HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 01 Joint Meeting with the Springfield Arts Commission AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 3/11/2013
Meeting Type:Work Session
Staff Contact/Dept.: Kristen Curé, Library
Staff Phone No: X2232
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
S P R I N G F I E L D
C I T Y C O U N C I L
Council Goals: Promote and Enhance
our Hometown Feel
while Focusing on
Livability and
Environmental Quality
ITEM TITLE: JOINT MEETING WITH THE SPRINGFIELD ARTS COMMISSION
ACTION
REQUESTED:
Meet with members of the Arts Commission concerning current and upcoming
projects and programs of mutual concern.
ISSUE
STATEMENT:
The Arts Commission will meet with the City Council to share information and
discuss common goals and issues of interest.
ATTACHMENTS: Attachment I: Arts Commission Charge
Attachment II: Arts Commission Projects and Programs
Attachment III: Arts Commission Membership Profiles
DISCUSSION/
FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
The proposed agenda:
1. Introductions 5 minutes
2. Commission Projects & Programs Update 15 minutes
a. Art Alley
b. Heritage Arts Grants
c. Youth Art outreach
d. Springfield Puppet Festival
e. City Hall Gallery
f. Second Friday Art Walk
3. Other business 10 minutes
Arts Commission
CHARGE
The Springfield Arts Commission was created by the City Council to promote the arts in
Springfield. The Commission gives assistance to local artists in the form of grant
sponsorship, networking, education, exhibits, and occasionally funding.
The Commission may co-sponsor art events and exhibits. It works closely with the Lane
Regional Arts Council and the Oregon Arts Commission.
Source of Existence: Council
Bylaws: Yes
Code: No
Sunset Date: Council
Membership
Number: Nine
In City: Majority
Out of City: Minimal
Terms (2 max): Four years
Ward: No
Qualifier: Area residents with a 97477, 97478 or 97482 zip code only
are eligible. They may reside outside the city limits, but
must have a qualifying zip code.
Appointed By: Council application
Meeting Time: Monthly; Second Monday - 6:30 p.m., Library Meeting Room
(Location subject to change)
Funding Source: General Fund and Room Tax
Staff Liaison: Kristen Curé, Librarian I, 726-2232
Council Liaison: Councilor Marilee Woodrow
Attachment I –Page 1
1 Attachment II
Springfield Arts Commission Projects and Programs
March 2013
History and Mission
The Springfield Arts Commission promotes the arts and culture of Springfield. The
commission provides opportunities for artistic creation, exhibits, performances and events,
and promotes cooperation among local organizations to make art accessible. The
commission seeks to educate the community about the role that the arts play in enhancing
the quality of community life. The Arts Commission accomplishes all this with an active,
nine‐member, citizen board, a budget of about $9000, and part‐time staff support.
The Springfield Arts Commission was established by City Council in 1986 at the end of
the Centennial Celebration. Council charged the commission with the job of creating Art
Alley and encouraging the community’s emerging arts groups.
Here is how the commission accomplishes the charge:
Art Alley
The Arts Commission created and maintains Art Alley, the collection of outdoor murals
and other public art in Springfield. Art Alley was the original reason the council created
the Arts Commission and Art Alley continues to be a source of local pride as well as a
draw to out‐of‐town visitors.
City Council conceived of Springfield’s Art Alley as a way to encourage property owners
to fix up their buildings and to improve the downtown landscape for pedestrians. Since
its inception, the Arts Commission has worked with the City Council to sponsor fifteen
painted murals, a sculpture and a ceramic tile mural.
In February 2011, the Arts Commission awarded $750 to the Emerald Art Center to go
toward roof repair costs to maintain the Oregon Trail Mural. These repairs were crucial
in maintaining the structural integrity of this important mural.
In 2012, the Arts Commission created a new logo to use on promotional materials. That
same year, the Arts Commission produced the brochure A Walk of Art, to showcase the
public art in the Art Alley. This brochure is a free resource available for anyone who
would like to take a self‐guided tour of public art in Springfield. The brochure is
distributed throughout Lane County.
2 Attachment II
Heritage Arts Grants
The Arts Commission allocates about $2000‐$4000 of its annual budget to help
Springfield organizations produce cultural exhibits and performances. The Heritage Arts
Grants go to Springfield groups with projects that are arts‐related and that will result in
a public display or performance. Over the past two years, the commission was able to
support thirteen community projects grants with awards ranging from $100 to $500.
