February 12, 2013

The meeting was called to order at 2:39 p.m.
 

1. Roll Call
   Commissioners Present:
   John Calloway
   Charles Collins
   Sherene Melania, Chair
   Roberto Ordeñana
   Kimberlee Stryker (arrived at 2:54 p.m.)

   Commissioners Absent:
   None

   Staff Present: Tom DeCaigny, Judy Nemzoff, Lucy Lin, Robynn Takayama, Melissa Hung, Tyra Fennell, Tyese Wortham, Cristal Fiel

2. Cultural Equity Grants Program Director Report
   Interim Cultural Equity Grants (“CEG”) Program Director Lucy Lin updated the committee on current developments and announcements. Ms. Lin reminded commissioners of the schedules they received that included panel dates for the remaining grants of this grant cycle. Organizational Project Grants (“OPG”) will conduct three distinct panels of two days each. The Native American Arts and Cultural Traditions (“NAACT”) grants panel will take place on March 7. Ms. Lin requested that those Commissioners interested in attending let staff know so they might prepare the necessary materials. She then reminded the committee that the Arts in Communities Innovative Partnerships (“ACIP”) and Arts for Neighborhood Vitality (“ANV”) motion and materials were forthcoming in March.

   The topic of conversation moved to providing a snapshot of new versus returning applicants in CEG for FY13, in response to an information request from the committee. Ms. Lin presented a slide (FY13 All CEG Applications), based upon the applicant pool, which demonstrated the percentage of new versus returning applicants. The initial assessment broke out the 219 applications, and grouped applicants into the following categories: new, applied but never funded, returning applicants that received one past grant, and returning applicants that received two or more past grants. The slide demonstrated that a majority of the applicants have received two or more grants in the past, but at least a quarter of all CEG applicants are new.

   Commissioner Melania asked for clarification regarding the 25 percent listed as ‘new’, and if it reflected evenly among all the grants or if it is more reflective of the individual grants.

   Ms. Lin clarified that this figure is reflective of all the applications received this cycle, and that detailed figures will be included in the category specific presentations.

   Ms. Lin introduced the next slide (FY13 Unique Applicants) regarding unique applicants, as opposed to duplicative applicants who have applied to multiple grant categories. She stated that 28 percent of the unique applicant pool was new applicants, while 47 percent have received two or more past grants.

   Commissioner Collins asked Ms. Lin to expand upon the figure, ‘twelve percent that applied but never funded’, and requested two or three typical reasons an applicant might be rejected.

   Ms. Lin responded that there exist multiple criteria throughout the selection process, the most critical being the quality of programming/work and the capacity of the organization.

   Commissioner Calloway reiterated in the form of a question that, in regards to the ‘applied but never funded’, is it known how many of them are first time applicants.

   Director of Cultural Affairs Tom DeCaigny responded that the ‘new’ category includes first time applicants, i.e. applicants who have never applied to the CEG program before. It refers only to the applicant pool in FY13, not applicants actually being funded. Mr. DeCaigny continued to explain that the 28 percent means those applicants who have never before applied to the CEG program, whereas the twelve percent refers to applicants who have applied for a CEG at least once before and have never been funded. He commented that the numbers were interesting, because it’s been a relatively low number that have applied from the past and he considers 28 percent to be a ‘good pipeline’, particularly during this transitional year with it’s shorter application window.

   Commissioner Melania commented that it would be interesting to see if those percentages were more reflective of the Individual Artist Commissions (“IAC”) as opposed to other grant categories, such as Cultural Equity Initiatives Level I and II.

   Ms. Lin commented that there did tend to be a higher percentage of new applicants in the IAC. The committee moved on to view the Individual Artists Commissions slides (FY13 Individual Artists Commissions applicants). FY13 IAC received 71 total applications with 62 percent of the pool being new applicants.

   Mr. DeCaigny stated that this seemed consistent with prior years, the IAC program having the highest number of first-time applicants.

   Ms. Lin added that the IAC category funding visual, literary and media arts brings in the second highest number of applicants overall, after the Organization Project Grants (“OPG”). She highlighted the funding of recurring applicants as the more established artists in the community.

   Commissioner Melania called for public comment. No public comment was made.
    

3. Cultural Equity Grants Individual Artist Commissions Grants

   Commissioner Ordeñana announced a potential conflict of financial interest with applicant Rudy Lemcke, and suggested recusing himself from the session at the appropriate time.

