Arts and Culture Commission Meeting

March 8, 2016 MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING URBANA PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION APPROVED DATE: March 8, 2016 TIME: 4:30 p.m. PLACE: City Council Chambers, Urbana City Building, 400 South Vine Street, Urbana, Illinois MEMBERS PRESENT: Barbara Hedlund, Eric Jakobsson, John Morrison, Jason Patterson, Pat Sammann, Ginny Waaler MEMBERS ABSENT: Ilona Matkovszki STAFF PRESENT: Brandon Boys, Economic Development Manager; Pauline Tannos, Public Arts Coordinator; Sukiya J. Reid, Recording Secretary OTHERS PRESENT: None 1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL AND DECLARATION OF QUORUM The Urbana Public Arts Commission was called to order at 4:30 p.m. by Ms. Sammann. Ms. Reid took roll and a quorum was declared present. 2. CHANGES TO AGENDA There were none. . 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The minutes of the February 9, 2016 meeting were reviewed by the Commission. With no changes proposed, Ms. Hedlund made a motion to approve the minutes. Mr. Morrison seconded the motion. All Commission members present were in favor of approval and the minutes were unanimously approved as presented. 4. PUBLIC INPUT There was none. 1  March 8, 2016 5. COMMUNICATIONS • Presentation by 2015 Urbana Arts Grant Recipient: Mara Thacker from Midwest Mandeng Ms. Sammann introduced Mara Thacker and Jamie McGowan, co-directors of Midwest Mandeng. They stated that fellow co-director, Djibril Camara was unable to attend due to bereavement reasons. Ms. Thacker and Ms. McGowan gave a slide-show presentation on their 4 day festival that took place from September 24-27, 2015, and focused on arts and culture of West Africa, specifically through drumming and dance in the Mandeng region. The festival consisted of a community dance party, 14 drum and dance workshops for all-level learners, and introductory classes geared specifically towards the local community. There were also 150 attendees, 8 renowned West African artists and instructors, 16 world class dance workshops, and 7 minority-owned vendors. They thanked the Commission for the grant received. At the conclusion of the report, questions and comments from the Commission were heard. • Presentation by 2015 Urbana Arts Grant Recipient: Rachel Storm from Outta the Mouths of Babes Ms. Sammann introduced Rachel Storm, Director of the Outta the Mouths of Babes Radio Project. She gave a slide-show presentation on their project, titled Outta the Mouths of Babes, in which around 15 youth were recruited to participate in a youth radio program that yielded 9 full episodes and 12 events. Youth ages 5-11 years old, from all different parts of Urbana- Champaign, participated in this 12 week project that sought to bring together youth to train them on journalism, youth media production, and radio. The “Youth Correspondents” were chaperoned to arts and cultural events in the Champaign-Urbana area and reviewed what they encountered. They thanked the Commission for the grant received. At the conclusion of the report, questions and comments from the Commission were heard. • Presentation by Staff: Monthly Progress Report Ms. Tannos presented a new visually enhanced version of the City staff’s monthly progress report to the Commission, outlining projects in process, recent requests and recommendations from the public, staff activities, and upcoming events. For an update on current projects, she reported the following: • With regard to Urbana Arts Grants Programs, Ms. Tannos reported that the Grants jury panel held its first selection panel on February 27th, where applications for Nonprofit and Festival categories were reviewed. The next jury panel would be held on Saturday, March 5th, and the jury will discuss the applications in the Individual and Group categories. An announcement reception to announce the 2016 Urbana Arts grantees will be held at Pizza M on Friday, April 15th. • With regard to Artist of the Corridor, Ms. Tannos reported that Peggy Flavin’s exhibition, “A Long Way Down” will be featured in the lobby of the City Building and The Urbana Free Library starting March 4th. Flavin is a mixed media artist and student 2  March 8, 2016 at the University of Illinois. An opening reception will be held Friday, April 1st from 5- 6:30pm in the City Building Lobby. • With regard to Urbana Celebrates the Boneyard, Ms. Tannos reported that Staff is planning another event at the Boneyard Creek Improvements Project area on April 9th, similar to last year. This will be 40 North’s Boneyard Arts Festival and Mom’s Weekend. Staff has invited teachers from the local school district to submit artworks by their students, which will then be printed as banners and installed on the street pole banners around Race and Griggs Streets. The event will also have music by Desafinado, a participatory Capoeira performance by teachers and students from the Capoeira Angola Center, and arts activities for all ages. • With regard to Art at the Market, Ms. Tannos reported that Staff had reviewed and selected six music groups and six visual artists for the 2016 Art at the Market. The performers chosen are Mackville, Matt and Tom Turino, The Music Boxers, Bones Jugs, Los Guapos, and elizaBeth Simpson. The art workshops this season will be led by Karissa McDermott, Emmy Lingscheit and Guen Montgomery, Makerspace, Judy Lee, Carol Farnum, and Maxx Gogski. • With regard to the Urbana Sculpture Project, Ms. Tannos reported that the survey for the public’s thoughts on Stranger Reduction had been closed and the results have been downloaded. Out of the 36 responses received, almost 70% say that the City of Urbana should try making Stranger Reduction Zone a permanent part of the Urbana Free Library. • With regard to Art Now!, Ms. Tannos reported that in the March episode of Art Now!, Ginny Waaler interviews Hua Nian, a painter and educator whose work has appeared in international and national exhibitions, winning awards at local, state, and national shows. The interview can be found online on the Art Now! YouTube channel or http:www.urbanaillinois.us/artnow. • With regard to Marketing, Ms. Tannos reported that City staff had been regularly updating the Public Arts Program’s Facebook page, which as of this meeting had 1,085 fans. She also stated that the Urbana Public Arts Twitter account, which could be followed @urbanapublicart, as of this meeting had 1,648 followers. She stated that the Program’s Instagram account, which was created last month with the username @urbanapublicarts, has 121 followers. Three Public Arts ads are currently up on SmilePolitely.com: one for the Urbana Arts Grants Program, one for Artist of the Corridor, and one for Art Now! • For upcoming events, Ms. Tannos stated that the date for the next Public Arts Commission meeting was set for Tuesday, April 12, 2016 at 4:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. 6. NEW BUSINESS There was none. 7. OLD BUSINESS There was none. 3  March 8, 2016 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS Ms. Tannos announced that the high school art show that 40 North organizes every year would be taking place that Thursday, March 10th at the Illini Union. Mr. Patterson announced that he would be a part of the create 8 event that Saturday, March 12th from 10am-7pm at [co][lab]. Ms. Tannos stated that she needed the Commission members to complete the surveys she sent out if they hadn’t already. 8. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Morrison made a motion that the meeting be adjourned. Ms. Hedlund seconded the motion. With no further business, Ms. Sammann declared the meeting adjourned at 5:14 p.m. Submitted, Sukiya J. Reid, Recording Secretary 4