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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-04-02-ARTS-min.pdfLexington Council for the Arts Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2025; 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Location: Parker Room Attending Present: Mamata Banerjee, Alix Fox, Lisa Hebert, Marie-Aude Hewes, David Hoose, Shalini Kakar, Claudia Lach, Elizabeth Xu, Jennifer Zacharis (remotely) Absent: Eric Hellweg Recording Secretary: David Hoose Call to Order (Claudia): 7:05 p.m. • Minutes. The minutes of the March 26, 2026 LCA meeting were approved, with corrections noted. • Utility Box Painting. Alix led a discussion of the continued painting of utility boxes. Funding from LCA for this ongoing project does exist. There was expression of a general wish to identify more Town-owned boxes that could be painted. While some boxes are owned by the Town of Lexington, others are owned by, and are under the perview of, the Recreation Department. The past practice has been for calls to potential artists to be made; a panel (comprising a member of the Recreation Department, an LCA panelist, and “someone else”) has chosen the artists; a curator organized the project ($500). o Motion: to direct $1500 to have the utility box at Lincoln Field painted, with $500 to Laurie Bogdan, curator; $1000 to the as-yet-unidentified artist. (Motion not voted upon.) • Storm Drain Decorative Painting. There was continuing discussion about the possible decorative painting of storm drains. Permission from the Town would be required. The anticipated cost would be $400-$500. It was proposed that the committee, at a later date, discuss more thoroughly the pertinent questions, including: Is this project appropriate, and would the Town approve of the idea? Could such a project be educational (student created), supervised by art teachers? Or would it be better to have them painted by established artists? Lisa: What are the possible costs? Could LCA pay for supplies, and have supervised students do the painting, thus minimizing the costs? David continues to question the wisdom (practicality, esthetics, longeivity, safety) of decorating storm drains. The LCA committee members are encouraged to visit Arlington to see examples of existing storm drain painting. • Native American project. Claudia asked that the project’s parameters be clearer before LCA makes any substantive decisions regarding this project. Shalini does not yet have a proposal in hand. • Supported Project postponement request. Mary Ross, grant recipient, has asked for permission to postpone until April 2026 the supported event, in order to identify an appropriate location. Permission was given to extend the deadline, with the caveat that the event be “close to beginning of year.” • Treasurer’s Report. There was none, as the report from Town had not been received. The report will be presented at next meeting. • Grantee Reception. There was a discussion of the recent Grantee reception, with various hopes for future receptions expressed, including: o Exploring the possibility of asking grantees who represent musical projects whether they would be willing to perform at the reception. o Contacting LexMedia well in advance of the event, in order to secure coverage. o The general concensus was that the recent reception was “lovely,” that the “food was great,” the “flowers made the table,” in all, a success. o There was a question about leftover food and drink, and any shortfalls. o Consider having fewer tables, thus pulling attendees closer together, both for their interaction and for any phographs that would appear in the LCA Newsletter. Consider assigning tables for attendees. o Find ways to turn this event into an opportunity to generate more ideas about future projects, whether they are collaborations, interdisciplinary projects, or individually projects. • PorchFest. Lisa reported on the current status for the coming PorchFest. Curt (last name?) will be the website vendor; there will be someone on board to organize event(s) at the Stone Building; roles for LCA members will be clearly identified; LCA will inquire as to whether volunteers can aid traffic in crowded neighborhoods. o Questions and observations: While the Finale was well-attended and successful, should the same cover band be invited (perhaps with different material) be repeated next year, or should a different band be identified for this role? Should the location be the same, or different? Possible locations include Hastings Park, Depot Square (while centrally located, there could be a vehicle traffic problem), Visitors Center (general enthusiasm), Emery Park. Claudia wondered if the Kick-off event could be at Emery Park. She also wondered if Mass Ave., from Waltham St. to Depot Square, could be closed for the final event. o There was some discussion of the graphic design for the past event. Do materials exist, and could they be reused? (Claudia said they could not.) o The next LCA newsletter should include the announcement of PorchFest. o There was an appeal for volunteers, as well as a list of necessary tasks. o There was desire expressed to cluster (geographically) events, in order for those attending to be able to get from location to location with ease. There was a countering expression of concern about sound bleed from one group to another. • New Business. There was none. • Next LCA meeting. May 7, 2025 Meeting Adjourned: 8:35 p.m.