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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-06-23 - AGENDA REPORTS - ARTS CMSN STUDY (2)Agenda Item: / q CITY OF SANTA CLARITA AGENDA REPORT UNFINISHED BUSINESS City Manager Approval: Item to be presented by: Sherry Klahs and Diane Trautman, Arts Advisory Committee Chair and Vice Chair DATE: June 23, 2009 SUBJECT: ARTS COMMISSION STUDY DEPARTMENT: Parks, Recreation, and Community Services RECOMMENDED ACTION City Council provide direction to staff regarding the formation of the Arts Commission. BACKGROUND At the January 13, 2009, City Council meeting, the City Council voted to move forward with the development of an Arts Commission for the City of Santa Clarita. The Council directed the Arts Advisory Committee to develop recommendations for formation of the Arts Commission. The recommendations were to include issues such as number of Commissioners, meeting schedule, stipends, goals, mission, and other concerns. In subsequent Arts Advisory Committee meetings and at a three -and -a -half hour session on April 27, 2009, with the City Council Arts Commission Ad-hoc Committee members, Mayor Frank Ferry, and Councilmember Bob Kellar, several recommendations for the Arts Commission were discussed and agreed upon by a majority of attendees. ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS Other actions as determined by the City Council. FISCAL IMPACT As recommended by the Arts Advisory Committee, a nine member Arts Commission with each commissioner receiving $50 per month as a stipend would result in ongoing costs of $5,400 per APPROWED I fiscal year. This fiscal impact does not include the costs of staff support to the Arts Commission nor does it reflect any potential budget for expenditures for the Commission or programs it might initiate. ATTACHMENTS Arts Commission Study Findings and Recommendations Arts Commission Goals CITY OF SANTA CLARITA ARTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE PRESENTATION MAY 18, 2009 ARTS COMMISSION STUDY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS RECOMMENDATIONS TO ARTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE 1. Arts Advisory Committee receive, comment, and approve the Arts Commission recommendations. 2. Determine a date for presentation to the City Council. 3. Select a representative to present the report to the City Council 4. Direct staff to develop a draft amendment to the City's Municipal Code and prepare a PowerPoint presentation for the City Council meeting. BACKGROUND At the January 13, 2009, City Council meeting, the City Council voted to move forward with the development of an Arts Commission for the City of Santa Clarita. The Council directed the Arts Advisory Committee to develop recommendations for formation of the Commission. The recommendations were to include issues such as number of Commissioners, meeting schedule, stipends, goals, mission, and other concerns. In subsequent Arts Advisory Committee meetings, and at a three and half hour session on April 27, 2009 with the City Council Arts Commission Ad-hoc Committee members Mayor Frank Ferry and Council Member Bob Kellar, several recommendations for the Arts Commission were discussed and agreed upon by a majority of attendees. AD-HOC COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS The following are the consensus recommendations from the April 27, 2009, meeting. Mission The Committee agreed that the current mission, with minor word changes, was appropriate for the Arts Commission. The agreed upon Mission Statement is "The Arts Commission acts in an advisory capacity to the City Council to promote, support, and develop arts and culture for the benefit of the citizens, arts organizations, artists, and businesses, and to facilitate economic development of the City." 2 Goals The recommendation made was that the Arts Commission use existing goals of the Arts Advisory Committee as a springboard for the Commission to formulate its own goals upon formation. The Committee chose not to prioritize the goals, as they felt that task should be done by the Commission. The goals are attached at the end of this document. Number of Commission Members Nine was eventually selected as the consensus number of Arts Commissioners. The second strongest model was a Commission of five plus three, with five members appointed by City Council and one appointed member each from the Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Commission, the Planning Commission, and the 661 Arts Committee. The three additional members could serve in an advisory capacity and not be voting members. This was discussed extensively and one of the major issues was equity. If the Arts Commission ends up being nine members, there were strong feelings that both the PR&CS Commission and the Planning Commission could grow to nine members. Selection of Commissioners To appoint Commissioners, the recommendation was to follow the existing process for the application portion of the selection process. Once applications are received, the City Council will use a closed ballot process to select the Commissioners from the pool of applicants. Each Council member will vote for however many vacant spots are needed to be filled from the entire pool of applicants. The City Clerk will count the votes from the closed ballots, and the applicants with the most votes will be seated on the Commission. In the case of a tie, the Council would select from the applicants that had the same number of votes. Requirements and Background of Members Some of the Arts Advisory Committee members felt strongly that an arts background is necessary to serve on the Commission, but the consensus was that a sentence should be added to the application that states, "The Commission consists of community volunteers with a demonstrated interest / passion and experience or related professional qualifications in cultural arts. The members must be residents of the Santa Clarita Valley." Length of Terms of Office The Committee determined that terms of office should be consistent with the other City Commissions, which are 4 -year terms staggered every two years to correspond with City Council elections. Stipends The recommended stipend is $50 per month for each Commissioner. Meeting Dates and Times The Committee recommends that the Arts Commission should meet monthly on the third Thursday at 6:00 p.m. This date and time was selected as the 661Arts Committee meets monthly on the third Thursday from 3:45 to 5:00 p.m. The Advisory Committee felt this would allow for greater dialogue between the two groups and would enhance public participation. M Role of Public This area was not identified as an issue, as the Committee felt the existing Commission models will allow plenty of opportunities for the public to have a voice. The Advisory Committee also felt that the recently completed Commissions / Committees Analysis had several practical solutions to encourage the public to get more involved. Role of Existing Arts Advisory Committee and 661Arts The Committee determined that there was no need to