   Ms. Lin reminded the commissioners that IAC’s fund artists with projects that generate new creative work with a public presentation component. Disciplines considered for funding alternate each year, between the performing arts of dance, music and theater and then to the visual, literary and media arts. Ms. Lin presented a PowerPoint slide (Artists of Color), demonstrating the breakdown for artists of color in the applicant pool. The slide showed 27 artists of color applied, while 44 applicants were ‘non-artists of color’. Ms. Lin reminded the committee that applicants self-identify and report on the demographic data and that the City may not legally require this information.

   Commissioner Collins asked Ms. Lin how color is defined in this methodology.

   Ms. Lin offered to address the question later in the presentation, and moved on to discuss the demographics of the grantee pool, of which 18 were artists of color and 17 were not. Ms. Lin addressed Commissioner Collins’ question by stating the recognized categories of color were African American, Asian American, Latino, bi/multi-racial, among other categories as is named in the Cultural Equity Endowment legislation. She then presented a slide (IAC Artists of Color Demographics: Grantee vs. Applicant) that offered more details regarding the breakdown.

   Commissioner Calloway stated that he liked the fact that there’s a multiracial category, because multiracial people exist.

   Commissioner Melania stated she did not understand how ‘Palestinian’ and ‘Iranian’ fit under the ‘Asian’ category.

   Mr. DeCaigny responded by expressing that this categorization is in alignment with the City’s policies around demographics.

   Commissioner Collins asked about figures regarding minority categories beyond race, such as LGBT or disabled.

   Ms. Lin presented the next slide (IAC Demographics: Grantee vs Applicant), in which 21 applicants self-identified as LGBT, 48 as women, and three as disabled (of which one was funded). Due to legislation, the majority of applicants funded must be from historically underserved communities named in the Cultural Equity Endowment legislation. Ms. Lin moved to a breakdown of the applicant pool (FY13 IAC Applicants by Discipline) between visual, literary, and media based artists. She then continued with a breakdown by district (San Francisco Supervisorial Districts) of the applicant district of residence, from which the committee learned the majority of applicants reside in districts 5, 8, and 9. Comments were made regarding the representation of districts and that funding of artists in the pool is spread throughout the city districts.

   Mr. DeCaigny asked, for historical purposes, if this breakdown by district is something the committee has looked at before.

   Commissioner Melania agreed that it was something the commission has done before, but added that it was nice to track fluctuations among districts, and that this was the first time all the districts (except District 11) were represented.

   Commissioner Collins stated that District 11 was the Excelsior/Outer Mission area, by Ingleside on the border of McLaren Park. He continued stating that District 11 is largely residential with few large organizations, though there exist some smaller ones, such as Out of Sight. The challenge with District 11 and 10, the last blue-collar neighborhoods in the city, is that there are not a lot of applicants.

   Community Arts and Education (“CAE”) Program Director Judy Nemzoff reminded the committee that the figures in question were in regards to individual visual, literary and media artists, not organizations.

   Commissioner Ordeñana asked how artists define their neighborhoods: in terms of where they reside or where their work takes place.

   Ms. Lin stated that these figures were based upon residence. She commented that a lot of creative activity takes place where certain venues are located, where artists have a platform for their work, and this is not necessarily in the neighborhood they live in.

   Commissioner Collins stated that he felt this brought up an interesting point as the San Francisco Arts Commission (“SFAC”) looks into the future. He stated that the Excelsior and Visitacion Valley are important, culturally rich arenas that perhaps merit more outreach in the future. He then asked if there was an artist installation or project happening there.

   Mr. DeCaigny responded that a community project, sponsored by the Excelsior Action Group, had just been passed there by.

   Commissioner Calloway said he thought it was a fascinating location, i.e. Excelsior on the border of Daly City. He cited that here, at the very top of the Outer Mission, interesting things were happening as the area enjoys a vigorous vitality, and it would be nice to see the SFAC’s presence there.

   Commissioner Collins echoed this sentiment, citing the strong Filipino community and vibrant, exciting atmosphere.

   Ms. Lin reminded the committee that many factors are involved in how an applicant applies in their district. She stated that this was only a one-year sample. However, she added that it gives the commission a better understanding of movement and the ability to track where artists are coming and going.

