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Minutes Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission 5 26 09MINUTES ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS ADVISORY COMMISSION Tuesday, May 26, 2009 Board Room, Carnegie Stout Public Library 360 W. 11th Street, Dubuque, Iowa Meeting was called to order at 4:03 p.m. following staff assurance of compliance with the Iowa Open Meeting Law. Commissioners present: Paul Hemmer, Ellen Henkels, Louise Kames, Paul Kohl, Sue Riedel, Geri Shafer (left at 6 p.m.), Julie Steffen (via telephone conference). Staff Present: Jerelyn O'Connor, Jan Stoffel Public attending: Char Eddy and Don Sisler, Holy Family Catholic Schools; Christopher Kulovitz, Get Reel Film Festival. Approval of Minutes of April 28, 2009. Motion by Hemmer, seconded by Shafer to approve. Motion carried 7-0. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Review of Project Support Funding Requests Commissioners took turns introducing and leading discussion of each grant. Dubuque Arboretum, Purchase of Art on the River Sculpture Germination. Kames rated the application as excellent and liked the connection with public art and the Art on the River project. Because of the 30,000 attendance at the Arboretum, it would have a big impact on the Dubuque Community. It addresses a Commission goal of furthering public art. Henkels like the path the Arboretum was taking establishing itself as a sculpture garden, noting that the Commission already funded the Japanese garden gate there and another Art on the River sculpture had been previously purchased by a private donor. Kohl wondered if there was a conflict of interest with the Commission running both the Art on the River and the grant programs, but staff and other Commissioners felt there was no conflict. Public art is an eligible activity under the grant program. Dubuque Art Center/Community Foundation, Free Arts Enrichment Programs. Riedel liked the project for its focus on youth, especially those at risk, and acknowledged the collaborative nature. There was a concern that it might be a duplication of a Museum of Art program. Stoffel pointed out a letter of support by the Museum. Hemmer felt that there was too much focus on gathering statistics and that it would be difficult to determine outcomes in just a year. Steffen and Kohl did not see a proven track record. Shafer was concerned about how the 100 children would be chosen for the program. The application was not detailed enough in how other care providers would be involved. Dubuque Arts Council, Inc., Free Family Fun: Darwin. (Hemmer abstained.) Henkles commented that the grant was very clearly written and presented a new and family-centered program. She was impressed with the connection of the project to the City goals and the collaborations used in the project. Kames liked the learning through artistic expression and suggested rethinking the title to express the art connection. If two performance were held, the potential audience would be 1600, many of them underserved. Dubuque Community Y, Walking in Beauty: Life in Dubuque Without Violence. Kohl felt while the project was worthwhile, it was not really art. Hemmer felt that third graders might be too young to successfully communicate the serious topic to a broad audience. Steffen liked that an important topic was brought up in an unexpected place, but Commissioners questioned if placemats at a restaurant would really accomplish the goals. Shafer felt that the budget was not detailed enough and members felt that the cost was excessive. Dubuque County Fine Arts Society, Voices from the Warehouse District 2009. (Kohl and Steffen abstained.) Hemmer thought the project was worthy but mentioned the parking and fire code challenges which could impact attendance. Shafer commented that although Voices had been done before, the 24-hour play project and multilingual aspects were good enhancements but wished there was more evaluation built into the project. Kames wanted to know who the national poet and the selected artists were. Planning should be better shown in the application. Dubuque Museum of Art, Alfred Caldwell and Dubuque' Eagle Point Park. (Steffen abstained.) Shafer commented that Paul Young is a significant resource for the Museum and the Community in this project and felt that the impact of the grant would be felt for generations. Kames appreciated the connection to another city institution felt