Groups who have received assistance in 2011, 2012 and 2013: the Emerald Art Center
for Family Art Sundays, Full Access for the Sprout Film Festival, the Eugene Storefront
Art Project for a program at the Springfield Second Friday Art Walk, the Springfield
Museum for a film screening and discussion, the Identity Dance Company, the Past
Prime‐Time Players, Springfield Library Youth Services Department, Springfield Alliance
for Equality and Respect, the West Winds Flute Choir, Ricercar Early Music Group and
the Tune Travelers.
Youth Art Programs
In 2011 and 2012, the Arts Commission set up an opportunity for elementary schools to
work with students on an art project that was first on display within the schools, and
then sent to the City Hall Gallery. Both years, hundreds of students participated and
each student received a ribbon of participation. Selected pieces are featured on a
gallery poster, which was also sent to schools and classrooms. This youth arts show is a
successful collaboration with the school district.
In 2013, the Arts Commission collaboration with the school district will expand to
include high school students with the City Hall Gallery youth show featuring work from
students at the Academy of Arts and Academics. The Arts Commission will continue to
collaborate with elementary schools in 2013 by working with Two Rivers/Dos Rios
school to connect community artists with youth at the Second Friday Art Walk in May.
Also, starting in fiscal year 2013, the Arts Commission Liaison began attending
Springfield Public Schools’ Arts Matter Council as a representative of the Springfield Arts
Commission. The Arts Matter Council was formed to study best educational practices in
the arts and make recommendations to the district on how to implement community‐
supported arts education in Springfield. Council members include district staff,
educators and community members representing a variety of arts organizations.
For the past three years, the Arts Commission has partnered with the Library for two
programs geared toward teens: a teen book cover contest as well as a teen short story
contest. Both programs support young adults and the literary arts and the Arts
Commission will continue this fruitful collaboration in the future.
3 Attachment II
Springfield Puppet Festival
The Arts Commission, in collaboration with the Library’s Youth Services Department,
and with community sponsorship, produces the Springfield Library Puppet Festival every
year. This year marks the 20th Annual Puppet Festival. Each year, the festival attracts
over 1200 children and adults; both local and from out of town. The festival, unique in
the Northwest, features performances by first‐rate professional puppeteers as well as
hands‐on children’s workshops. The Puppet Festival is a delightful event and remains
free for the community.
The commission enjoys ushering for the full‐house crowds at the puppet shows that
have taken place at the Richard E. Wildish Theater for the past six years. Commissioners
also devote time to assist in the Celeste Rose five‐week workshops where children
write, direct and create the puppets for a performance.
City Hall Art Gallery
The Arts Commission operates the City Hall Gallery, which has showcased the work of
local artists since 1989. The City Hall Gallery provides a venue for artists to display their
work and exposes the public to the variety of work created by community artists.
Each year, the Arts Commission sends out a publicized community call‐to‐artists for
regular exhibits in the City Hall Gallery. In May 2011, the Arts Commission modified the
exhibit schedule from 6‐week shows to 4‐week shows, in order to accommodate a new
show in the gallery each month of the calendar year. Each year, the Arts Commission
continues to recruit and coordinate quality exhibits in the City Hall Gallery while
increasing the participation of local artists, emerging artists and community groups.
In addition to the individual artist shows, the Arts Commission coordinates yearly
community group shows in the gallery each year such as the Youth Art Show,
Community Art Show, and Mayor’s Art Show Awardees. In 2013, the youth art show will
engage a new demographic as the focus will shift from elementary school students to
high school students at the Academy of Arts and Academics.
In both 2012 and 2013, the Springfield Arts Commission expanded the community focus
of the gallery with two exhibits coordinated by the Community Alliance of Lane County
(CALC): Mixed Identities, Shared Communities and Neighbors Without Addresses. These
CALC exhibits use art as a medium to engage the community in respectful, open
dialogue that recognizes the rich diversity of heritage, joys and struggles experienced by
Lane County residents.
The newest community focused exhibit in 2013 will be the Grid Project which is a
photography exhibit that features images from each neighborhood in the
Eugene/Springfield area. This project has been five years in the making and will leave a
lasting visual document of the region.
4 Attachment II
Second Friday Art Walk
In 2011 the Arts Commission began promoting and participating in the Second Friday Art
Walks. The Commission continues to participate monthly with an exhibit, a reception,
refreshments, and live music each month at City Hall. This after‐hours event is a great
way to engage the community and promote local visual artists and musicians. In January
2013 the Commission funded reusable outdoor signs to advertise the Art Walk on Main
Street, making the Arts Commission a listed sponsor on publicity for the monthly event.