   Mr. DeCaigny voiced two suggestions. First, to engage district Supervisors to assist in putting out calls for applicants, specifically regarding the artists in their district. Second, to identify and utilize pre-established mechanisms that are already disseminating information throughout the district or neighborhood.

   Commissioner Collins agreed with Mr. DeCaigny, and suggested looking at cultural centers and other artistic infrastructures that ground artists. Commissioner Collins used the example of the highly successful (in grantees) District 5, which enjoys the African and African American Cultural Center, among others, which combine to produce a synergy in their community. The Excelsior is conspicuously absent of community centers in this way. He stated that community centers are grounding, and this might be worth having on record.

   Commissioner Calloway said it was good to bring up because it can be a gauge of how well the commission is serving San Francisco. He mentioned the artistic pursuits happening down there, such as the McLaren park trail, which he said the commission should profile as much as possible.

   Ms. Lin mentioned that the committee should take care to distinguish between neighborhood activity initiated by residential artists versus visiting artists or art projects.

   Ms. Nemzoff responded that much of this information is captured in the annual report.

   Commissioner Melania called for public comment. No public comment was made.

   Commissioner Melania moved to sever the recommended applicant Rudy Lemcke due to conflict of interest with Commissioner Ordeñana and gave the following motion:

   Motion to approve recommendations to award 34 grants totaling $300,460 in the 2012-2013 cycle of Individual Artist Commissions to the following individuals, and to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into grant agreements with each individual for the amounts listed:

   Ali Liebegott, $8,000
   Alice Rogoff, $4,000
   Alison Pebworth, $9,000
   Allison Leigh Holt, $9,000
   Amy M. Ho, $10,000
   Charlie Varon, $8,000
   Chelsea Rae Klein, $9,000
   Christopher Sollars, $10,000
   Chun Yu, $9,000
   D’Arcy Drollinger, $9,000
   Dan Lau, $9,000
   Dawn Logsdon, $10,000
   Evie Leder, $9,000
   Ingrid Rojas Contreras, $9,000
   Jack Walsh, $9,000
   Jen Cohen, $9,000
   Jenny Odell, $9,000
   Jeremiah Barber, $9,000
   Jerome Reyes, $9,000
   Kevin Simmonds, $10,000
   Lyzette Wanzer, $9,000
   Madeleine Lim, $8,000
   Michelle Tea, $9,000
   Najib Joe Hakim, $8,000
   Nataly Gattegno, $8,000
   Nomy Lamm, $9,000
   Paz de la Calzada, $7,460
   Pireeni Sundaralingam, $10,000
   Sanaz Mazinani, $10,000
   Sarah Christianson, $9,000
   Taraneh Hemami, $9,000
   Truong Tran, $9,000
   Valerie Soe, $9,000
   Wendy Farina, $9,000

   Commissioner Calloway seconded.

   No public comment was made. The motion was unanimously carried.

   Commissioner Ordeñana recused himself.

   Commissioner Collins gave the following motion:

   Motion to approve a recommendation to award one grant totaling $10,000 in the 2012-2013 cycle of Individual Artist Commissions to the following individual, and to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a grant agreement with the individual for the amount listed:

   Rudy Lemcke for $10,000

   Commissioner Stryker seconded.

   No public comment was made. The motion was unanimously carried.

   Explanatory Documents: Informational packet containing IAC applicant ranking, project descriptions, summary notes of the application evaluation, and bios of the grant review panelists; IAC February 2013 Presentation.
    

4. Community Arts and Education Program Director Report
   Ms. Nemzoff gave a brief overview of the larger initiatives that CAE was focused on. First, she explained that it has been a quiet year for the Arts Commission’s Central Market revitalization initiative, The ARTery Project. Ms. Nemzoff and Mr. DeCaigny went to an interagency meeting with all the City departments involved with Central Market revitalization, including the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (“OEWD”) and the Better Market Street project. Because of the negative street activity and lack of safety, it has been a challenging year for the City’s efforts.

   Mr. DeCaigny added that there was a new safety initiative—the Sixth Street Substation—which was scheduled to begin at the end of February. Community ambassadors with the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs also provide another set of eyes and ears on the street. He also mentioned that the mayor had recently hosted a Developers’ Breakfast to discuss what incentives could be provided to encourage arts development in the Central Market neighborhood. District Six Supervisor Jane Kim, representatives from OEWD, Rainin Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, and others attended. Both Rainin Foundation and San Francisco Foundation emphasized a need for all the support long-term investment in the arts ecosystem. The Arts Commission would continue to work with the Mayor’s office to support and sustain tenant arts organization in Central Market.

