Executive Committee - November 7, 2011 - Meeting Minutes

SAN FRANCISCO ARTS COMMISSION
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Monday, November 7, 2011
3:00 p.m.
City Hall, Room 416
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place

Draft Minutes
 

Commission President P.J. Johnston called the meeting to order at 3:17 p.m.

1. Roll Call
   Commissioners Present
   P.J. Johnston, President
   John Calloway
   Greg Chew
   Leo Chow
   Lorraine García-Nakata
   Dorka Keehn
   Sherene Melania
   Kimberlee Stryker
   Sherri Young
    
   Commissioners Absent
   None
    
2. President’s Report
   President Johnston thanked the Executive Committee members and the other Commissioners present for their work in reaching the important decisions on the matters on this agenda.
    
   There was no public comment.
    
3. Interim Director’s Report
   Ms. Beltran reported that the agency’s comments in response to the Controller’s review had been submitted, and that Arts Commission staff has been meeting frequently with Controller’s staff, moving forward with best financial and management practices.
    
   She reported that the Board of Supervisors had unanimously approved the amendment to Section 429 of the Planning Code, establishing a public art trust to be overseen by the Arts Commission, and extending the area in which private development projects are required to contribute a percent-for-art. She also reported on efforts to develop a public-private partnership to activate the mid-Market area with art.
    
   Finally, she thanked the Committee for the opportunity to serve as Interim Director, calling it a great honor. President Johnston thanked her for her service, to general applause.
    
   There was no public comment.
    
4. Grammy Awards
   President Johnston explained that he and Ms. Beltran had signed a letter in support of the motion below. He noted that the Board of Supervisors was considering a similar resolution. He read the motion and encouraaged the Committee to approve it.
    
   Commissioner Calloway explained that in April, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (“NARAS”) announced its decision to consolidate and eliminate some categories from the Grammy awards, including Latin jazz, without due process. He reported that member musicians had met with the NARAS leadership several times to try to change their minds, without success. He reported that a number of Grammy-nominated and Grammy-winning artists, including Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock and others, were planning a national boycott of the awards telecast in protest. He urged approval of the resolution presented.
    
   Commissioners discussed the motion and the decisionmaking process of NARAS.
    
   Public Comment:
   Sandy Cressman, performing artist and educator, and past NARAS governor, spoke in favor of the motion, explaining that NARAS is a peer member organization, and that a Grammy nomination can make a huge difference in the ability of a non-commercial artist to get grants, concerts and academic or conservatory teaching positions. She argued that the NARAS action violated the California Corporations Code.
    
   Stephanie Dalton, musician and director of Urban Music Presents, spoke in favor of the motion, arguing that the categories eliminated were those representing opposition to mainstream pop culture. She added that the decision was made without outreach to members, and colleagues, fans and supporters were outraged.
    
   A musician spoke in favor of the motion, explaining that he was a member of Cal Tjader’s band when they won a Grammy in 1981. He later formed his own band, whose records were twice nominated. He said that a Grammy nomination was immensely helpful to an artist’s career, translating into publicity and gigs. He added that as a 501 corporation, NARAS was required by law to be transparent, and they had stonewalled since making this decision. He added that gospel, zydeco and the other eliminated categories were lesser-known but very influential categories involving black, brown, red and marginal white people. He quoted Frank Sinatra’s Grammy speech that it’s not about money, it’s about music.
    
   Clay Leander submitted a letter from Carlos Santana in support of the motion. He explained that he works in nonprofit radio broadcasting, and Latin jazz is a significant part of the programming. He said that NARAS, as a mutual benefit association, was subject to the California Corporations Code and required transparency, operating on a level playing field. He said that after many years, Mr. Santana and John Santos had worked to establish the Latin jazz category, and now a small unnamed group was eliminating it. He added that musicians in both New York and California were pursuing legal action against NARAS.
    
   There was no further public comment.
    
    
   Commissioners pointed out that the National Endowment for the Arts has a program called Support America’s Treasures, which promotes these same traditional American forms, and that this was not a request for a specific amount of time in the Grammy broadcast for the excluded categories. President Johnston thanked the speakers and invited them to address the full Commission at its next meeting.
    
   The motion was unanimously approved as follows.
    
   Motion to approve resolution supporting reinstatement of Latin Jazz and other categories to the Grammy Awards, as follows.
    
   This resolution to reinstate the 31 categories of music that were dropped by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (“NARAS”) for GRAMMY consideration on April 6, 2011 supports the music genres that are truly reflective of the contemporary musical landscape and cultural diversity of the United States.
    
