2014-06-09-ARTS-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Approved Minutes -Lexington Council for the Arts -June 9, 2014 3 requests that we believed were worthy. Diana South suggested we could write a letter, perhaps right after we receive all fall applications, with an update showing the total amount we received as requests, and the gap between what we have available and what we would need to fund all requests. Diana and Leslie heard radio advertising by MCC and everyone agreed this might help raise awareness in our community—both to the kind of work we do, and also to the need for individuals and businesses to step up to support the arts in our community. Zoe suggests that it would be a good idea to set a specific goal, for example, to double the funding. Leslie likes the idea of promoting both "arts and culture", and helping people understand the range of"arts" and"culture" and how each branch enriches our community. Other goals: Jessie suggested we could offer slots or boxes on a donation sheet/letter, where people could earmark funds, for example *general grant fulfillment. If someone donated and checked this box, their funds would go towards raising the percentage on all valid grant applications. Or, someone might earmark *an LCA project that we offer to oversee at the Community Center—like an artist-in-residence period. This might allow us to introduce something new while also expanding resources for all of our applicants. Zoe has kept an ongoing list of wish list items during her time on the council. For example, David Williams was once interested in re-use of specific granite pieces for a mini-feature or sculpture area at Lincoln Field/Park. Granite is down there now, but no work has taken place. There is a sculpture in a closet in Cary Library that needs a pedestal. The cost for the pedestal could be a few thousand dollars between pedestal and transportation. Cristina agreed to contact Koren Stembridge at Cary Library to check on this. Another wish list item was to improve gallery space at Munroe—needs gallery lighting, painted walls, and the area has a rug problem. This was put on hold due to accessibility concerns. First Parrish is interested in improving gallery space. Community Center may offer a good amount of gallery space. Holding events, like juried shows, requires funding for publicity and potentially requires funding for a jury or show expenses. Emily Passman notes that people who submit to a juried show will pay to submit, and this process can bring some funds in. Another idea is a big house party or salon. Jesie and Leslie agreed to pursue this and report back to the group. We agreed that we might be able to apply to MCC for a local grant. (Like last year, where the idea was to request funds for gallery space. It was awarded but we withdrew it because Munroe is not accessible and our funds may only be used for places that meet public accessibility standards.) The group agreed to pursue the suggestion of a late summer or early fall letter campaign and to further explore a spring event. Jessie, Diana and Cristina volunteered to draft a letter for the LCA September meeting while Zoe and Cristina would review a Big Donor campaign (i.e., resources needed, calendar, letterhead, website.)