   Lastly, Mr. DeCaigny announced that the Arts Commission submitted an application for the National Endowment for the Arts’ (“NEA”) Our Town grant program. The Arts Commission asked for $200,000 to support the Better Market Street project with arts integration and input from artists and arts organization from the neighborhood, specifically at U.N. Plaza and the surrounding street area. If awarded, the matching dollars for the grant would come from the Arts Commission and OEWD. The lead nonprofit arts organizations included American Conservatory Theater (“A.C.T.”) and Intersection for the Arts, with stipends going to The Luggage Store, Bindlestiff Studio, and other Central Market organizations.

   Ms. Nemzoff said that she wanted it to be clear that the Arts Commission was not walking away from short-term initiatives. When The ARTery Project was originally envisioned, the Arts Commission anticipated a rich layering of street activation and arts activities. She explained that the Arts Commission could not have anticipated the increased negative street activity that has taken place. The hope of The ARTery Project was that other agencies would join forces to help reach the goal of the Central Market revitalization initiative to address safety issues on the street.

   Commissioner Calloway asked what the demarcation for Central Market revitalization was.
   Ms. Nemzoff said that for the purposes of the Arts Commission’s efforts, the boundary was Market Street between U.N. Plaza and Sixth Street. However, there would be plans to expand the footprint of The ARTery Project through Fifth Street.

   Commissioner Collins asked how far off Market Street, east and west, did The ARTery Project reach.

   Ms. Nemzoff said that there are two separate districts on either side of Market Street and three community benefit districts within the same stretch with different underlying social issues. For the purposes of The ARTery Project, when it was first conceived, the boundary has stretched one block on either side. Ms. Nemzoff said that as the Arts Commission moved forward, it would consider a larger footprint to allow for support of community projects led by arts organizations outside the original boundary of U.N. Plaza to Sixth Street.

   Commissioner Collins asked if there was a single point of contact or driver for the City’s Central Market revitalization efforts.

   Ms. Nemzoff said that Amy Cohen from OEWD has been leading business development and supporting arts activation.

   Mr. DeCaigny said that the mayor’s chief of staff, Steve Kawa, led the interagency work group that he referred to earlier. He said that during the meeting, Mr. Kawa was the driving entity that encouraged all City partners to step up and make sure the City was working together to improve the quality of life in Central Market.

   Commissioner Melania asked how the community ambassador program tied in with the initiative.

   Ms. Nemzoff said that the community ambassadors are local residents hired through San Francisco Department of Human Services’ JOBS NOW! Program and are trained in intervention. The ambassadors have a strong physical presence on the street, particularly in Bayview and Central Market. The community ambassadors are there to inform people and be eyes on the street, but they are not law enforcement. She said that the program has seen tremendous success and some of the community benefit districts like Civic Center have their own street presence as well.

   Ms. Nemzoff then gave a brief update on the reauthorization of the Public Education Enrichment Fund (“PEEF”) through the San Francisco Unified School District (“SFUSD”). She said that the PEEF supported sports, libraries, art and music, and would sunset in FY2014–2015. She explained that the PEEF is what allowed the implementation of the Arts Education Master Plan (“AEMP”).

   Ms. Nemzoff and Mr. DeCaigny met with the AEMP Advisory Committee last week, with invited guests SFUSD Superintendent Richard Carranza and Hydra Mendoza, education and youth advisor to the mayor. The meeting provided an update about reauthorizing Prop H or the PEEF. Ms. Nemzoff anticipated that the advisory committee or another representative would be ready to present the City and SFUSD strategy to the Community Arts, Education, and Grants (“CAEG”) committee at a future time. A joint City and SFUSD committee was working on the legislation language and would hold public meetings after a complete draft was finished to get community input.

   Commissioner Collins asked when the reauthorization would be put forth.

   Mr. DeCaigny reiterated that Prop H would sunset in FY2014–2015 and that they were looking at two important measures in relation to one another—PEEF and Children’s Fund.

   Commissioner Collins commented that Margaret Brodkin from New Day for Learning was a strong advocate for the Children’s Fund. He commented that he was involved with advocacy by way of YMCA, and that it was probably similar in terms of a coalition that would support the reauthorization of these two measures.