it would attract a new audience to the Museum. Commissioners felt that the application only touched the surface of the educational and promotional possibilities of this venture. Get Reel/Rotary, 2009 Student Film Competition and Festival. (Shafer abstained.) Kames stated that the grant was well-written and was excited about the project and thought students would also be. The expansion to the college level was excellent. Kohl felt that film was an underserved art in the community. Hemmer thought the timeline in the grant was good. Riedel expressed some hesitation on the lack of a long record of dealing with financials. O'Connor commented that technically, the Rotary Foundation would receive the funds as fiscal agent. Riedel urged the Rotary to monitor the use of the money. Grand Opera House, Young Adult Performing Arts Program. Riedel questioned on what exactly the funds would be used for. Would they pay for the classes or go for the salary of the director? Commissioners thought that the budget lacked clarity and did not clearly define what the income would be. Hemmer thought that housing costs for the director were excessive. Kohl didn't 2 think the application presented a strong case that this was new or an expansion of programming. Kames noted that there was no collaboration within the project. Holy Family Schools, Wahlert Community Concert. Henkles thought the project was very ambitious but costly, noting that it was not part of the Symphony's regular season. Commissioners felt that the project would primarily serve Wahlert students and their families and were hoping to see a broader audience with some underserved populations and more collaboration. Kames felt the application would have been stronger with more detail about the type of music to be selected. Hemmer wondered that if it was not fully funded, would it be able to be produced. Loras College, Hidden Treasures for Dubuque's Depression Era. (Kohl abstained.) Hemmer liked the historical focus of the project, but felt that it did not benefit a wide enough group. The budget lacked detail and looked as if the majority of the money would fund salaries. It was unclear how students would be utilized. Kames questioned the newness of the project as some of these photos had been used several years ago at the Museum of Art. Main Street, Fall into Art Gallery Tour. Kohl liked the project but did not see it as anything new. Kames noted that the last event was hugely successful but did not feel that the application made a case that this was an expansion. Steffen liked the profit and non-profit partnership. Shafer was disappointed that the Art on the River exhibit was not included in the event it occurs in the district described in the grant. She urged Main Street to include the exhibit in the future. Riedel thought it was a good tourist attraction and was a small amount of money for a big impact. Northeast Iowa School of Music, New Horizons Band Pilot Program. Shafer commented that the project was totally new and addressed the underserved population of those 55 and older. She complimented the writer on including documentation on the impact of music on students of this age. Hemmer noted that New Horizons was a strong national organization and was happy to see the collaboration. He thought it would be a very attractive program for this age group. Kohl stated that it did not duplicate efforts of the Tri-State Wind Symphony because it was for people who had never played an instrument while the Tri-State Wind Symphony required some basic musical proficiency and experience. Tri-State Wind Symphony, Concerts to Celebrate Eagle Point Park's 100th Birthday. (Kohl abstained.) Hemmer questioned how long the fanfare would be and felt that the commission fee was high. He commented that there are some very good scores accessible for free. Commissioners liked the Eagle Point anniversary tie- in and suggested the Tri-State Wind Symphony and Museum of Art collaborate because of the similar focus of their grants. Perhaps the architectural drawings could be used on the program for the concerts. Commissioners complimented the Tri-State Wind Symphony on their Thursday concerts. 