07.31.24 BAC Minutes1
CITY OF BOULDER
BOULDER, COLORADO
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING MINUTES
Name of Board/ Commission: Boulder Arts Commission
Date of Meeting: July 31, 2024
Contact information preparing summary: Lisa Wuycheck, Executive Assistant
Commission members present: Sheryl Cardozo, Maria Cole, Jeffrey Kash (Vice-Chair), Jill Katzenberger, Caroline Kert
(Chair), Georgia Schmid Commission members absent: Yaelaed Whyel
Staff present:
Matt Chasansky, Community Vitality (CV) Senior Manager of Cultural Vibrancy and District Vitality
Lauren Click, CV Arts & Culture Manager
Lisa Wuycheck, CV Executive Assistant
Members of the public present:
Ivan-Daniel Espinosa (CU Boulder), Michael Carter (JLF Colorado International Literature Festival), Miriam Paisner,
Liz Rowland (Boulder Chorale), Leah Quiller
Type of Meeting: Hybrid (Location: 1500 Pearl Street, Suite #300, Boulder, CO 80302)
Agenda Item 1: CALL TO ORDER [00:00:08 Audio
min.]
Kert called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m.
First motion by Kert to approve the agenda. Second by Schmid. All in favor. The motion passed unanimously.
Executive Assistant Lisa Wuycheck read the public participation guidelines. Kert reminded those in attendance who
applied for the Leadership Pipeline Fund to refrain from discussing their applications.
Agenda Item 2: MINUTES [00:01:23 Audio min.]
Item 2A: Approval of the 2024 June Minutes
The June and July minutes will be considered for approval at the August 28 meeting.
Agenda Item 3: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION [00:05:01 Audio min.]
Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) Advisory Board Member Michael Carter extended an invitation to the commissioners
to attend the JLF Colorado International Literature Festival on September 13-15 at the Boulder Public Library.
Former grant recipient Miriam Paisner discussed her challenges with low enrollment for her Hawiian hula classes.
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Agenda Item 4: COMMISSION BUSINESS [00:11:02 Audio min.]
Item 4A: Leadership Position Appointments
Arts & Culture Manager Lauren Click announced Kert received three nominations for chair, Cole received one
nomination for vice-chair, and Kash received one nomination for vice-chair.
Cole declined her nomination and nominated Kash for vice-chair.
Kert accepted her nomination for chair. Cole said, ‘I move that Caroline Kert be appointed chair.’ Second by Schmid.
There was no discussion. All in favor. The motion passed unanimously.
Schmid and Kash both discussed their reasons for seeking the vice-chair position.
Cole said, ‘I move that Jeffrey Kash be appointed Vice Chair’. Second by Cardozo. The motion passed with five in
favor and one opposed.
Cole said, ‘I move that Jeffrey be appointed as board member with the Dairy Arts Center, Maria be appointed as board
member with the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, and Sheryl be appointed as board member with the
Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.’ Second by Kash. All in favor. The motion passed unanimously.
Item 4B: General Operating Support Liaison Positions
Click presented revised delegations for the 2024 General Operating Support Liaisons. Click assigned Katzenberger as
a liaison for six grantees resulting in some new assignments for the commissioners.
Agenda Item 5: MATTERS FROM COMMISSIONERS [00:34:19 Audio min.]
Item 5A: Liaison Updates
Cole announced BMOCA requested congressional funding and were approved for the first step. She said the RFQ
process for the north Boulder campus is moving forward.
Cole reported she enjoyed attending the Colorado Music Festival’s Mozart concert and said Colorado MahlerFest sent
invitations to their 3rd Annual Sunset Season Reveal House Concert on October 6.
Cole said she and Kert met with Director Melissa Fathman to discuss the collaborative relationship between Creative
Nations and the Dairy Arts Center. They said Melanie has invited the other commissioners to meet with her.
Kash announced the Colorado Shakespeare Festival runs through August 11. Kash added he enjoyed the Colorado
Music Festival which runs through Sunday, August 4.