   Ms. Nemzoff stated that there were two important pieces of legislation and that it was critical that they both pass. She said it would be important advocacy for the community to galvanize behind.

   Commissioner Collins asked if there was any good data on the impact of the two funds.

   Mr. DeCaigny said there was a study about the PEEF on the whole. He said in terms of the Children’s Fund, he would have to speak with Maria Su from Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (“DCYF”).

   Commissioner Collins said the DCYF had wonderful data for the Children’s Fund and that it made him feel optimistic when that information was used. He wondered if it was the same for Prop H.

   Ms. Nemzoff said there was no specific data for the arts component of Prop H, but the SFUSD could certainly give data on the impact of the PEEF on quantifiable measures, such as the number of full time arts teachers that were hired.

   Mr. DeCaigny believed that the SFUSD would look into creating qualitative data for Prop H and the AEMP. He said that the AEMP identified a lack of arts professionals at the middle school level and he understood the Children’s Fund supported a lot of arts providers on a significant level.

   Commissioner Collins stated that there was a huge amount of evidence-based work that correlated with the funds and that they have supported positive youth development outcomes. He said that it was a powerful statement to make and that he hoped it would validate request on the other side.

   Ms. Nemzoff commented that one of the greatest galvanizing moments for SFUSD’s Visual and Performing Arts (“VAPA”) office was the annual youth arts festival. She mentioned that the SFUSD Arts Festival was coming up and on Wednesday, February 27, there would be a press conference at City Hall with Ms. Mendoza, Superintendent Carranza, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, and others.

   Commissioner Collins stated that it was important for other voices to be at the table and that there were other stakeholders out there.

   Mr. DeCaigny said they hoped to have a broad reach for input in the draft legislation with key stakeholders, but also input from the voters.

   Ms. Nemzoff moved on to give a brief update on CAE’s development in Bayview programming with funds from the Public Utilities Commission (“PUC”). She stated that the final plan would be reviewed and authorized by the PUC in late February. She said that programs would be launching in March, and that the committee would hear from some CAE staff members about initiatives that have already been authorized. She added that the programming would expand on work that CAE is already doing, with priority focus on District 10 and the Third Street corridor. She said that there was an opportunity to observe how the arts could impact economic and community development in a positive way.

   Commissioner Melania called for public comment. There was none made.
    

5. WritersCorps Report
   WritersCorps Program Manager Melissa Hung gave a brief update on the spring semester of the program. This semester, WritersCorps teaching artists are continuing work in eleven different in-school and after-school programs, including Oasis for Girls, San Francisco Main Library, Excelsior Library Branch, Hilltop School, Aptos Middle School, Sanchez Elementary, Mission High School, Downtown High School, International Studies Academy, Juvenile Justice Center, and the WritersCorps Apprentices, an after school program that meets in the Arts Commission office.

   With funding from the PUC, WritersCorps is expanding its reach to work in the Bayview with teaching artist Carrie Leilam Love. In the past, WritersCorps had teaching sites in the Bayview, but had to pull back because of a loss of funding. Teaching artist Carrie Leilam Love has taught with the program for three years, which is the standard length of service for a teaching artist in the WritersCorps model. However, because the work in Bayview was a pilot program, WritersCorps wanted to work with Ms. Love because she already has experience with the program. Ms. Love developed curriculum for an eight-week program to adapt to the school semester. She will be based in Bayview sites: College Track SF, Bayview YMCA, and 3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic. Ms. Hung told the committee that applications for the workshop were open for youth participants. She announced that WritersCorps would pay youth a $150 stipend or greater for their participation in the Bayview sites.

   Commissioner Collins asked about the structure of the program and how it differentiated from StoryCorps.

   Ms. Hung said that they would ask youth to share their own stories about a particular place in Bayview that has an impact on their lives. While StoryCorps brought people in to record their story, this was an eight-week course were students would meet twice a week. It would be about 42 hours of commitment.

   Commissioner Collins said that StoryCorps has something similar called the StoryCorps University, which was a 29-week course. He thought the WritersCorps model was a wonderful launch pad for the new sites.

   Ms. Hung said the eight weeks aligns with the rest of the school year and that Ms. Love would continue a longer residency in the next school year.

   Ms. Nemzoff added that the intent was to work deeply in the Bayview and return to the same sites and build partnerships.

   Commissioner Collins asked if he needed to recuse himself and if the programming required approval from the committee.