continue the Arts Advisory Committee as the Commission would take on its responsibilities. It was mentioned that current Committee members would make themselves available to the Commission to advise them, if the Commission desired. The Advisory Committee felt that the 661Arts Committee should continue, and that they should develop a dialogue with the Commission as stated above in Meeting Dates and Times. s Iprlarts & eventsladmmlcommitteeslaaclarts commissronlarts commission sntdyfindmgs and recommendations doc 5 ARTS COMMISSION GOALS Evaluation/Assessment - Establish a formal process to evaluate programs to aid in future decisions. Expand arts opportunities and programming to increase economic impact - Cultural tourism - Creative industries and jobs - Construction of facilities - Community redevelopment - More desirable place to live - Better quality of life Support local arts organizations and artists - Management - Grants - Audience development - Funding - Facilities - New program development - Marketing - Community engagement (ethnic, region, age, socio -class, under -served segments) - Promote partnerships (government, businesses, environment, cultural exchanges, schools, nonprofits, arts organizations, Sheriff's Department) Facilitate partnerships between schools and the community - Recycled art projects with schools, artists, and waste haulers - Teacher/artist development - Facilitating partnerships to bring artist into schools - Research and apply for grants for school/community partnerships - Advocate for arts school (magnet school) - Create an award for student artists - Facilitate compliance with standards - Private/charter/home schools - Create opportunities to build bridges between City and schools (recognition, etc.) Communication and marketing, raising awareness of the arts in the community - Create events - Expand City's website - Promote 661arts.com - Bi -monthly arts publication - Promote Thursday matinee or other radio - Build relationship with all media outlets in the Santa Clarita Valley and beyond. - Promote awareness of the arts in the community by establishing a means to collect copy for media outlets for distribution of news about arts in the schools. (Note: 2 Parents want news about the schools' bands and color guards, theater productions, choral groups, etc. The media does not seem to highlight these events and achievements. If made available for them without charge, they may disseminate.) - Utilize neighborhood groups to promote arts events and programs. - Create awards programs and contests. Create Arts and Cultural Events to Involve Participation of all Schools - Work in partnership with local schools for student exhibits and performances. - Expand the "Suburbia" program to include poetry readings, art and photography exhibits, etc. Arts Education - Create new partnerships with the local colleges to bring art out into the community and provide arts students with new audiences to enhance their education. - Work with the Santa Clarita Sheriff s Department to develop arts education programs for at -risk and incarcerated youth. - Facilitate meetings with artists and teachers to share information and ideas for incorporating art into the curriculum. - Promote training opportunities for teachers that might be co-sponsored by schools through staff development and by the City or a future foundation. Needs Assessments - Conduct a survey of residents to determine current levels of interest and desire for various art forms, as well as best options for outreach to the community regarding the arts in our City and the Santa Clarita Valley. - Convene a symposium for artists, educators, businesses, and the public to include panel discussions, performances, and training for artist, arts organizations. Solicit information and feedback. Liaison with Other Agencies (County, State, National, and Local) - Select commission members to serve as liaisons to the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the California Arts Council, and local arts agencies in other municipalities for the purpose of exploring programs and funding opportunities. - Establish liaison to school districts to develop new options for arts in education. - Identify local, regional, state and federal money available for the arts and make that information available on the City's Arts Commission website. - Develop partnerships with local nonprofit organizations. Creative Partnerships with Local Businesses - Private Schools - Home Schooling (make information available on the website for home school groups seeking art instructors). - Work with artists/arts organizations and local businesses to develop art sponsorships or opportunities for cross -promotional activities. - Promote partnerships that will further the development of professional caliber arts groups and assist in their outreach to the community. r/ - Public Art - Develop standards, policies and procedures for public art proposals. Identify potential sites for public art projects. - Advise and recommend on the development, policies, guidelines, and implementation of an Art in Public Places Program. - Develop strategies for maintenance of public art projects. - Appoint qualified peer panels to select public art and art in public places and to review and evaluate requests for funding to recommend to the full commission. - Develop a recommendation for a Percent for Arts Program. Facilities - Identify existing local venues available for performance and exhibit space. - Develop a directory of venues, available online, which includes pertinent information including size, amenities, costs, requirements, contact person. - Encourage the provision of cultural and artistic facilities and features in public and commercial construction. - Develop plans for a multi -faceted Cultural Arts Center. Funding and Resources - Identify additional grant opportunities. - Assist in building local partnerships for collaborative projects. - Provide and obtain statements of support for grant requests. - Advise and facilitate capacity -building efforts of local arts nonprofit groups. - Work with City Council and businesses to develop an Arts Foundation to develop funding for a Cultural Arts Center. Expand Multi -Cultural Awareness and Community Connectivity through the Arts - Create individual cultural events and an annual multi -cultural event, such as an ethnic foods fair, dancing, art, crafts, and other performances. - Develop support for the creation of community-based groups for activities such as folk dancing or a "Senior Symphony" composed of senior citizen musicians. Vision of Strategic and Long-term and Action Planning - Develop a three -to -five year strategic plan. - Set objectives and priorities. - Develop specific programs. - Investigate the potential for arts partnerships in non -arts sectors. - Investigate the potential for creating a nonprofit foundation to further financial goals. - Seek opportunities to involve and engage the public in arts events and promote arts education beyond schools. s Iprlarts & evenisladmnlcommateeslaaclarts commtssoonlarts commission goals doc AN