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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-11-17 - Minutes -Fayetteville Arts Council November 17, 2021 6 — 7:30 p.m. Held Remotely via Zoom Video playback of meeting: https://accessfaVetteville.granicus.com/plaver/clip/7860?view id=14&redirect=true Members: Arts Council Interim Chair Jessica DeBari 06/30/24, Dwain Cromwell 6/30/23, Cindy Morley 06/30/22, Joelle Storet 06/30/23, Lia Uribe 06/30/24 Members Absent: City Council member Sonia Gutierrez, Barb Putman 06/30/22, Nick Zazal 06/30/22, Bob Stafford 06/30/22 City Staff: Linda DeBerry / City Communications Project Manager/assigned staff liaison Guest: Allyson Esposito, Executive Director, Creative Arkansas Community Hub and Exchange (CACHE) Guest: Allyson Esposito Esposito, Executive Director, CACHE Allyson Esposito introduced Cache as a central arts council that supports creatives and non- profit community organizations throughout the region to help create a more equitable and self- sustaining artistic ecosystem. Cache focuses on emerging, under -represented and under - invested pockets of creativity. They serve as a go-between, helping identify needs and find existing entities that can fulfil those needs, then helping to support that entity. They have also supported artists and arts organizations with more than $2 million directly in two years. They are helping, along with Walton Arts Center, to get Arkansas involved in the nation-wide Arts & Economic Prosperity project, which polls arts organizations across the state, organized by American for the Arts. This will be the first time Arkansas has participated. Cache is working with cities throughout NW Arkansas as they begin to develop their city and regional arts and culture plans. Cache has also developed an arts calendar for the whole region and has taken over the space that formerly housed the Arts Center of the Ozarks. Jessica DeBari: Has the Fayetteville Arts Council previously said they want to do a cultural plan with Cache, as Rogers has done? Allyson Esposito: Yes, Fayetteville is partnering with us to do a year of learning. It will take place in 2022, and includes a monthly learning program, bringing in experts who work in Mailing Address: 113 W. Mountain Street www.fayetteville-ar.gov Fayetteville, AR 72701 municipalities to explore best practices in a wide range of topics. We hope the Fayetteville Arts Council will be working with us. Regarding developing a Cultural Plan with the City: to have success, the City has to be ready to actually implement it, so it doesn't just sit on a shelf. So after the year of learning, we are hoping to do cultural planning in `23. Sherry Smith: We prepared an RFP for a cultural and historic master plan in preparation to apply for a grant. It's looking at our history and making sure we are respectful of all the cultures that make Fayetteville what it is. We downsized and canceled our application for a grant, this past year, but I'm reapplying for it. Who are you working with at the City? Allyson Esposito: Susan Norton has been driving that. We should find some time to talk about that in the future, so let's talk. Lia Uribe: I think eventually it's important that we get together with all the arts organizations in the city. We recently discussed the RFP for a mural, which is coming soon. We are counting on Cache to help us get the word out to diverse artists. But my question is what is going to happen with the Cultural Arts Corridor? Allyson Esposito: I'm on the Cultural Arts Corridor Committee. I feel like we're waiting to understand the direction that things are headed with that. I think a lot of the cultural planning had questions about whether or not the City would be curator and programmer for that space: all questions that would come out in cultural planning. How do you run the public spaces? How do you program them equitably? What budget is required in order to pay artists what they're worth? We're happy to be a resource on those questions going forward, but so far we're just keeping up with the conversation. Joelle Storet: I've been following Cache's progress, and had the privilege of being part of the Ozark Cast program. Are you going to bring back the Ozark Cast series? Why did it stop? And will you continue to offer payment for the artists involved? Allyson Esposito: First of all we won't do anything without paying artists. We've been coming up with creative ways to do that and pushing the idea that artists are important and need to be paid. And I think we're making headway in changing that narrative. We will have a number of opportunities coming up for visual artists. For Ozcast, the funding was cut off. We did a pilot, then 15 episodes, but then a second season was not funded, which had nothing to do with the content. It has gotten national attention. Places like PBS are interested in it. We'll be looking for additional opportunities like that for artists to share their work. Sherry Smith: I was glad to hear you start talking about how to do things equitably. Equitable ordinances are important, to make sure that we are being fair. I feel like there's a lot that can be done there. Allyson Esposito: The conversations we're having, around accessing housing, accessing places to perform, what the approval processes are, etc., we'll be talking about all of that in the Learning Sessions. Jessica DeBari: Is there a role for the City Arts Council to play in terms of the cultural calendar, in terms of it being successful? Allyson Esposito: Yes, we will be hiring a communications person in the next month or two, and if you could partner with that person, that would be fantastic. Some of the larger institutions have asked us to help them with attempting not to overlap events. Lia Uribe: Sometimes larger organizations take all the attention. It's important to share those audiences. Allyson Esposito: We'll continue to have open conversations over the next few months regarding various opportunities and projects. Lia Uribe: It's useful to know that we have this partnership with Cache. We're looking at our purpose. It is important to ask ourselves what our role is. Allyson Esposito: if you think of Cache as the regional "thing," you are a core partner that we work with to deploy