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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-05-07-ARTS-min.pdfLexington Council for the Arts Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2025 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Location: Parker Room Members Present: Mamata Banerjee, Alix Fox, Lisa Hebert, Eric Hellweg, Marie-Aude Hewes, David Hoose, Shalini Kakar, Claudia Lach, Elizabeth Xu (remotely), Jennifer Zacharis Members Absent: All present Recording Secretary: David Hoose • Call to Order. (Claudia): 7:10 pm • Minutes. The minutes of the April 7, 2025 LCA meeting were approved, with amendments added. • Treasurer’s Report. Marie presented, summarizing the document attached below as an addendum. Claudia asked whether the elimination of National Education Foundation funding will affect any funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and/or the Lexington Council for the Arts. The general belief is that, because these funds’ sources and their pertinent legislation are at the state and and local levels, NEA funding—or the lack thereof—will not have direct impact on funding coming from the state or local level. • Porchfest 2025. o Website and Information. Eric reported that the Porchfest website is live; approximately seven bands have signed up; although the e-mail announcement has gone out, thus far there have been no responses. Information for host homes will go out this month. Printable maps, as well as printed maps, showing bands and host homes’ locations will be created. The LCA booth on Discovery Day (May 24) will include relevant Porchfest information, including QR codes and sign-up sheets for volunteers (see below). Jennifer inquired as to whether it would be acceptable to initiate an Instagram account; doing that seems to be in the works. o Transportation. Lisa inquired about the possible shuttles (Liberty Ride?) and their cost. o Donations. Eric inquired about the collection of donations, and Claudia responded that, because the LCA is not a 501(c)(3), any donations would not be tax deductible. o Event Schedule. There was a discussion about the starting time of the Porchfest “Grand Finale,” with some committee members wondering whether it would be wise to have a fifteen-minute gap after the last regular events, in order to allow attendees to travel to the “Finale.” Given the reality that bands do not necessarily conclude at the end of their allotted times, the sentiment was that the times should remain unchanged; that is, with regular events ending at 5 pm, and the “Finale” running from 5 to 6 pm. o Location of Finale. Lisa is pursing permission for the “Finale” to be held at the Visitors Center. The advantages (larger space), and disadvantages (location and too large a space) of holding the “Finale” at Hastings Park were also considered. Lisa said that when Porchfest grows to twice its current dimensions, Hastings Park may be worth considering for a “Finale” location. o Volunteers: Eric has devised a Porchfest project plan that consists of a calendar showing a month-by-month list of tasks to accomplish. The website will include signups for volunteers; roles will be divided into scheduling categories (before the event, during the event, etc.), and will include sign distribution and printing the Porchfest sticker with current dates. Claudia would like to identify volunteers, both from LCA and from outside the committee, to assist in various Porchfest- related tasks; she asked if each LCA member would take ten signs to distribute, about two weeks before Porchfest. There was general support for her request for this assistance. The discussion (which began at the April LCA meeting) about the possibility of having volunteers assist with traffic and parking continued. Lisa pointed out that volunteering for Porchfest could provide an environment for identifying potential LCA members. o Newsletter. Lisa asked if there should be a Porchfest-specific newsletter; if so, who would create that? However, the LCA newsletter, in leading people to Porchfest- specific information, may suffice. • Discovery Day. For Discovery Day (May 24, 10 am-3 pm), Claudia identified the material needed: tent, table, LCA banner; PF banner; easel; materials to direct people to LCA, the LCA newsletter, and information about Porchfest. (QR codes will be necessary.) Alix will be at the site (presumably, in Emery Park, as in past years) at 8:30 am; the tent will be set up at 10 am. For assistance with tasks before and during the event, Alix will create, and send to the committee, a sign-up chart. • Utility Box Painting. Alix has found documentation about previous painting projects (including timelines, etc.). Laurie will put out a call to artists. As opposed to what has occurred in past years, this year, LCA members will be able to see (and weigh in on, if they wish) the work and proposals of interested artists, and they will be able to communicate their thoughts to the LCA representative on the Review Committee. • Drain Painting Project. Claudia, who was initially in favor of exploring this possible project, has become concerned about the potential health and safety impact of paint’s leeching into the storm drains. Alix observed a lack of “great passion” in the room about this project. David said that, if there were an artist who was passionate about storm drain painting, and perhaps had experience with such a project, he might be more interested in exploring it; until then, he remains skeptical of its viability. On a related subject, Marie wondered whether various water tanks in Lexington might be appropriate locations for decorative painting, and there was general interest in exploring this idea. David said that the obvious visibility of water tanks would suggest that any interested artists and their proposals should be thoroughly considered. • New Business. Claudia mused about resurrecting “Lexington Laughs,” and Lisa will explore the project. There was a brief discussion about the best time of year for such to occur, and many differing opinions emerged. Next Meeting: The last regular LCA meeting of the year will be on June 4, 2025. Meeting Adjourned: 8:31 pm Addendum: Invoices Details Account Funds Comments Received Local Account $6,033 Account credited by interests since last financial report MCC Cultural Sector Recovery Grant $6,000 Can be used for any purpose. Supposedly rolls over from year to year. The town is holding that money for us. But there is a slight concern that MCC will tell us that that money should have been spent before. Two confirmations from theTown were sent to Steve. Other Potential Sources of Cultural District Grant up to $3,000 You need to apply. It is a separate grant, it is not one of our accounts. Funds Available for Projects Town Budget Account $6,000 Please send the invoices from Grantees' Reception. MCC Projects/Festivals Grant 2024 $720 no change since last month. Lexington Council for the Arts Finacial Status Report -- 05/02/25 Lexington Council for the Arts Finacial Status Report -- 05/02/2025 Funds Available for Projects State Funds for Granting (FY 24)$3,536 From 2024 grant cycle, the following projects have not been submitted:- Zaino nick ( $153), Deck the Hall ( $900.00), New England Film Orchestra, Moresian Center ($153.00) was cancelled. Invoices Details Account Funds Comments Received Local Account $6,033 Account credited by interests since last financial report MCC Cultural Sector Recovery Grant $6,000 Can be used for any purpose. Supposedly rolls over from year to year. The town is holding that money for us. But there is a slight concern that MCC will tell us that that money should have been spent before. Two confirmations from theTown were sent to Steve. Other Potential Sources of Cultural District Grant up to $3,000 You need to apply. It is a separate grant, it is not one of our accounts. Funds Available for Projects Town Budget Account $6,000 Please send the invoices from Grantees' Reception. MCC Projects/Festivals Grant 2024 $720 no change since last month. Lexington Council for the Arts Finacial Status Report -- 05/02/25 Lexington Council for the Arts Finacial Status Report -- 05/02/2025 Funds Available for Projects State Funds for Granting (FY 24)$3,536 From 2024 grant cycle, the following projects have not been submitted:- Zaino nick ( $153), Deck the Hall ( $900.00), New England Film Orchestra, Moresian Center ($153.00) was cancelled.