HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.18.17 BAC Retreat Minutes CITY OF BOULDER
BOULDER, COLORADO
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING MINUTES
Name of Board/Commission: Boulder Arts Commission
Date of Meeting: October 18,2017 at the Chautauqua Community House,Rocky Mountain Climbers Club,900 Baseline
Rd.,Boulder,CO 80302
Contact information preparing summary:Maureen Malone,303441-3106
Commission members resent:Mark Villarreal,Felicia Furman,Kathleen McCormick,Devin Hughes,Erica Joos
Library staff present:
David Famnan,Director of Library&Arts
Matt Chasansky,Office of Arts&Culture Manager
Lauren Click,Grants Coordinator
Mandy Vink,Public Art Coordinator•
Mary Wohl Haan,Creative Sector Initiatives Coordinator
Maureen Malone,Administrative Specialist H
Members of the public present:
Gwen Burak;Dan Sher,University of Colorado
Type of Meeting: Annual Retreat
Agenda Item 1: Call to order and approval of agenda [2:11 p.m.,0:00:00 Audio min.]
The meeting was called to order at 2:11 p.m.
Chasansky announced that Agenda Item 4:Grant Action Items will be postponed until the Nov. 15 meeting,and has been
replaced with an announcement from Furman;additionally,there will be a discussion led by Joos added after Agenda Item
7. Furman moved to approve the agenda with the proposed changes,and Hughes seconded.Vote 3-0,unanimous(Joos and
McCormick were not yet present to vote).
Agenda Item 2: Review of Minutes [2:12 p.m.,0:01:11 Audio min.]
Item 2A,Approval of September 20,2017 Meeting Minutes
Villarreal moved to approve the minutes,and Furman seconded.Vote 3-0,unanimous(Joos and McCormick were not yet
present to vote).
Agenda Item 3:Public comment [2:13 p.m.,0:01:47 Audio min.]
None
Agenda Item 4:Matters from Commission [2:14 p.m.,0:02:33 Audio min.]
Furman shared information about the Co(i)nspire fundraising event happening at the Dairy Center for the Arts on Nov. 7,
and offered each commissioner two tickets to attend.
Agenda Item 5:Matters from Guests [2:15 p.m.,0:04:25 Audio min.]
Council member Jan Burton was unable to attend;her visit has been postponed until the November meeting.
Agenda Item 6:2018 Work Plan [2:16 p.m.,0:05:00 Audio min.]
A. Public Art(see handouts for staff presentation)
Action Item:Process Changes
• Vink asked for commission's input on naming community-initiated temporary projects in the same manner as
temporary exhibitions(identified in Public Art Policy.Section IV),in an effort to be more supportive of
community endeavors and ambitions in a way that is still transparent and makes sense.Chasansky added that
there is a perception that the regulatory environment in Boulder is very heavy,and many community groups
have been too discouraged to even start the process.
o McCormick wondered who decides whether a neighborhood organization is legitimate. Chasansky
replied that it is Vink's job to determine whether a project is good for the neighborhood by checking
in with the neighborhood liaison and having the group demonstrate that the community wants the
project.Vink added that these will all be temporary projects initially;if there is evidence that the
project is embraced by the community,staff would revisit the policy,go through the acquisition
process for a donation and then it would come to the Arts Commission to accept as a donation and
accept responsibility going forward to maintain the asset as part of the public an program.
Villarreal moved that commission advise staff to define community-initiated temporary projects as temporary
exhibitions,identified in the Public Art Policy,Section IV,and Hughes seconded.Vote 4-0,unanimous(Joos
was not yet present to vote).
Discussion:Funding Update
Discussion:Implementation Plan
• Hughes wondered whether it is possible to include musical performances in public art.Vink replied that
within the Cultural Plan,there is a goal to expand people's perception of public art;that's where having the
flexibility in funding and temporary experiences is important.Chasansky commented that there may be other
platforms to explore rather than having musicians try to apply for visual art requests for qualifications.