Schmid announced Locale Theater had their Season 14 kick-off with ‘We the People: The Democracy Cycle’ on July
27.
Katzenberger said she’s excited to serve as a liaison and to get to know the organizations. She added Junkyard Social
Club is wrapping up their third year of summer camps.
Item 5B: Other Topics from the Community
Schmid said she recommends visiting the Legacy Museum, in Montgomery, Alabama.
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Agenda Item 6: GRANTS PROGRAM [00:50:53 Audio min.]
Item 6A: Action: Grant Reports
Arts & Culture Program Manager Lauren Click presented the following grant reports for Commission approval.
1. Arts Administration Rehiring Grants
• 3rd Law Dance/Theater
• Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
• Boulder Opera Company
• Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra
• Dairy Arts Center
• Frequent Flyers Productions, Inc.
• Local Theater Company
• Museum of Boulder
• T2 Dance Company
2. 2023 Arts Education Project Grant, Boulder High School, BHS Panther Paw Project, $3,000
3. 2023 Arts Education Project Grant, The Cultural Caravan’s 2023-2024 Education & Family Concerts, $3,000
4. 2023 Community Project Grants for Organizations, Boulder Symphony, Expanded GLOW Project 2023,
$10,000
Click said the Commission members will vote on the approval of the reports. She said commissioners have the options
to:
• Approve all reports,
• Approve individual reports,
• Approve individual reports while submitting specific questions,
• Postpone approval of individual reports pending the answers to specific questions, and/or
• Not approve individual reports and cancel the final payment.
Kash said, ‘I move that we approve the grant reports from 3rd Law Dance/Theater, Boulder Museum of Contemporary
Art, Boulder Opera Company, Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, Dairy Arts Center, Frequent Flyers Productions, Local
Theater Company, Musuem of Boulder, T2 Dance Company, Boulder High School, The Cultural Caravan, and
Boulder Symphony.’ Second by Cardozo. All in favor. The motion passed unanimously.
Item 6B: Action: Leadership Pipeline Fund Scholarship
Click explained the new application and nomination process. She said there is no scoring, and instead of conducting in-
person interviews, the commissioners engaged in question-and-answer sessions with the applicants behind the scenes.
Click said the applicants must be nominated by a commissioner and the top two will receive scholarships.
Click announced there were four applicants last year and five applicants this year. The commissioners discussed the
applications.
Kash nominated Adriana Paola Palacios Luna. Schmid said, ‘I move that Adriana Paola Luna be awarded a scholarship
in the Leadership Pipeline Fund.’ Katzenberger abstained from the vote. All in favor. The motion passed unanimously.
Click presented the Leadership Pipeline goals and criteria as a reminder to the Commission.
Kash nominated Ivan-Danield Espinosa. Cole said, ‘I move that Ivan-Daniel Espinosa be awarded a scholarship in the
Leadership Pipeline Fund category.’ Katzenberger abstained from the vote. All in favor. The motion passed
unanimously.
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Item 6C: Grant Program Blueprint Part 1
Click expressed her thanks and said the community is very grateful to the commissioners. She announced the Arts
Commission awarded 156 grants and fee waivers so far this year totaling $1.2 million.
Click said staff reached out to the community for feedback on the grant program. She said staff has also offered
feedback, and tonight’s goal is to focus on challenges, priorities, and improvements.
Click explained the three-step process to create the new grant program. Tonight’s first step is discussing the staff,
community, and Commission feedback about the grants program. The second step will occur next month when staff
suggestions are presented based on tonight’s discussion. Staff will also review the updated budget next month. The
third step is to start long-term planning for the program.
Click said, after the commissioners discuss the feedback, tonight’s meeting will be open to public comment.
Click presented areas for improvement from the community. She said the option of in-person interviews with
applicants is also a potential area for improvement.
