Meeting Information

Arts_Task_Force

MEETING OF THE ARTS TASK FORCE
Wednesday, January 3, 2006
5:30 p.m.
City Hall Room 201

Revised Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 5:38 p.m.

1. Roll Call
   
   Voting Members Present
   Karen Ames
   Ken Foster
   Rick Galbreath
   Tim Gaskin
   David Gluck
   Elaine Katzenberger
   Krissy Keefer
   Tony Kelly
   Pamela Wu Kochiyama
   Maria X. Martinez
   Anjali Nath
   Richard (Rick) Putz
   Pamela Peniston
   Alma Robinson
   Laird Rodet
   Darryl Smith
   Marc Vogl
   Debra Walker
   
   Voting Members Excused
   Jeffrey Ferns
   Vinay Patel
   Virginia (Ginny) Carollo Rubin
   
   Nonvoting Members Present
   Mike Farrah
   Tim Hallman
   John Killacky
   Carolyn McMillan
   Elizabeth Murray
   Richard Newirth
   Charles Roppel
   Kary Schulman for Renee Hayes
   
   Nonvoting Members Excused
   Geraldine O’Brien
   
   Nonvoting Members Absent
   Bob Davis
   Rich Hillis
   P.J. Johnston
   Gloria Woo
   
   NOTE: ALL VOTES ARE UNANIMOUS UNLESS OTHERWISE RECORDED.
   
   
2. Announcements by the Chair
   The Chair announced that audio equipment was set up at this meeting to provide a more complete record of the Task Force discussions. The tapes will be available for listening at the Arts Commission offices.
   
   
3. Minutes
   Rick Galbreath clarified that the September 21 minutes had already been approved at the November 16 meeting. The October 19 minutes were still being revised as to Supervisor Ammiano’s remarks. Draft minutes of the November 16 meeting were available in hard copy at the current meeting, but had not yet been posted and could not be voted upon at this meeting.
   
   There was no public comment on this item.
   
   
4. Update on Task Force Report
   This item pertaining to structure was called and discussed at length. Strenuous objections to changing oversight of Grants for the Arts (“GFTA”) from the City Administrator to a Department of Culture were lodged by GFTA director Kary Schulman. Discussions centered on whether or not Ms. Schulman’s assertion that GFTA funds are insulated from political influence by being under the auspices of the City Administrator was accurate and/or desirable given the recent reductions in GFTA funding.
   
   The desirability of GFTA being administered from within a department whose mission is focused on the arts, and thus the gravitas that department status brings to the budgeting process, including staff and leadership who are able to advocate for funding, were recurrent themes of the discourse.
   
   Public comment:
   Toby Leavitt stressed the importance of sustained operational support, noting that the Arts Forum voiced extreme support for this aspect of arts funding.
   
   Andrew Wood noted that under the prior City Administrator, Bill Lee, GFTA took big hits to its funding. He also said that there was no evaluation mechanism to assess GFTA effectiveness.
   
   An unidentified member of the public asked at whose pleasure the Arts Commissioners serve.
   
   Charles Roppel asked “What is broken?” He urged members to be careful about what is not “broken,” and of unintended consequences. Rick Galbreath reminded Mr. Roppel that, as a member of the Task Force, he could participate fully in the discussions and should not feel obligated to wait until public comment to express his opinions.
   
   Jeff Jones said that diversity is “broken,” with underfunding of certain communities. He charged that nothing has changed in GFTA in 25 years, and that statistics clearly show that cultural services are a plaything of the rich and privileged.
   
   There was no further public comment.
   
   Straw polls regarding the structure proposals were conducted and the results were referred back to the structure working group for further evaluation at their next meeting on Tuesday, January 10.
   
   
5. Outreach Update
   This item was continued at the discretion of the Chair.
   
   
6. Update on Expenditures
   The item was called and briefly discussed. The Arts Task force approved the requested funding for administrative expenses for economic impact report without objection. The discussion on administrative expenses for administration of the Arts Task Force was continued at the discretion of the Chair.
   
   There was no public comment on this item.
   
   
7. New Business
   This item was continued at the discretion of the Chair.
   
   
8. Public Comment
   There was no further public comment.
   
   
9. Adjournment
   There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:06 p.m.
   

   
   1/27/06 DW/RG/spr