The Arts Commission hopes to explore more ways to collaborate with other community
groups to bring to the Art Walks meaningful activities that will engage a growing
number of residents. One way to diversify community participation at the City Hall Art
Walk receptions is to schedule at least one community‐minded art exhibit a year such as
those coordinated by the Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC) or the Grid Project.
Another is to collaborate with local groups or schools to connect artists with youth such
as at the upcoming expanded Art Walk to Two Rivers/Dos Rios in May.
The Arts Commission is a part of the Art Walk committee that includes members from
NEDCO, the Springfield Museum and downtown businesses.
Challenges and the Future
The Arts Commission will continue with its arts projects and programs, and facilitate the
creation of arts opportunities in Springfield. The Arts Commission will continue to
increase the variety of programs that we can fund through the Heritage Arts Grants and
is working on creating a separate grant cycle for community groups to apply for smaller,
one time funding. The Arts Commission strives to achieve the goal of using the arts to
help shape the revival of downtown Springfield and the celebration of art in the
community. The Commission is eager to continue the successful collaborative projects
such as the Springfield Puppet Festival, recruit a rich variety of local artists to exhibit in
the City Hall Gallery, promote and participate in the Second Friday Art Walks, and
support the creation of Youth Art projects for our community.
Attachment 3, Page 1 of 2
Springfield Arts Commission (SAC) Membership Profiles
March 2013
Dr. Gary LeClair: Dr. LeClair has been a member of the SAC since 2009. He is an amateur
photographer and art collector. He is currently on the Board of the Eugene Ballet. He has had a
lifelong interest in art. His other interests include dance from modern to classical ballet, as well
as music of all kinds from heavy metal to opera.
Sally LaMarche: Ms. LaMarche is an artist and Springfield resident. She has volunteered at the
Springfield Museum and is currently a member at Emerald Art Center. She has exhibited her
work at Emerald Arts as well as in the City Hall Gallery. As a member of the Arts Commission,
she assists with exhibits in the gallery and as host at receptions for the gallery.
Paul Roth: Mr. Roth was born and raised in Springfield and graduated from Thurston High
School. He is co-owner of Roaring Rapids Pizza Company in Springfield. His interest in the
Springfield Arts Commission arises from his participation as a lifelong musician, which started
while attending Briggs Junior High way back when. Currently, he plays trombone for the jazz
band Swing Shift, which is a resident company of the Wildish Community Theater.
Niles Schartz: Mr. Schartz is a long-time resident of Springfield and a self-employed interior
design and remodeling contractor. He is interested in work with the City Hall Gallery, a
supporter of Springfield’s 2nd Friday Downtown Artwalk and bringing art experiences to
Springfield-at-large.
Janet Smith: Ms. Smith owns a local business, Sterling Graphics. She has been making prints for artists
in our community for eight years. She served on the Emerald Art Center Board from 2005-2010. Ms.
Smith is interested in the use of local art in public projects and supporting community art opportunities.
Riley Smith: Mr. Smith is owner of and artist for Lifetime Tattoos of Springfield. He has a
particular interest in promoting the Downtown Artwalk and improving our community through
access to artistic opportunities. He also mentors and supports young artists to pursue art as a
career.
Roka Walsh: Ms. Walsh is a photographic artist and student working toward a degree in Art
Therapy. She is a Springfield resident and has exhibited her work at the Springfield City Hall
Gallery and The Emerald Art Center as well as numerous Springfield and Eugene art venues.
Roka mentors youth in photography for the annual NAACP ACT-SO competition. As a
Springfield Arts Commissioner, she is working with NEDCO to ensure that the Friday Art Walk
continues to flourish.
Robert Winkleman: Mr. Winkelman is the owner of McKenzie Photoworks, and has been a
photographer for many years. He has served as the Chair of the SAC and became a member of
the commission in January 2006. He is a member of the City Gallery committee and the Heritage
Arts Grants committee.
Scott Wylie: Mr. Wylie has been a member of SAC since 1996 [excepting 2006] and is a former
Commission chair. He is a well-known artist and designer whose practice focuses on
building/landscape design and planning and the interrelationships of these disciplines with fine
and applied arts. This career path stems from his lifelong passions for drawing, building and
Attachment 3, Page 2 of 2
using his imagination. Wylie managed the City Hall Gallery for many years and continues to
help jury its shows. He now spearheads the Luigi Testa Sculpture Siting Committee, helps with
the Puppet Festival and assists in Youth Arts and Arts Heritage workshops. He is currently active
in the Emerald Empire Arts Association, volunteering frequently for its Family Art Sunday
Programs. He frequently gives public testimony and writes articles on historic preservation, land
use and design issues. As a construction contractor, he often builds and installs his works.