• Perceived or genuine bias or impropriety in decision making
• Weight of the scores in the scoring system
• Concerns regarding consistency with diversity, equity, and inclusion in applying the rubric
• Commissioners applying for grant funding
• Interest in seeing quantities (audience members, for example) in applications
• Encouraging collaboration
• Concern with timing of project grants missing programs early in the year
• Quantity of Community Project Grants for Organizations
Schmid said a project with a small number of participants can still be very impactful. She added that, without a rubric,
the scoring may appear to be biased. She and staff discussed the challenge of weighing scores.
Click reviewed the following grant program schedule.
1. 2025 General Operating Support grant decision will shift to the end of 2024 and will be abbreviated for the one-year timeline 2. September to November process
3. 2025: You’ll review approximately 8 grant categories
4. 2025: You should expect to read from 100 to 130 individual applications
5. Reviewing will last from March through Fall
6. What concerns you? How can staff make the process manageable?
Click presented staff’s recommended areas for improvement.
• Perceived or genuine bias or impropriety in decision making
• Weight of the scores in the scoring system
• Concerns regarding consistency with diversity, equity, and inclusion in applying the rubric
• Commissioners applying for grant funding
• Interest in seeing quantities (audience numbers, for example) in applications
• Encouraging collaboration
• Concern with timing of project grants missing programs early in the year
• Quantity of Community Project Grants for Organizations
• Leadership Pipeline Scholarship retooling
Public Comment
Ivan-Daniel Espinosa (CU Boulder) expressed his gratitude to the commissioners for awarding him the Grant Pipeline
Leadership Scholarship.
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Click also presented the following feedback specifically on the grant process received for consideration during the
Boulder Arts Blueprint.
1. Review general operating support grant
• Tiered structure
• Applications vs eligibility
• Annual inflation increases
2. Climate adaptation emphasis, STEAM emphasis
3. Visiting artist residency
4. Indigenous artist fellowship or award
5. Technical assistance grants (for marketing, for example)
6. Increases in all grant categories for inflation
Click discussed the next steps in the process.
1. Blueprint, Step Two at August Arts Commission meeting
• Proposed financial structure
• Proposed solutions
• Proposed schedule
2. Grant Info Sessions
3. Thursday, November 21 at 11:30 a.m. at location TBD
4. Thursday, December 12 at 4 p.m. at location TBD
Click reminded the commissioners of upcoming dates of importance.
• Commission equity and leadership training: Friday, August 23, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
• Land acknowledgement committee: Thursday, October 17 at 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Arts Commission Retreat: Wednesday, October 23 from 2 to 7 p.m. at Roots Music Project
Agenda Item 7: MATTERS FROM STAFF [01:41:22 Audio min.]
Item 7A: Questions about the Manager’s Memo
There were no questions from the commissioners.
Senior Manager of Cultural Vibrancy and District Vitality Matt Chasansky congratulated Lauren Click on her
promotion as the Arts & Culture Manager.
Kert asked for the next step in the Grant Manager hiring process. Click said staff received over 100 applicants, and
interviews will occur in the next few weeks.
Agenda Item 8: ADJOURNMENT [01:42:51 Audio min.]
There being no further business to come before the commission at this time, Kert adjourned the meeting at 7:47 p.m.
Date, time, and location of next meeting:
The next Boulder Arts Commission meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. This is a hybrid
meeting to be held at The City of Boulder’s Community Vitality Department and via a Zoom webinar link.
APPROVED BY: ATTESTED:
Board Chair Board Secretary
8/29/24
Date Date
Aug 29, 2024
07.31.24 Arts Commission Minutes - Final
Revised
Final Audit Report 2024-08-29
Created:2024-08-29
By:Lisa Wuycheck (wuycheckl@bouldercolorado.gov)
Status:Signed
Transaction ID:CBJCHBCAABAA0254tUm3GrZb0n8vnKl9r7tLqFnO01s5
"07.31.24 Arts Commission Minutes - Final Revised" History
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