MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
OF THE ARTS COMMISSION

Monday, March 30, 2015
12:30 p.m.
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 70

Minutes
 

President JD Beltran called the meeting to order at 12:40 p.m.

1. Roll Call
   Commissioners Present
   JD Beltran, President
   Abby Sadin Schnair, Vice President
   Simon Frankel
   Roberto Ordeñana
    
   Commissioners Absent
   Paul Woolford
    
2. Public Comment
   There was no public comment.
    
3. Director’s Report
   Mr. DeCaigny thanked President Beltran for her recent appointment of Commissioner Paul Woolford to this Committee.
    
   He reported on the status of the Mexican Museum, whose 99-year lease was recently unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors. He explained that while the Arts Commission has been involved in negotiating the lease with the Department of Real Estate, the Department of Real Estate will act as the landlord. He added that the building design team will make an informational presentation to the Civic Design Review Committee; staff is researching whether the project requires full review by the Committee. The developer, Millennium Partners, is expected to break ground in July, 2015.
    
   Mr. DeCaigny announced the first annual grantee meeting on April 2.
    
   He also reported that the Mayor’s office is currently reviewing all departments’ budget requests in preparation for submission of a Citywide budget to the Board of Supervisors on June 1, and he described the Board’s hearing schedule and process.
    
   There was no public comment.
    
4. Calle 24 Latino Cultural District Grant
   After President Beltran presented the motion, Mr. DeCaigny explained that Supervisor Campos and Mayor Lee had led legislation designating 24th Street between Mission and Potrero as the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District, and this motion was intended to award dedicated funds to restore murals in the district. Mr. DeCaigny briefly described the staff review process, noting that Precita Eyes is a well-established community organization.
    
   The Committee discussed the motion. There was no public comment, and the motion was unanimously approved as follows.
    
   Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a grant agreement with Precita Eyes Muralists Association, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $100,000 for the restoration of murals and the creation of Peace Flags along the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District in District 9.
    
5. Excelsior Art Walks Grant
   Mr. DeCaigny explained that this motion was intended to award dedicated funds allocated by the Board of Supervisors for each district. This project was championed by Supervisor Avalos, and Mr. DeCaigny was pleased with the Board’s recognition of the arts as a resource for the City. He added that Arts Commission staff is developing a new process to streamline the RFP process for addbacks, participatory budget and other special funds allocated to the Arts Commission.
    
   The Committee discussed the motion and the exciting happenings in the neighborhood. There was no public comment, and the motion was unanimously approved as follows.
    
   Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a grant agreement with Youth Art Exchange in an amount not to exceed $17,500 for the expansion of three art walks in the Excelsior neighborhood in District 11. 

    
6. Strategic Plan Update
   Noting that Deputy Director Rebekah Krell was listening in by speakerphone, though she was on vacation, Mr. DeCaigny acknowledged her extensive work on the strategic plan update and with ACLS Fellow Dr. Anh Thang Dao-Shah. He introduced Dr. Dao-Shah, who presented the logic model and performance measures she has developed in response to the strategic plan and the the Controller’s office requirements for performance measures. She reviewed the draft logic model and performance measures documents in detail, explaining how she developed them and how they were related to the strategic plan and its elements.
    
   Mr. DeCaigny praised Dr. Dao-Shah’s work, explaining how it addressed the goals and objectives of the strategic plan, how it addressed the requirements of the Controller’s office, and its role in telling the story of the Arts Commission in both quantitative and qualitative data. He asked the Committee for their ideas.
    
   The Committee discussed the logic model and performance measures in great detail, reviewing the activities, outputs, outcomes and measures, and suggesting possible revisions and clarifications.
    
   The Committee praised staff for their work, finding it really useful. They requested that Mr. DeCaigny give a high-level summary to the full Commission at its next meeting.
    
   Mr. DeCaigny then presented the strategic report year-one update, noting that it had been a really productive year and staff made very good progress. He reviewed the report item by item, and discussed accomplishments in each area. He explained that as staff were reviewing the plan for this update, a few key gaps or omissions in the plan became clear, primarily related to the planning process’s focus on areas of improvement more than on the agency’s ongoing work.
    
   The Committee discussed the report in great detail, highlighting several accomplishments and pointing out initiatives and activities which were not included, or not explicit, in the report. They discussed the many ways in which the Commission’s work employs and supports artists, both directly and indirectly, and discussed how that impact might be better captured in the data collection process. Mr. DeCaigny agreed to meet with Commission leadership to draft a few additional objectives.
    
   Commissioner Ordeñana left the meeting at 1:56 p.m.
    
   The Committee continued its discussion, pointing out a few projects not named in the report. Mr. DeCaigny discussed the direction in the strategic plan that the agency should shift away from being a provider of direct services to being a convenor, grantmaker and capacity-builder, and the Committee discussed potential changes in WritersCorps and the Galleries in light of this direction. The Committee also discussed the website and ongoing efforts on affordability.
    
   The Committee congratulated staff on their work on this update.
    
   There was no public comment.
    
7. New Business and Announcements
   President Beltran reiterated her thanks to Dr. Dao-Shah. Mr. DeCaigny announced that the agency was submitting a proposal to present her work to a national audience at the Grantmakers in the Arts conference.
    
   There was no further new business or announcements, and no public comment.
    
8. Adjournment
   There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:29 p.m.

posted 4/9/15 5:00 p.m. spr
approved 5/4/15
 

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.