   Ms. Nemzoff clarified that there was nothing that needed to be approved; she just wanted to keep the commissioners informed about CAE’s broad range of involvement in the community.

   Commissioner Collins asked if there were baseline metrics going in and if there was a post program assessment.

   Ms. Hung said that the program does pre- and posts, as well as surveys with students, teachers, and the sites.

   Commissioner Melania commented that she thought it was wonderful news and a great way to expand the program. She said she would like to hear about the launch of the Bayview programming and evaluations following the program every year.

   Ms. Nemzoff said she would look forward to the opportunity to do a formal presentation of all the PUC programming in Bayview at an upcoming committee meeting.

   Commissioner Collins commented that just a few years ago, the new sites would not have been able to host such a program. He was thankful that the Commission and staff could help bolster the three Bayview organizations.

   Ms. Nemzoff said that it is the staff’s priority to support existing work in the neighborhood and to listen to what the community wants and needs; not just drop new programs into the neighborhood without community input. She said that once the staff receives final approval from the PUC, the committee will see how CAE was capitalizing on the already existing arts programs.

   Turning back to the WritersCorps update, Ms. Hung stated that all the sites have started production on their publication projects. She added that spring season was event season for WritersCorps, and that there would be an event for the next three months, starting on March 7 with a reading at the Contemporary Jewish Museum (“CJM”) with Tamim Ansary that is free and open to the public. Ms. Hung said that this is the one, formal annual reading that WritersCorps hosts with a featured writer, the teaching artists, and about eight youth participants.

   Commissioner Collins asked if Ms. Hung knew which students were participating yet.

   Ms. Hung said that it was still to be confirmed, but the intent is to get a least one student from each site.

   Commissioner Collins asked to see the lists of students once it was set.

   Commissioner Melania called for public comment. There was none made.
    

6. Arts Education Report
   Arts Education Program Manager Tyra Fennell updated the committee on progress of this year’s StreetSmARTS murals, which were focused on the Third Street corridor, in conjunction with support from the PUC. She said that there would be six to nine murals implemented this year on Third Street between Revere and La Salle streets. Ms. Fennell announced that she would like to program a mural art walk as a way to engage the community and activate the corridor.

   Ms. Nemzoff clarified that this was a sneak preview of programs to be approved by the PUC.

   Commissioner Collins asked if the art walk would coincide with the opening of the Bayview public library branch.

   Ms. Fennell said that the library opening was scheduled for February 23, 2013, and that she was still in the process of identifying property owners who could participate in StreetSmARTS.

   Commissioner Calloway mentioned that there was a group called the Bayview Alliance that meets on a monthly basis who convene to strategize around spreading the spirit and importance of the Bayview community. He invited staff to come to the meeting in March to talk about upcoming Bayview programs.

   Ms. Nemzoff commented that part of the strategy of investment is that the staff would not do anything in isolation. When CAE works with a neighborhood, the vision is to find out how the staff can create partnerships to deepen the work that is already happening.

   Ms. Fennell said that the art walk is in a conceptual stage. In mid-March, both Ms. Fennell and Ms. Takayama would conduct an informational session for Bayview artists to see how they can become involved in the programming. She wants artists, arts organizations, and other key community stakeholders to attend the meeting.

   Commissioner Melania mentioned that Presidio Dance Theater used to have teaching artists at Bret Harte Elementary School before the program lost funding. She thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for those teaching artists to return to Bayview.

   Ms. Nemzoff told the committee that the Third Street corridor was one of the priority corridors in the Invest in Neighborhoods initiative through OEWD and the staff hoped to partner with them to leverage and coordinate activities.

   Mr. DeCaigny said that there would be a dedication ceremony for Public Art at the Bayview public library on Saturday, February 23.

   Ms. Nemzoff said she looked forward to presenting the commissioners with a more comprehensive look at all the PUC initiatives in Bayview once they have been authorized.

   Commissioner Melania called for public comment.

   Public Comment:
   Barbara Ockel, executive director of the Bayview Opera House (“BVOH”) Ruth Williams Memorial Theater, mentioned that BVOH would take part in the library opening; there would be a music and dance procession starting at BVOH and going toward the library.
    

7. Cultural Centers Report
   1. Summary of Mid-Year Reports: Program Manager Robynn Takayama gave an overview of the Cultural Centers’ midyear reports that were due at the end of January. She explained that rather than having all the Cultural Center directors present in one meeting, there would be a presentation by one of the Center directors each month through July.

