HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-12-07-ARTS-min El Lexington Council for the Arts
Meeting Minutes (Approved 12/7/2020)
Monday, November 2, 2020
7:00 PM— 8:30 PM
Location: Via Zoom: See below for remote participation instructions
Facilitator: Jillian Tung
Pre Meeting Task
Review of minutes from October 6, 2020 meting
Attendance:
Present: Jillian Tung, Steve Poltorzycki, Melissa Talal, Shalini Kakar, Doug
Urban, Hema Gandhi
Recording Secretary: Steve Poltorzycki
Meeting start time:7:05 PM
I. Call to order
II. Welcome to Doug Urban, new Co-treasurer, and committee introductions.
III. Approval of October 5, 2020 meeting minutes: Minutes approved unanimously
IV. Update on finances: Steve Poltorzycki, Hema Gandhi, Doug Urban. Annual
Report deadlines have been extended by MCC. Full Annual Report is now due
3/1/21, and Sections 1 and 2 now due 12/14/20. Steve, Hema, and Doug will
prepare a proposal to be voted on at our December meeting regarding the fate of
state funds, that is, how much of the uncommitted funds will go towards grants
and how much towards other projects (to be included in Section 2).
V. Update on Go Out Doors public art project: Steve Poltorzycki. Good feedback so
far from the public. New signs have been fabricated (by Jillian) and will be
installed in the next few days. Jillian will write a piece for the press about the
overall project. Shalini is working on a piece focused on one of the artists (Silvina
Mizrahi). LexMedia is still working on their video of the opening (ideally, they
will break it into pieces, with one piece per artist and one for the opening
remarks). We will work on creating a video to be uploaded onto YouTube that
will introduce the project, and we will upload the existing artist videos onto
YouTube. We will need to decide how to sell the doors, perhaps by auction.
VI. Grants update: Jillian Tung. Grant applications are now due 12/14/20. We won't
know our allocation from the state until January. We should issue a press release
publicizing this change (Jillian will handle). Jillian, Melissa and Steve spoke on
11/2/20 with Luis Cotto (our MCC liaison). He said we can take a more expansive
and flexible approach to making our grants (under the current Covid-19
circumstances), including suggesting projects to artists outside of the grantmaking
framework, a relief fund, etc. MCC stands ready to support our discussions with
Town officials in modifying the hurdles for approval of project funding. At our
next meeting in December, we will brainstorm possible projects (other than the
El Lexington Council for the Arts
grants that have been applied for)to which to apply state funding. We will move
our January meeting to January 11th. Denial letters to grant applicants need to be
sent by 2/13/21.
VII. Publicity updates: Shalini Kakar and Jillian Tung. Those Council members with
Twitter accounts should re-tweet the tweet Shalini created about the doors project
(and subsequent tweets she will create). We need to remind Cristina to make one
of us the Admin of the Facebook site. We will discuss at our December meeting
how to build an email list for the Council.
VIII. Brainstorming and discussion of possible spring project ideas (time permitting):
Re-install doors from current doors project, new doors project clusters (perhaps
including a LHS cluster), decorate utility boxes, public performances (African
drumming, mini-porchfest). One door can be a collage of drawings by elementary
school or middle school children. Consider some way to include sculptures (like
Mizrahi's) and pottery? Shalini to reach out to A. Roy (K-12 art coordinator in
Lexington public schools). Collaboration with Community Center and/or
Historical Society. Some interplay between music and visual art or music and
poetry. Bikeway haiku. Open mike idea to be discussed at our December meeting.
Meeting Adjourned at: 8:35
Motioned by: Doug Urban
Seconded by: Steve Poltorzycki