Discussion:Other Projects
B. Programs for Cultural Organizations[0:42:50 Audio min.]
See handouts for staff presentation
Discussion:New Certificate Program for Arts Administration at CU
Dan Sher,faculty director for the program,sent an information sheet ahead of the meeting(see handouts).
• Sher wondered if the commission would be interested in carving out some money in their grants budget for
scholarships for the program. Chasansky added that the suggestion is to have a special fund within the
professional development scholarships.
• Hughes commented that he would like to see the scholarships go to applicants that are interning with
organizations within the city of Boulder,based on the need of different performing arts groups.Sher replied
that for a compact certificate,the university could not include internship as a qualification,but the commission
may set their own criteria for the scholarship.
• Sher shared that CU is planning to launch a master's program in arts administration within the next 3 years.
• Chasansky suggested that commission discuss the application and jury process for a scholarship for this
program in November or December.
Action Item: 2018 Budget Structure
• Furman suggested that the breakdown for individual community project grants be changed to 4 grants at
$5,000 each,instead of 2 at$10,000 each since it seemed like individuals applied for less money in 2017.
• Villarreal recommended that the professional development grant include a disclaimer that commission reserves
the right to cut off an organization after[XI number of applicants,because last year one organization received
one-third of the available funding.
Action Item: 2018 Grants Cycle
• Villarreal wondered if there will be separate grant category to address the issue of equity in the next grant
cycle. Chasansky replied that staff did not propose a separate equity grant.Click added that staff has
eliminated the opportunity grant and there are now encouragement points,so there is now a higher emphasis
and more points given to the equity scores;she suggested that commission consider adding an equity
component to the professional development grant application.
o Joos advocated for an explicit grant category for underrepresented groups,rather than having equity
be an embedded component of the rubric for existing grant categories.
o Chasansky commented that staff would like to continue inclusivity training around the structure and
operation of the grants program to increase effectiveness of whichever path the commission decides
to pursue.
o Villarreal stated that people feel excluded because commission is not doing a good job
communicating how important the equity component is to them and how the equity points can impact
the score and tip the scales.
o Chasansky stated that if commission decides to add a separate equity grant,they can just give staff
guidance about what they would like to accomplish,and staff will build a program(jury questions,
rubrics,jury process,etc.)and bring a draft back.
o Joos proposed that each existing category have one or several grants assigned specifically for
diversity.
o Furman stated that she would like to get specific information about who is not applying for grants,
encourage them to apply,and see if the equity oints in the current structure work as designed.
Villarreal commented that he would like to see the numbers on what the current equity scoring can do
before chipping away at the existing categories to provide funding for a separate equity category so
that commission can see where the money is going to be most effective.
o Joos shared that she has been in talks with Nikhil Mankekar on the Human Relations Commission to
authentically bridge the work of the Arts Commission and Human Relations Commission.
o Villarreal made a motion to have staff carve out$10k from the budget in anticipation of a new
diversity and inclusion grant,and directed staff to explore goals and structure for review at a future
meeting.Furman seconded.Vote 5-0,unanimous.
• Hughes suggested looking at a different funding ratio for the small/mid and large organizations in the general
operating support grants;commission could possibly make more of an impact on more small organizations vs.
large organizations that have the opportunity to apply for more grants.Staff will analyze the numbers.
• Furman moved to provide 4 community project grants for individuals at$5,000 each,as opposed to 2 grants at
$10,000 each.McCormick seconded.All in favor.
• Commission requested that staff reduce the character limit for application responses to 1,250 characters(250
words).
Discussion: Other Projects
Discussion: Sponsorships
• Furman and Joos volunteered to review sponsorship applications with staff starting in 2018.
• Villarreal suggested that there be a diversity and inclusion component of the sponsorships.
Commission took a 15-minute break
C. Programs for Artists[2:41:55 Audio min.]
See handouts for staff presentation
Discussion:Fellowships
• Villarreal volunteered to help staff decide how to select artists for the fellowship program.