programs and resources. So it will be great to talk further about the role of the council, and I have examples of other cities that I can share if that would be helpful. Jessica DeBari: Can we be copied in on those conversations with Susan Norton regarding the regional efforts? Allyson Esposito: Yes, of course, as soon as those get settled. And of course we would love for you to help us spread the word about upcoming programs through your outlets. Final discussion of final RFP for Archibald Yell mural project Jessica DeBari: We had a last-minute change to the agenda because we have Sherry Smith here to talk with us about the final version of the RFP for the Archibald Yell mural. I had questions about the differences between the RFP and the contract. The RFP says the artist will prep the wall, but then the contract says the City will prep the wall. Sherry Smith: Yes, I have not yet made changes to the contract boiler plate. We have options. We could have the artist prep the wall, before and after. I imagine 5 gallons will be enough to do that for one mural. I think it's best if we have them do it, because our people are not willing to do it. We can get the supplies, but they are not willing to do it because they don't want to be responsible for messing up the mural. Also, there are areas that may need caulk, and that would be better for the artist to gauge. Jessica DeBari: Also, regarding insurance: the RFP said it required the artist to carry certain types of insurance, but the contract didn't say that. Sherry Smith: I did confirm that the artist does have to have insurance. Jessica DeBari: Would it be helpful if we just highlighted little things and then sent them back to you? Sherry Smith: I'm talking to the attorney tomorrow to find anything we need to change. One of the main things I wanted you to look at is on the RFP: One thing I had to change: when we talked last time I was going to measure the wall and I was waiting to hear back from Mayor Jordan what he considered to be part of the bulldog, because we're not allowed to touch the bulldog. So that incudes any of the white paint anywhere around the bulldog. So that means one mural, the one on Rock Street, will be considerable smaller than the other one. It will be much more accessible to pedestrians. The larger one is on School. How I've dealt with that, is I've calculated the rough square footage. That's rough because of the vegetation that is covering part of it, and we're not sure how much of that we'll be able to get the City to cut back and maintain. So I set the pay at $3800 for the smaller mural and $14,200 for the larger one. (Note: amounts amended and added on 12/15/2021). Regarding the timeline, I was being cautious because I thought I might have to go to City Council, but I don't have to do that. Jessica DeBari: The mural sections and sizes is much more clear with the actual square footage included. I'm still not sure how much impact the smaller Rock Street mural can have, but I'm hoping to be surprised. Are way more people going to submit designs for the lower section because the stipend is so much higher? Sherry Smith: It's written in a way that it can be one or two artists, and the Council decides. They could apply for both, and you could decide which mural they are asked to provide sketches for. Jessica DeBari: The amount of experience required in the RFP doing previous projects to this scale, and the need for the artist to carry insurance will definitely narrow the field and make it harder to have as diverse a pool of applicants. I realize that may be a necessity, but I'm concerned about that. Sherry Smith: The experience requirement is up to the Council. I wrote that in because the murals are outdoor and we want them to last. So we want someone who's not just good at art, 0 but knows how to do outdoor work so it will last. So if you feel we need to lop off some experience, that's up to you. That was partly determined by Lucas, who was a consultant from Cache. Lia Uribe: In the past, Cache has partnered with the Jones Center and others to provide support for artists applying for grants or for calls for pubic art Can this be an arrangement between the city of Fayetteville and Cache to be sure that those who don't have all the experience, to help them with the application itself? Sherry Smith: That's up to you. I would go with the higher level of experience. But it may not need to be as high as we have it because we're asking them to prep the wall. Jessica DeBari: Could an applicant with less experience apply, but maybe include that they would have someone from Cache mentoring them so they could help ensure that the work will be lasting? Lia Uribe: Yes, I'm hesitant to stay with such a high level of experience, because that's a small population who has that level of experience. But maybe in the application, maybe we could offer that mentorship. Sherry Smith: I did have something in there that if they had someone who had mentored with them who had a lot of experience, who could vouch for them that they knew how to do it. This calls for experience and references. But you could go with either of those, experiences or references, for 40% of the selection criteria. Regarding experience: it says that they can have experience with outdoor murals for 5 years, or have served time as an apprentice with someone who has the experience. Discussion of Arts Council goals for the future Jessica DeBari: DO we want to go ahead with this based on the low number of members in attendance? Lia Uribe: I think it's important for all of us to be present. Jessica DeBari: So we'll table that and include it in next month's agenda. Approval of September and October minutes Motion to Approve: Cindy Morley Seconded: Lia Uribe Minutes are approved unanimously 5 Sub -committee updates Jessica DeBari: Barb, Dwain and I hade planned to meet on Sunday about grants and we were not able to do that. Other business and public comment Linda DeBerry: Announced that she will be leaving the City of Fayetteville to become the communications officer for Best Friends Animal Society of NW Arkansas. City Communication Director Lisa Thurber will serve as the staff Liaison until the new cultural arts director position is created and filled. Adjournment at 7:15 p.m.