Arts and Culture Commission Meeting

July 9, 2019 MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING URBANA ARTS AND CULTURE COMMISSION APPROVED DATE: July 9, 2019 TIME: 4:30 p.m. PLACE: City Council Chambers, Urbana City Building, 400 South Vine Street, Urbana, Illinois MEMBERS PRESENT: Courtney Becks, Katie Harrell, Barbara Hedlund, Sara Jones, Patricia Sammann, Jessica Snyder MEMBERS EXCUSED: Jared Miller, Jennelle Orcherton MEMBERS ABSENT: Courtney Becks, Stacey Robinson STAFF PRESENT: Brandon Boys, Economic Development Manager; Rachel Storm, Arts & Culture Coordinator; Sukiya J. Reid, Recording Secretary OTHERS PRESENT: Bridget Broihahn, Christina Carpio, Rob Krumm, Kelsey Langley, Laurel Nobilette, Sean Tierney, Kristin Walters 1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL AND DECLARATION OF QUORUM The Urbana Arts and Culture Commission was called to order at 4:35 p.m. by Ms. Sammann. Ms. Reid took roll and a quorum was declared present. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The minutes of the June 11, 2019 meeting were reviewed by the Commission. Ms. Sammann stated that due to the absence of a quorum, the approval of the June 11, 2019 minutes would be moved to the next meeting on August 13th. 3. CHANGES TO AGENDA Ms. Storm announced that the 2019 grant presentation for the Asian American Cultural Center’s AsiaFest would be added to the agenda. 4. PUBLIC INPUT Rob Krumm, from Folk N Roots addressed the Commission. He passed out copies of a letter he drafted regarding the way that grant recipients receive financial support for the Urbana Arts and Culture Commission. He proposed that the Commission amend the grant 1  July 9, 2019 disbursement terms to allow festivals to receive their funds up to 50% as costs are incurred rather than at the end of all the purchases. A brief discussion between members of the staff and Commission ensued 5. PRESENTATIONS  Presentation by Staff: Monthly Progress Report Ms. Storm presented the City staff’s monthly progress report to the Commission in Ms. Storm’s absence, outlining projects in process, recent requests and recommendations from the public, staff activities, and upcoming events. She also introduced John Ji, Leona, Wu, and Kay Crushshon, three new interns for the Urbana Arts & Culture Program. They each addressed the Commission and shared a little bit about themselves.  Presentation by 2018 Grant Presentation: Kelsey Langley Ms. Sammann introduced Kelsey Langley, of KOOP Adventure Play. She gave a presentation on their project titled, Neighborhood Pop-Up Play Days. For the project, they loaded up a lot of ordinary materials like cardboard boxes, fabric, paint, etc. for the children to explore and play with. The materials were taken to 13 different locations throughout Urbana such as: neighborhood parks, downtown Urbana, Boneyard Creek, and the Urbana Free Library. Children were able to lead the way, explore their identities, design businesses, etc. They were able to meet about 600 people in Urbana through this project. Ms. Langley thanked the Commission for the grant received. At the conclusion of the report, questions and comments from the Commission were heard.  Presentation by 2018 Grant Presentation: Laurel Nobilette & Sean Tierney Ms. Sammann introduced Laurel Nobilette & Sean Tierney They gave a presentation on their project titled, Let It Go, in which they compiled a multi-media, time-based performance piece and documented that process with a photo book/journal. Every day over the course of one month, they examined and chose personal possessions in an ascending order. The main goal of the project was to create a resource map of the objects as they were donated to different organizations around town. They also hosted two workshops at Common Ground Food Co-op where they allowed people to take materials that they offered to turn them into something usable for an organization that has expressed a need. Ms. Nobilette and Mr. Tierney thanked the Commission for the grant received. At the conclusion of the report, questions and comments from the Commission were heard.  Presentation by 2018 Grant Presentation: Kristin Walters Ms. Sammann introduced Kristin Walters, of Imbibe Urbana. She gave a presentation on their project, Urbana First Fridays. The goal of Urbana’s First Fridays is to create a culturally vibrant and commercially viable town. It is a way to coordinate efforts between local business owners and artists and engage the community in Downtown Urbana. Ms. Walters shared some of the activities and events featured at previous First Fridays. She thanked the Commission for the grant received. At the conclusion of the report, questions and comments from the Commission were heard. 2  July 9, 2019  Presentation by 2018 Grant Presentation: Christina Carpio Ms. Sammann introduced Christina Carpio, Assistant Director of the Asian American Cultural Center. After giving a background on the Asian American Cultural Center, she gave a presentation on their project titled, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month AsiaFest Celebration. AsiaFest was a free event that took place at the Asian American Cultural Center on April 28th. The family-friendly festival showcased a variety of Asian cultures through food, art, performances, and activities to approximately 900 people. Some of the activities included Bollywood, Chinese calligraphy, origami and a photo booth. Five professional staff, 10 interns, 30 student volunteers, and three community volunteers helped to make this event possible. Ms. Carpio thanked the Commission for the grant received. At the conclusion of the report, questions and comments from the Commission were heard. 6. NEW BUSINESS There was none. 7. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Sammann made a motion that the meeting be adjourned. Ms. Jones seconded the motion. With no further business, Ms. Sammann declared the meeting adjourned at 6:11 p.m. Submitted, Sukiya J. Reid, Recording Secretary 3