   WHEREAS, the City and County of San Francisco, which maintains a proud tradition as a hub of cultural and musical diversity, is home and host to valuable contributors of the American musical lexicon, including numerous GRAMMY®-nominated and -winning composers, artists and professionals; and
    
   WHEREAS, NARAS, an influential nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization, is based in California and home to 30% of its 20,000+ members, and includes a San Francisco Chapter; and
    
   WHEREAS, the decision to drop the 31 categories from GRAMMY consideration was done by secret committee without consulting the voting membership of NARAS and without local chapters’ Board of Governors’ knowledge; and
    
   WHEREAS, the eliminated categories include Latin Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Hawaiian, Cajun, Zydeco, Native American, Tejano, Classical Crossover, Instrumental Rock, along with significant reductions in awards given to the categories of Gospel, Blues and R&B; and
    
   WHEREAS, protests and meetings have occurred in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Hawaii, Chicago, New Orleans, and other national locations to resolve this severe and extremely insensitive blow to cultural expression and recognition in our country; and
    
   WHEREAS respected GRAMMY-winning and -nominated artists, including Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, John Santos, John Calloway, Eddie Palmieri, Wayne Wallace, Bobby Sanabria and many others have joined NARAS members, colleagues, and past Chapter governors in writing letters and signing a petition with 5,000 cosigners urging NARAS to reverse their secret decision and reinstate the GRAMMY categories; and
    
   WHEREAS, national and international media coverage (KTVU, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, Reuters, BBC, Wall Street Journal, etc.) has been given to the outcry against this unjust and harmful decision in over 1,200 national and international stories published and syndicated in print, broadcast, and digital formats; and
    
   WHEREAS, NARAS has a responsibility to their voting membership to ensure that ethical decision practices are maintained because the GRAMMY is considered to be the highest award achievable for music excellence in the Unites States and therefore should strive to include genres and categories of particular creative and foundational significance; and
    
   WHEREAS, the thousands of affected musicians, engineers, manufacturers, composers, arrangers, graphic artists, publicists, distributors, and other industry professionals who work in the eliminated categories will suffer economically from not being able to participate in the GRAMMY awards; and
    
   WHEREAS, thousands of California consumers and patrons of these important musical traditions have also been negatively affected and disrespected by this ill-advised decision; and
    
   WHEREAS, the NARAS leadership has acknowledged that a “mistake” was made indicates that these genres should never have been eliminated in the first place;
    
   NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved that the San Francisco Arts Commission urges the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to immediately reinstate the eliminated categories in order to restore integrity and diversity to the GRAMMY Awards and fulfill the organization’s responsibilities to its membership and as a nonprofit organization representing the interests of diverse musicians and recording professionals; and be it
    
   FURTHER RESOLVED, that the San Francisco Arts Commission directs its administrative staff to send copies of this resolution to NARAS National Board Chair George Flanigen, Board Secretary Glenn Lorbecki, and President Neil Portnow.
    
5. Public Employee Appointment/Hiring: Director of Cultural Affairs of the San Francisco Arts Commission
   President Johnston explained that the Government Code allowed for this matter to be discussed in closed session. He called for public comment on holding the closed session.
    
   
   1. Public Comment
      There was no public comment, and the Commission went into closed session to consider and interview candidates for the position of Director of Cultural Affairs.
       
   2. Vote on Whether to Hold Closed Session to Consider and Interview Candidates for the Position of Director of Cultural Affairs (San Francisco Administrative Code Section 67.10(b))
      The Committee voted unanimously to hold a closed session for the above purpose. The closed session commenced at 3:55 p.m.
       
   3. Closed Session Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957 and San Francisco Administrative Code Section 67.10(b)
      The closed session included Commission President P.J. Johnston, Commissioners John Calloway, Gregory Chew, Leo Chow, Lorraine García-Nakata, Dorka Keehn, Sherene Melania, Kimberlee Stryker and Sherri Young, and Department of Human Resources representative Laura Dancer Huge.
       
   4. Reconvene in Open Session
      1. Report on Action Taken in Closed Session (Government Code Section 54957 and San Francisco Administrative Code Section 67.12(b)(4)).
         The Commission reconvened in open session at 4:28 p.m. and President Johnston made no report.
          
      2. Vote to Elect Whether to Disclose Any or All Discussions Held in Closed Session (San Francisco Administrative Code Section 67.12(a))
         The Commission voted unanimously not to disclose any of its discussions.
          
6. Public Comment
   There was no further public comment.
    
7. Old Business
   There was no old business.
    
8. New Business
   There was no new business.
    
9. Adjournment
   There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

posted 12/1/14 spr

Language Accessibility

Translated written materials and interpretation services are available to you at no cost. For assistance, please notify Commission Secretary Sharon Page Ritchie, 415-252-2591, sharon.page_ritchie@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，Commission Secretary Sharon Page Ritchie, 415-252-2591, sharon.page_ritchie@sfgov.org.

Materiales traducidos y servicios de interpretación están disponibles para usted de manera gratuita. Para asistencia, notifique a Commission Secretary Sharon Page Ritchie, 415-252-2591, sharon.page_ritchie@sfgov.org.