee Update i. Finance update – Nori Grudin Ms. Gruden gave an update of the budget at the end of the fiscal year. There is between $1,800-2,000 left over in the budget. Some will be spent on a Mayor’s gallery exhibit. The budget and the concept for the content needs to be decided for this. Ms. Church volunteered to provide historical information on budgets spent on past exhibits in the Mayor’s gallery. Mr. Abriola would like to create a plan for ongoing exhibits in the Mayor’s gallery. Ms. Church has gotten approval from the buildings department to install an art hanging system to make art exhibits easily interchangeable. b. Communications Committee Update i. Social Media update – Marc Alan Chairman Alan is working on a new newsletter and asked for contributions from the committee. Social media is continuing. c. Infrastructure Committee Update i. Committee Report - Brian Kaspr Mr. Kaspr met with Mr. Rust to discuss the Art in Public Spaces funds which will be lost if they are not used. There is a $25,000 budget, with some additional funds coming from the MLK project. City of Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting April, 5, 2022 2  Mr. Kaspr suggested the Monroe Street Underpass should be the first location. It is very highly trafficked and as it is at the train station, it is the first place many visitors to Norwalk see. Its large size also lends itself to a public art project within this budget. Also, its location near the police station should discourage vandalism. Chairman Alan asked what protocols the DOT requires for a project like this, and asked about the approval process. Mr. Kaspr explained that the DOT is only concerned with maintenance of the underpass, and insurance covered. The rest of the decisions are left up to the Arts Commission. Chairman Alan asked Ms. Church if the insurance that the commission currently carries would cover this project. Ms. Church assured the committee that the current insurance coverage will cover it. Mr. Kaspr presented the proposed timeline ulilizing the platform “Call for Entries”: Request For Qualifications announced April 15, 2022 RFQ closes Jun 1, 2022 Jurying of Proposals: June-July 2022 Three finalists announced: August 2022 Artist selected: September 2022 Planning and Design: Oct-Nov 2022 Project Implementation starts: Dec 2022 Project Completion: July 2023 Mr. Kaspr Presented the proposed budget: $475 - Call for entries fee $200 - Per entry fee $1,500 Stipend for three proposals $27,000 - Mural inclusive of all materials, artist fees, travel, insurance, etc. $29,175 - TOTAL* *Includes $4,000 left over from MLK after lighting installation. Mr. Kaspr will email a copy of his proposed RFQ to the commission. City of Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting April, 5, 2022 3 VI. NEW BUSINESS a. Brianna James Project Proposal Ms. James is proposing a service project between the Arts Commission and Person to Person. The first step would be a clothing drive, and then a clothing sort. It’s an opportunity for the Arts community to give back in a practical way. Ms. Grudin asked if it would be possible to invite people outside the commission to participate. Ms. James welcomes anyone able to contribute. b. Jamaican Community Plaque at Heritage Park Ms. Evelyn and Ms. Aarons would like the commission to consider adding a Jamaican Community Plaque on the Heritage Wall in honor of the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence from Britain in August. They presented a design that incorporates both Jamaica’s Coat of Arms and Norwalk’s seal. It is a bronze plaque and the Jamaican flag will be colored. It iis dedicated to the Jamaican diaspora in Norwalk and around Connecticut. The Arts Commission is being asked to weigh in on the artistic measure of the design. Chairman Alan liked the design, and suggested one small grammatical change. Mr. Abriola suggested adding the date of the 60th anniversary of Jamaican Independence. Ms. Evelyn was hesitant to add the date, as she would like it to remain relevant through time. The Commission agrees on how well the plaque is designed. ****Mr. Abriola moved to approve the design of the plaque. ****Ms. Metuska seconded the motion. ****The motion passed with Ms. Evelyn abstained. VII. OLD BUSINESS a. MLK Lighting Project Update Mr. Rust updated the commission. The lights have arrived and a mock up will be created to make sure they look good. There are cooler and warmer settings that can be adjusted. In a few weeks, the commission will have the opportunity to have a look at them in place. City of Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting April, 5, 2022 4  b. Traffic Graphic Box Project Chairman Alan met with a muralist, Bianca Romero, who would like to work with local students to paint traffic boxes. Hopefully, there will be a proposal next month. The budget will not come from the Arts Commission. c. More Public Art Mr. Abriola would like Norwalk to create more public art like the Cow Parade in Stamford, and the painted bulls in NYC. Last year Stamford had pianos. Norwalk years ago had stars. Mr. Arbriola suggested this would be a new way to increase public art in Norwalk. VIII. ADJOURNMENT ****Mr. Kaspr moved to adjourn the meeting. ****Mr. Abriola seconded the motion. ****The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 7:20. Respectfully submitted, Amy Chaple Telesco Secretarial Services City of Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting April, 5, 2022 5 Attached are some photos of the Norwalk Harbor Splash! Dragon Boat trophy. Not as exquisite as the real thing but you’ll get an indication of the trophy, its size and detail. The trophy represents the Norwalk Harbor Splash!, an event developed by the South Norwalk Business Association in 1995—all of which is a slice of history from a by-gone era of South Norwalk. Splash! was a festival held in South Norwalk for more than a decade. The festival celebrated the Norwalk Harbor—a natural treasure in an urban setting. That celebration—the festival-- included many events from the Clam Chowder Cook-off involving SoNo area restaurants to the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Races with teams from organizations & area businesses. The trophy is hand carved and gilded with real gold leaf by Rand Arrowitz. Our previous discussions with the Arts Commission included the Dragon Boat trophy being placed in one of the locking bookcase unit in the Community Room at City Hall. A background/explanation/surround of what the trophy represented would be developed for the space and paid for by the South Norwalk Business Association. Much like each one of the WPA murals tells a very full story of its time and subject, the dragon boat trophy is a piece of art that captures part of the South Norwalk story and community that developed Norwalk Harbor Splash!