Fine Arts Commission

Skokie Fine Arts Commission March 8, 2023 Meeting Notes 1. Call to Order at 7:05 p.m. by Chairperson Pam Garbarini Present: Chairperson Pam Garbarini, Vice Chairperson Jeff Rhodes, Staff Representative Meredith Gioia, and Commissioners Michelle Beatrice, Sonya Osseny, Michelle Thomas, James VanOsdol, Sharon Vicker, and Ellen Waxberg. 2. Past Projects a. Storytelling Event at Take Flight Spirits i. The event was very well received and went off without a hitch. The storytellers all presented well and, while the weather was less than optimal, the few no- shows were balanced out by a handful of people that showed up without tickets. ii. Commission wants to explore doing it again in October to tie in with National Arts and Humanities Month. Maybe a spooky/scary theme. 1. Would like to be able to have more people attend but don’t want to lose the intimacy that the smaller venue provided. Also, with the wide range of performance experience, would a larger venue be overwhelming to some storytellers? Needs more consideration 2. Will explore the possibility of selling tickets and donating funds to Skokie Community Foundation 3. The video is now available on Village YouTube channel. 3. Current Projects a. SOAR Art Exhibit at Oakton College (03/02/2023-04/04/2023) i. Set up is complete. Thanks to the commissioners that volunteered to help. ii. Reception is March 13, 2023 from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. 1. Mayor will be there for at least an hour 2. All commissioners that can attend should attend. 3. Staff Representative Gioia will investigate making nametags for commissioners. May do printed label-type nametags for now and have permanent ones made for next year. 4. Music will be provided by Old Orchard Middle School during the first hour and Niles North High School in the second hour. iii. Take down is April 4, 2023 from 3 to 5 p.m. 1. Some of the teachers will be unable to be there because it is spring break. 2. Commissioners who volunteer will take down their art and package it up and then teachers can pick up the art at Village Hall. 4. Upcoming Projects a. October 2023 National Arts and Humanities Month i. Commissioner Sloan designed a poster for the event. Staff Representative Gioia showed it to the group. The colorful text on a black background is like the Skokie “branding” and the pop of yellow is a nice reference to the Skokie Swift.  ii. Vice Chairperson Rhodes is developing a Google form for arts organizations and venues to fill out to see if they qualify. If they do, they will be sent the link to enter in their events. Events will be able to be “tagged” with different identifiers (ie for families, free, ADA accessible). iii. Staff Representative Gioia will find out the procedure and timing if we want a proclamation read at a Village Board meeting in October. iv. Vice Chairperson Rhodes will create a Google form for commissioners to enter in names and contact information of arts organizations and venues that the commission should contact in regards to the month. b. Spring/Summer 2023 Skokie Through the Lens i. Commission needs to decide on a theme. The theme suggestions should celebrate the diversity in Skokie and be sent to Staff Representative Gioia by March 17. A poll will be sent out for commissioners to vote on. ii. Commissioner Waxberg mentioned that it is important that the subcommittee reviews the photos to ensure that they are Skokie-specific and reflect the theme. iii. The photo selections will be “announced” and featured online in September and then printed and displayed in Village Hall during National Arts and Humanities Month in October. 5. New Business a. Artistic Excellence Award – With the amount of projects in October, a decision was made to announce the call for nominations in October (perhaps at the Village Board meeting with the proclamation) and then present the awards in January. While it will be 2024, it will still be the 2023 Artistic Excellence Awards. 6. Adjournment – The meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m. Upcoming meetings: April 12 and May 10, 2023 held in conference rooms D/E at Skokie Village Hall, 5127 Oakton Street, Skokie, Illinois 60077. Calendar of Events: • March/April – SOAR Art Exhibit, Decide date(s) of next storytelling event and secure venue • May – Begin promoting National Arts and Humanities month to arts organizations and venues • June – Call for Skokie Through the Lens submissions • July – No meeting • August – Begin advertising for National Arts and Humanities month with calendar online and posters, Review Skokie Through the Lens submissions and select those to display • September – Announce Skokie Through the Lens selections and post on website • October – National Arts and Humanities month, Skokie Through the Lens display, Storytelling event, Call for Artistic Excellence nominations • November – No meeting • December – Review Artistic Excellence nominations and select awardees • January – Present Artistic Excellence Awards