Arts Commission

City Hall Meeting Minutes 601 4th Avenue E Olympia, WA 98501 Arts Commission Contact: Stephanie Johnson 360.709.2678 Thursday, November 12, 2020 6:00 PM Online or via phone Register to attend: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_H0GeF245RUeLHuoI3BBkvA 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Grisham called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. 1.A ROLL CALL Present: 7 - Commissioner Timothy Grisham, Chair Frederick Dobler, Vice Chair Jim Burlingame, Commissioner Kathryn Dorgan, Commissioner Rose Clifthorne, Commissioner Stacy Hicks and Commissioner Kathy Murray 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The agenda was approved. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 20-0902 Approval of October 8, 2020 Arts Commission Meeting Minutes The minutes were approved. 4. PUBLIC COMMENT - None 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS Program Specialist Angel Nava announced the recent Americans for the Arts training was well attended and that members of the group continue to meet. She invited Commissioners to join the ongoing meetings. Ms. Johnson shared the updated appointment schedule, noting the General Government Committee added a year to each term, and there will be no recruitment for Boards and Commissions for 2021, citing the pandemic. She also noted upcoming Council meetings on December 1 and 8. 6. BUSINESS ITEMS City of Olympia Page 1 Arts Commission Meeting Minutes November 12, 2020 20-0913 Arts Commission leadership 2021 Commissioner Dorgan moved, seconded by Commissioner Hicks, to approve Vice-Chair Dobler as Chair and Commissioner Burlingame as Vice-Chair for 2021. The motion was approved. 20-0914 Review and recommendation of Grants to Arts & Culture Organizations applications Ms. Johnson shared the tally sheet for the eleven applications received for the 2021 Grants to Arts & Culture Organizations program. Commissioners turned in their scores in advance of the meeting. Scores were averaged to account for and scores where Commissioners had to recuse themselves due to current or past involvement with the organization. The total requests were for $49,500, with $20,000 available. Commissioners determined to award funds to the top 5 ranked organizations: - Arbutus Folks School - $5,000 (full request) - Thurston Climate Action Team - $5,000 (full request) - Olympia Arts & Heritage Alliance - $4,000 (full request) - Hummingbird Studio - $3,000 (partial request) -The Bridge Music Project - $3,000 (Partial request) Commissioners felt the proposed slate of grants to be achievable and doable during COVID, broad in scope, with a focus on expanding accessibility to create art. Commissioner Hicks moved, seconded by Commissioner Burlingame, to forward the recommended slate of grants to City Council for consideration. The motion was approved. 20-0915 Review and recommendation of Percival Plinth Project Peoples’ Choice Award Ms. Nava shared the results of the plinth vote that took place as a part of October Arts Month. She noted it was an unusual project year with various shifts and challenges . While other regional programs chose to cancel or roll over existing sculptures, the City of Olympia was able to coordinate an install with new artists. She introduced Engage Olympia for online voting and initially had problems with double votes. Reissuing the vote in October with a registration page now provides an additional benefit of allowing us to better understand participant demographics , which will be helpful for future outreach. 368 votes were received. 238 voters noted they reviewed sculptures in person , and 236 provided comments about the selection. Girl Listening in A Story Place, by Nancy Thorne-Chambers took 23% of the vote, with viewers appreciating the detail and playfulness of the sculpture, with one viewer noting, "It is beautiful and expresses a wonderful message about youth and learning. ” City of Olympia Page 2 Arts Commission Meeting Minutes November 12, 2020 Honorable mentions include Hummingbird by Charles Fitzgerald and The Fall and the Climb by Nathan Robles which came in second and third with 18.5% and 14.4% of votes, respectively. Vice Chair Dobler moved, seconded by Commissioner Clifthorne, to forward the recommendation to purchase Girl Listening in A Story Place to Council for approval. The motion was approved. 20-0916 Recap of Arts Month Ms. Nava provided a high level overview of Arts Month, noting that the socially distanced event was an opportunity to try new things, including expanding the graphic boundaries from solely downtown. The Innovation Awards helped staff to highlight certain aspects of the event in the weekly updates. She indicated she is already thinking of the spring event. The report was received. 7. REPORTS 20-0903 Policy and Program Recommendations to City Council Ms. Johnson reported the Artist in Residence team met at 5:00 p.m. She shared information from the Americans for the Arts training that the group agreed could be applied to the program as it's being developed. She will be bringing a new application proposal back to the group in December. The report was received. 20-0904 Arts Program Support Ms. Johnson noted all four 2020 GACO grant applicants had their deadlines extended through 2021. She reported the scope of work for the Olympia Symphony Orchestra has been changed to a curated music selection for twelve Olympia parks that participants will be invited to download and listen to as they tour the outdoor location; education and outreach will round out the scope of work. Ms. Johnson shared updates to the Art Crossing project regarding West Bay installment and Eastside St. design process. The report was received. 20-0905 ARCH Support No report. 8. OTHER TOPICS - None 9. ADJOURNMENT City of Olympia Page 3 Arts Commission Meeting Minutes November 12, 2020 The meeting was adjourned at 7:08 p.m. City of Olympia Page 4