      Ms. Takayama moved on to her report. In terms of timeliness and completeness, she explained that all the Cultural Centers had turned in their reports on time, with the exception of Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (“MCCLA”), who turned in an incomplete draft. She stated that the corrected draft was turned in the following day. Some documents were missing in the midyear reports; African American Art and Culture Complex (“AAACC”) did not include their community support board meeting minutes; BVOH did not include all the pages of the report because something happened with the PDF conversion; MCCLA did not submit the complete Profit and Loss statement; and Queer Cultural Center (“QCC”) submitted their budget instead of their Profit and Loss statement.

      Ms. Takayama said the Cultural Centers seemed to benefit from technical assistance with Marie Beichart who helped the Centers clearly outline the organizations’ goals and objectives. She commented that some the Cultural Centers would benefit from continuing work with Ms. Beichart to provide greater detail and a stronger sense of what the organization had accomplished through their reporting. Ms. Takayama said that some Centers have already met some of their programmatic objectives, while others articulated that their objectives would take place in the second half of the year. She said there was a need for continued education around the broadcast measurement in the California Cultural Data Project (“CDP”), as some Centers incorrectly counted radio or TV press appearances as online/radio/TV programs.

      Ms. Takayama stated that a number of the Management and Programming Plans (“MPP”) mentioned professional development, but there were only a few solid examples of this being implemented in the midyear report. To respond, Ms. Takayama has been forwarding workshops that might serve the Center staff in professional development such as QCC’s social media workshop for artists. Ms. Takayama also outlined the status of the Centers’ individual giving and board giving, though board giving could not be measured by the percentage of participation but rather a dollar amount.

      Commissioner Collins said that it would be helpful to have a campaign structure for the Cultural Centers so that they were not individually reinventing the wheel.

      Ms. Takayama stated that the Cultural Centers went through fund development training two years ago, but that it was a good idea for the Centers to go through a refresher.

      In terms of staff changes, Ms. Takayama announced that Francee Covington had taken over as interim executive director at AAACC. The permanent executive director would be announced in March. SOMArts Cultural Center Executive Director Lex Leifheit was on maternity leave and the staff had absorbed responsibilities in her absence. QCC were rethinking staff and board structure; Kevin Seaman was hired as general manager and Sarah Guerra as production manager, which was a first step in succession planning. At MCCLA, the gallery position was no longer a curator, but a person who would facilitate guest curators; the events coordinator position would be absorbed into two existing staff positions.

      Commissioner Melania called for public comment. There was none made.
       

   2. Presentation by Bayview Opera House Executive Director Barbara Ockel on programming highlights, organizational capacity, and the status of their fundraising: Ms. Takayama gave an overview of BVOH’s midyear report, explaining that the organization gave great details on the status of their goals and objectives. In terms of board development, the organization had interviewed two consultant candidates and two new board members had joined. For the Dare to Dream youth arts program, the program’s participation had doubled during the summer and children from George Washington Carver and Charles Drew elementary schools returned to regular classes at BVOH. She reminded the committee that BVOH provided services at the school sites because of safety concerns after the shooting in the plaza in 2011. The organization responded to feedback from the community about its programming and responded with programming for Kwanzaa, the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and Black History Month.

      Ms. Takayama noted a concern that the executive director was still being paid as an independent contractor.

      Ms. Ockel then presented the committee with BVOH’s midyear successes in programming and fund development. Event attendance has been great this year; halfway through the year the organization has almost met the same attendance number as the whole of FY2011-2012. As Ms. Takayama mentioned, youth participation in the summer Dare to Dream program doubled. Ms. Ockel reported that the number of events and earned income was expected to go up by the close of the fiscal year. The organization’s support had increased with new funders, including a $170,500 grant from OEWD.

      Commissioner Collins asked about the grant.

      Ms. Ockel said the grant was supporting space activation and economic development and that the strategy was to use arts events to bring positive activity to the neighborhood. She said that in terms of vulnerability, the discontinuation of the grant had been on her mind, but she did not expect to let up on other fundraising efforts. Through the OEWD grant, the BVOH had been able to put on family-friendly events in Mendell Plaza. The organization wanted to build on youth-oriented performances on the plaza, and to increase the quality of events.