Discussion:Artist Census
Discussion:NoBo Art District
Discussion: Other Projects
D. Other Initiatives [3:05:17 Audio min.]
See handouts for staff presentation
Commission took a 15-minute break
Agenda Item 7:Review of Cultural Plan [6:00 p.m.,3:20:00 Audio min.]
See handouts for staff presentation
Commission discussion,questions,and comments included:
• Villarreal wondered if there is demographic information about who is moving to town;in terms of the
livability/affordability issue,there is a trend of established artists moving west and displacing local artists
from local galleries and homes. Chasansky replied that he suspects that Boulder has an overconcentration of
late career established artists who sell their art elsewhere;perhaps the Artist Census will confirm this.
Villarreal commented that these artists come in and drive the price up,but don't necessarily actively
participate in the local artist community.
• Hughes suggested finding a way to build a bridge linking cultural organizations directly to schools.
Chasansky commented that during Cultural Plan research and surveys,people did not prioritize arts education
as something the goverment should do;however,they did identify the need for a long-term vision,so having
young people understand their role as cultural participants or professionals is critical.Hughes stated that
perhaps it's the role of the organizations funded by the goverment to step in and fill the void and prioritize
arts education.
• McCormick wondered if the strategy to engage the city's youth through a youth council was referring to the
Youth Opportunities Advisory Board OAB).Chasansky replied that staff has been discussing the
possibilities with YOAB—YOAB could function as the council,the council could be a subcommittee of
YOAB,or the council could function as something completely independent;this will likely not make it into
next year's work plan due to capacity issues.McCormick suggested that perhaps they could bring together
existing advisory groups from different schools or institutions.
Agenda Item 8:Outlook for 2019-2021 [6:55 p.m.,4:14:40 Audio min.]
See handouts for staff presentation
A. Public Art
• McCormick wondered how RFPs for public art are sent out at the local and regional level. Chasansky
explained that Vink uses Westaffs product CaFE(Call for Entry),which goes out to tens of thousands of
artists and staff encourages local artists to sign on to get notices;additionally,staff circulates the info in their
newsletter,asks local organizations to spread the word,and sends the info out to a regional public art listserv.
B. Cultural Organizations
C. Programs for Artists
D. Other
E. Capacity Projections
• Chasansky reminded commission that it will require additional staffing in order to launch these new strategies
and programs.Farnan added that council has been very sensitive to increased head count for last 2 years,and
this will likely continue to be a major struggle;for 2018,the city added a total of 6 FTEs in an organization of
1,600 people,and that number was scrutinized as being too much.
Agenda Item 9:2017 Annual Letter to City Council [7:15 p.m.,4:33:55 Audio min.]
Commission agreed to address the following topics in their letter to council:
• Examination of the regulatory environment and its effects on artists and creative expression
• Adoption of a percent-for-art policy
• Affordable live/work space for artists
• Thank council for ongoing grants funding and also express that there is still an unmet need
Hughes recommended asking for support for a performing arts center.McCormick replied that this would require a line-up
of community leaders to lead the charge;asking council for a center now would imply that commission wants them to pay
for it.Furman added that the city has said they are not interested in funding or managing such a facility.Faman suggested
that commission come up with goals around a performance space over the next few months and then share their ideas with
the Library Commission.
Villarreal and Joos will draft a letter for commission to review and finalize at the November meeting.
Agenda Item 10:Adjournment [7:53 p.m.,5:11:29 Audio min.]
There being no further business to come before the commission at this time,the meeting was adjourned at 7:53 p.m.
Date,time,and location of next meeting:
The next Boulder Arts Commission meeting will be at 6 p.m.on Wednesday,November 15,2017,in the Boulder Creek
Room at the Main Library, 1001 Arapahoe Ave.,Boulder,CO 80302.
APPROVED BY: /, -T- ATTESTED:
9-o4rd Clhaii-v ard Secretary
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