MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
OF THE ARTS COMMISSION

Monday, January 25, 2016
12:30 p.m.
401 Van Ness Avenue, Room 125

Minutes
 

President Beltran called the meeting to order at 12:36 p.m.

1. Roll Call
   Commissioners Present 
   JD Beltran, President
   Roberto Ordeñana, Vice President
   Simon Frankel
   Abby Sadin Schnair
    
   Commissioners Absent 
   Paul Woolford
    
2. Public Comment
   There was no public comment.
    
3. Director’s Report
   Mr. DeCaigny thanked everyone for their participation in the opening celebration at the Arts Commission Galleries’ new space at 401 Van Ness. He reported that the event drew close to 2,000 people, including most of the Arts Commissioners. He encouraged everyone to visit the gallery during its regular hours, Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
    
   Mr. DeCaigny reported that staff was completing review panels for all of the grants for the year, and would bring the entire Fiscal Year 2016 recommendations to the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee in February, and to the full Commission in March. He explained that this change would allow the Committee, the Commission and the public to look at everything together and in relationship.
    
   Mr. DeCaigny announced that San Francisco would be hosting the Americans for the Arts Conference in June 2017; President Beltran quipped that this was the arts version of the Super Bowl.
    
   There was no public comment.
    
4. Temporary Display of Intrude Sculpture Installation in Civic Center Plaza, April 1-21, 2016
   Director of Special Projects and Public Art Trust Jill Manton explained that she had been asked to research a possible exhibit in the Civic Center to correspond with the Swinging Skirts golf tournament, and she was proposing a temporary installation of Intrude, a group of very large-scale illuminated inflatable rabbits in various postures. She read the artist’s statement, including information about the environmental concerns, and the issues of invasive species brought by colonialism, addressed by the artist.
    
   The Committee discussed the artwork, and the timing of the display and whether it would correspond with Art Night as well as Swinging Skirts. The Committee and staff emphatically agreed with the artist that they did not want to associate the display with Easter or with Passover, or to endorse or appear to endorse any holidays. The Committee directed staff to adjust the timing of the exhibit accordingly. They also discussed the financial arrangements for hosting the artwork. Vice President Ordeñana noted that the artist’s management firm, MGM, is a contributor to his employer, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center, but because the instrument recommended by the City Attorney’s office is a loan between the artist and the City, there is no conflict of interest for him.
   
   There was no public comment. The motion was amended to address the timing question, and was approved unanimously as follows.
    
   Motion to approve the temporary installation of the five sculptures that comprise the Intrude project by Amanda Parer for the tentative dates from April 1, 2016 through April 21, 2016, to be determined, pending site approval from the Recreation and Park Department, and to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a loan agreement of up to $50,000 for the project.
    
5. WritersCorps Strategic Plan Alignment
   Mr. DeCaigny discussed the reason for this motion, pointing out the tension of using private fundraising to support a public program, and the idea set out in the strategic plan that the Arts Commission should be a grantor and convenor, and not a provider of direct services. He praised the outstanding history of WritersCorps and explained that the current motion was aimed at continuing that tradition of excellence while bringing the program into alignment with the strategic plan's goals and focus on equity.
    
   He introduced Community Investments Program Director Judy Nemzoff and WritersCorps Program Training Coach Chrissy Anderson-Zavala to discuss the proposal.
    
   Ms. Nemzoff explained that the conversation about how best to continue the work of WritersCorps and bring it into alignment with the strategic plan has been going on for almost three years. She praised Ms. Anderson-Zavala’s work as incredibly helpful in evaluating alternatives and developing the present proposal, and she described Ms. Anderson-Zavala’s background and credentials, including her tenure as a WritersCorps teaching artist; she had also received Cultural Equity Grants funding as an individual artist.
    
   Ms. Anderson-Zavala briefly reviewed the history of the program, and presented her research, which included a literature review, meetings with a variety of stakeholders and City partners. She described two possible alternatives for continuing WritersCorps: a merger with an existing 501(c)(3) organization, or creation of an artist-in-residence grant. She reviewed the advantages and disadvantages of each option, and presented the recommendation for an artist-in-residence grant.
    
   The Committee discussed the proposal thoroughly, including funding sources, the timing of the implementation of the grant program, and the administrative and publishing work of the program.
    
   Public Comment:
    
   Several WritersCorps teaching artists made public comment, including Annie Rovzar, Maddy Clifford, Rick Kitagawa, Sandra Garcia Rivera and Minna Dubin. They discussed the importance of the training, mentoring and professional development component of the program for teaching artists, and the importance of a professional wage for them.
    
   There was no further public comment, and the motion was unanimously approved as follows.
    
   Motion to approve the transition of the WritersCorps direct service program to align with the goals of the 2014-2019 San Francisco Arts Commission Strategic Plan and become the WritersCorps teaching artist residency grant program. Honoring the core values of WritersCorps and Community Investment grant strategies, the grant must include support for livable wages for teaching artists, cohort learning, long-term in-depth teaching and a community-centered approach to learning for in-school and afterschool sites and libraries in San Francisco.
    
6. Arts Commission FY 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 Draft Budget
   Deputy Director and Chief Financial Officer Rebekah Krell reviewed the FY15-16 actual revenue and expenses, and the proposed budget for FY16-17 and FY17-18, by program, and the corresponding budget for capital and maintenance.
    
   The Committee discussed the budget thoroughly. There was no public comment, and the motion was unanimously approved as follows.
    
   Motion to approve proposed Fiscal Year 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 Arts Commission budget.
    
7. New Business and Announcements
   There was no new business or announcements, and no public comment.
    
8. Adjournment 
   There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:03 p.m.
    

posted 2/8/16 6:00 p.m. spr
approved 3/7/16

 

Language Accessibility

Translated written materials and interpretation services are available to you at no cost. For assistance, please notify Commission Secretary Sharon Page Ritchie, 415-252-2256, 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, 415-252-2256, 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, 415-252-2256, sharon.page_ritchie@sfgov.org.