      Ms. Ockel then went through a list of events the BVOH held, including: Snow Day, where youth as far as the Haight came out to play in five tons of snow; the Black History Month exhibition curated by Bill Doggett that received coverage by the San Francisco Chronicle; and Bayview Connect, which was a new social event and way of soliciting input from the community. At Bayview Connect, the BVOH would conduct surveys to find out what the community wanted to see at the Opera House. Ms. Ockel said the event had been successful in attracting new residents and organizations, but that the BVOH would also like to reach out to schools and public housing.

      Commissioner Melania commented that it was exciting to see the variety of programs happening at the Opera House. She said the progress Ms. Ockel made from when she first became executive director to the present was tremendous.

      Commissioner Stryker added that when the new plaza would get built, the quality of programming would leap even higher. She noted that she was also very impressed.

      Commissioner Melania asked for an update on the plaza renovation.

      Ms. Nemzoff said the final design was not yet complete. The design and project team would have the opportunity to present at the committee, as well as the Civic Design Review committee. Currently, the design was for a multi-use stage, but it was not yet finalized.

      Commissioner Collins commented that the objective facts of the Opera House were very different from where they were two years ago. He said it showed what good leadership and cooperation could produce.

      Ms. Nemzoff added that if the commissioners would like to see the detailed midyear report, the staff would be happy to send it out. She then commended Ms. Ockel for the high number of teaching artists employed at the Opera House, which was not mentioned in the presentation.

      Mr. DeCaigny asked Ms. Ockel to speak more about board development. He asked for the current number of board members and ideal size.

      Ms. Ockel said that the organization started the year with six board members and added two more thus far. One person was a former board member who returned. The other board member was a business owner in the Bayview and helped out with Mendell Plaza Presents events last spring. She said that in the MPP, a goal was to add one more board member by the end of the fiscal year. The board would plan a board development retreat before the end of the fiscal year, as well as more board training during meetings. She added that a board analysis had taken place, but the board was not yet at a point of recruiting board members with the skillset that was missing on the current composition.

      Mr. DeCaigny asked if the Cultural Center grant agreement requires that the board engage in an annual performance review of the executive director.

      Ms. Takayama said that the grant agreement did not require it.

      Mr. DeCaigny proposed that the Commission require this to encourage and support leadership. He suggested that a summary of the executive director performance review be included in the annual reports.

      Ms. Takayama said conducting an annual review of the executive director was part of the City-wide compliance checklist. However, the specifics of the review are not submitted to the funder.

      Mr. DeCaigny said that if a summary of the performance review in terms of goals were shared with the Commission for all Cultural Centers, it would help the Commission to revisit that in terms of leadership.

      Commissioner Melania called for public comment.

      Public Comment:
      Antoinette Mobley, friend of the BVOH and Bayview resident, commended Ms. Ockel and BVOH for the work they have been doing in the community. She said that a few years ago, the community felt that they could not get into the Opera House. She said that now the Opera House was like a home and the community felt that was more accessible. She encouraged people to check out the Opera House and be a part of what was happening there.

      Ms. Fennell said that she had always wanted to see a place like Yoshi’s in the Bayview. When she went to the Opera House recently, she thought it was like Yoshi’s and one of the best Black History month events she had been to. The event she went to was packed. Ms. Fennell thanked Ms. Ockel for the work she was doing.

      Ms. Mobley added that the BVOH provided so much for the community. She would like to see better promotion of what was going on there because people were really missing out. She said she knew that the community needed positive partnerships, and that people should do whatever they can to promote positive activities happening in the Bayview neighborhood.

      There was no further public comment.

      Explanatory Document: Bayview Opera House Presentation for CAEG Committee

    

8. Public Comment
   There was no public comment.
    
9. Old Business
   There was no old business
    
10. New Business and Announcements
    There was no new business or announcements.
     
11. Adjournment
    There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:31 p.m.

CF 2/27/13 – draft minutes
CF 3/4/13 - minutes adopted
________________________________________
Translated written materials and interpretation services are available to you at no cost. For assistance, please notify Program Associate Cristal Fiel, 415-252-3145, cristal.fiel@sfgov.org.

我們將為閣下提供免費的書面翻譯資料和口譯服務。如需協助，Program Associate Cristal Fiel, 415-252-3145, cristal.fiel@sfgov.org. 

Materiales traducidos y servicios de interpretación están disponibles para usted de manera gratuita. Para asistencia, notifique a Program Associate Cristal Fiel, 415-252-3145, cristal.fiel@sfgov.org.