3 Commissioners reviewed their rating sheets. Scores were reported and tabulated. FUNDING PROJECT REQUEST TITLE Hemmer Henkels Kames Kohl Riedel Shafer Steffen total avers e Purchase of Art on the River $3,500.00 Scul ture Germination 84 85 90 71 97 87 83 597 85.28571 Free Arts Enrichment Programs and $8,000.00 Stud 57 84 82 73 70 93 75 534 76.28571 $7,215.00 Free Famil Fun: "Darwin" abstain 91 90 86 97 94 84 542 90.33333 Walking in Beauty: Life in Dubuque $8,760.00 Without Violence 18 62 71 72 78 87 76 464 66.28571 Voices from the Warehouse District $10,000.00 2009 64 92 65 abstain 94 92 abstain 407 81.4 Alfred Caldwell and Dubuque's $4,500.00 Ea le Point Park 60 78 92 80 83 95 abstain 488 81.33333 2009 Student Film Competition and $10,000.00 Festival 86 82 85 87 80 abstain 85 505 84.16667 Young Adult Pertorming Arts $11,045.00 Pro ram 58 74 61 79 78 86 79 515 73.57143 $12,550.00 Wahlert Communit Concert 40 79 75 76 70 87 76 503 71.85714 Hidden Treasures from Dubuque's $23,330.00 De ression Era 78 84 60 abstain 67 77 77 443 73.83333 $3,800.00 Fall into Art Galle Tour 55 76 83 73 87 88 69 531 75.85714 $5,000.00 New Horizons Band, Pilot Pro ram 74 88 80 79 85 94 74 574 82 Concerts to Celebrate Eagle Point $2,700.00 Park's 100th Birthda 60 87 79 abstain 90 88 72 476 79.33333 Grant applications receiving a 75 point or above average score in rank order were: Dubuque Arts Council, Free Family Fun Darwin 90 Dubuque Arboretum, Purchase of Sculpture Germination 85 Get Reel/Rotary, Student film Competition and Festival 84 Northeast Iowa School of Music, New Horizons Band Pilot Program 82 Dubuque County Fine Arts Society, Voices from the Warehouse 2009 81 Dubuque Museum of Art, Alfred Caldwell and Dubuque's Eagle Point Park 81 Tri-State Wind Symphony, Concerts for the Eagle Point's 100 Birthday 79 Dubuque Art Center, free Arts Enrichment Programs and Study 76 Main Street, Fall into Art Gallery Tour 76 Because the requested amount exceeds the $35,000 available, the Commissioners awarded the top four grants, The Dubuque Arts Council ($7,215), the Dubuque Arboretum ($3,500), Get Reel Film Society ($10,000) and the Northeast Iowa School of Music ($5,000), 100% of their requested amount. The next two highest point totals were the grants from Dubuque County Fine Arts Society ($6,397) and the Dubuque Museum of Art ($2,888) that were awarded approximately 64% of their requested amounts. These awards totaled $35,000. Commissioners expressed regret that there was not sufficient money to fund the remaining three applicants that had reached the acceptable point threshold. 4 Henkels moved and Kohl seconded to accept these funding totals. Motion carried 6-0. (Shafer absent.) OLD BUSINESS: The members discussed funding scenarios presented by staff for the 2010 operating Support Grants. Riedel questioned whether funding Main Street would be appropriate. Shafer commented that their request for a specific amount was unusual. Hemmer wanted more information about the breakdown in financials between Main Street's arts activities as a percentage to the entire budget. Shafer moved and Hemmer seconded not to fund Main Street's application for operating support because of the request for a specific amount and because of the lack of arts financial information. Motion carried 6-0. (Kohl abstained.) Steffen moved and Hemmer seconded to approve the following funding levels for the 2010 operating grants. Motion carried 6-0. (Shafer absent.) Dubuque Symphony Orchestra $40,000 Dubuque Museum of Art $23,871 Dubuque Arts Council $3,816 Dubuque Chorale $243 Grand Opera House $26,954 Bell Tower Productions $11,311 Dubuque County Historical $40,000 Fly-By-Night Productions $472 Colts Drum & Bugle $40,000 Dubuque Fine Arts Society $3,003 Northeast Iowa School of Music $6,044 Dubuque Arboretum $4,286 ITEMS FROM THE COMMISSION: Chair Kames feels that the Commission's strategy undertaken last year to require those organizations that had applied two years in a row to sit out for a year had been successful. This strategy was undertaken to encourage a wide range of creative projects from varied non- profits, including first-time applicants. She complimented staff for their work in facilitating both the Operating and Project grant programs. Hemmer thought that the posters of the present Art on the River sculptures that are in the lobby of the post office are an excellent way to publicize the project. INFORMATION SHARING: ITEMS FROM THE PUBLIC: ADJOURNMENT The next Commission meeting on June 23 will begin at 4:30 p.m. Motion by Hemmer and second by Kohl to adjourn the meeting at 6:40 p.m. Motion carried 6-0. 5 ~ectfully submitted, Stoffel e minutes were passed and approved on ~~ ~-~~ ~~ Ellen Henkels, Secretary