HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 01 Joint Meeting with the Springfield Arts Commission. AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 5/11/2015
Meeting Type: Work Session
Staff Contact/Dept.: Kristen Curé Staff Phone No: X2232
Estimated Time: 45 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 1: Arts Commission Charge Attachment 2: Arts Commission Projects and Programs Attachment 3: Arts Commission Membership Profiles
DISCUSSION/ FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
The proposed agenda:
1. Introductions 5 minutes 2. Commission Projects & Programs Update 20 minutes
a. Art Alley b. Heritage Arts Grants c. Youth Art Programs
d. City Hall Gallery e. Second Friday Art Walk f. The Future
3. Other business 15 minutes
1 Attachment 1
February 23, 2015
Arts Commission
CHARGE
The Springfield Arts Commission was created to promote the arts in Springfield.
Assistance is given by the Commission to local artists in the form of grant sponsorship,
networking, education, communication, and, occasionally, funding.
The Commission may co-sponsor art events and exhibits. It works closely with the Lane
Arts Council and the Oregon Arts Commission.
Source of Existence: Council
Bylaws: Yes
Code: No
Sunset Date: Council
Membership
Number: 9
In City: Majority
Out of City: Minimal
Terms (2 max): 4 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 Tuesday - 6:30 p.m., City Hall
Funding Source: General Fund and Room Tax
Staff Liaison: Kristen Curé, Latino Liaison Adult Services Librarian
541-726-2232
Council Liaison: Hillary Wylie
Cmo/common/bcc/arts
Last Revised: 02/19/14
1 Attachment 2
Springfield Arts Commission Projects and Programs
April 2015
History and Mission
The Springfield Arts Commission was established by City Council in 1986 at the end of the City’s
Centennial Celebration to promote the arts and culture of Springfield. The commission provides
opportunities for artistic creation, exhibits, performances and events. The Arts Commission
facilitates cooperation among local organizations to make art accessible through youth workshops,
monetary grants, a variety of public arts exhibits, the creation and maintenance of ART ALLEY, and
support for the Second Friday Art Walk program.
In creating these arts opportunities and events the commission seeks to enrich the cultural life of
our community and attract visitors from beyond it. The Arts Commission accomplishes all this with
an active, nine-member, citizen board, an operating budget of about $7500, and part-time staff
support.
In FY 15 alone, the Springfield Arts Commission created, supported and facilitated 57 different arts
events reaching thousands of Springfield families and visitors.
Here is how the commission accomplishes its charge:
Art Alley
The Arts Commission created and maintains Art Alley, the collection of outdoor murals and other
public art in Springfield. 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 to sponsor fifteen painted murals,
a sculpture and a ceramic tile mural.
Art Alley continues to be a source of local pride as well as a draw to out-of-town visitors. Over the
last year, the Arts Commission has worked with the City Manager’s Office in the RFP process for the
Simpsons Mural and now for the Ken Kesey mural.
In 2015, the commission also created a new, professionally produced, brochure to showcase the
public art in Springfield, including the murals in 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, including at the Eugene, Cascades & Coast/Travel Lane County
visitor centers.
2 Attachment 2
Heritage Arts Grants
The Arts Commission always allocates a portion of its annual budget to help Springfield
organizations produce cultural exhibits and performances. Beginning in 2014, the commission
expanded from one Heritage Arts Grant cycle to three grant cycles each fiscal year. This has greatly
increased the number of applications received each year but has sometimes resulted in lowering
individual grant amounts. In FY 15 alone, the Arts Commission received 15 applications, totaling
$7,300 in requests. 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 20 community projects with awards ranging from $100 to $500.
Groups who have received assistance in 2013, 2014 and 2015:
Eugene Springfield Arts Project
Emerald Art Center
Full Access Sprout Films Project
Springfield Museum
West Winds Flute Choir
A3 Student Art Show
SMART
UKEtoberfest 2014
Lane Arts Council Springfield Mural Tour
El día de los niños, día de los libros/Chidren’s Day, Book Day Springfield Celebration
Springfield’s Cesar Chavez Celebration and Art Contest
Springfield’s Martin Luther King Day Celebration and Art Contest
Girl Circus Summer Camp at the Wildish Theater
Past Prime Time Players
Guy Lee Green Team Art Workshops
Youth Art Programs
From 2013 to 2015, the Springfield Arts Commission has partnered with the Springfield Public
Library on 19 of youth art programs, reaching more than 1000 children, teens and their families.
These programs have ranged from spring break arts programs that align with Springfield Public
Schools science, math and art curriculum (2014) to 2015 Summer Reading family performances that
will bring professional puppet and theater groups from around the state to Springfield.
3 Attachment 2
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. 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. The past two years have seen a significant increase in the number of artists
responding to the annual call to artists. In FY 2015 22 artists applied for only 10 shows. A total of 19
artists will have shown in the Gallery for the calendar year of 2015.
Second Friday Art Walk
In 2011 the Arts Commission began promoting and participating in the Second Friday Art Walks. The
Commission continues to support and promote the Second Friday Art Walks as a valuable part of
Springfield’s cultural life. In addition to hosting a featured exhibit and live music at City Hall each
month, the Arts Commission provides the primary funding for the Art Walk including: monthly
marketing, guided tours, performance art installations, and an annual advertisement in the tourist
publication “Eugene, Cascades & Coast.” The Arts Commission also created the outdoor banners
that hang over Main and Mohawk streets and the commission funds the monthly printing of the
posters and maps that advertise the event. This after-hours event is a great way to engage the
community, promote local visual artists and musicians as well as attract visitors to Springfield.
The Arts Commission will develop more ways to collaborate with other community groups to bring
to the Art Walks meaningful activities that will engage a growing number of residents and attract
visitors from our surrounding communities. Over the past two years some such collaborative Art
Walk themes have included the first Springfield Chalk Festival, the Downtown Lighting Festival and
the upcoming “Fiesta Cultural” which is a collaboration with the Eugene and Cottage Grove Art
Walks to feature Latino Art during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Challenges and the Future
With the growing success of the Springfield Arts Commission programs and the expansion of the
Heritage Arts Grants, we will actively recruit partners willing to invest in developing a vibrant arts
scene in Springfield. To meet growing demands, the Arts Commission will evaluate its first request
for additional funding in nearly a decade. The Arts Commission is committed to creating more arts
projects and programs in Springfield that will expand our cultural life while inviting others into our
community to share it.
1 Attachment 3
Springfield Arts Commission (SAC) Membership Profiles
May 2015
Rick Dunaven: Mr. Dunaven has served on the Springfield Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee and is a
founding member of the Main Street Program. He has been involved in organizing the Downtown Springfield
2nd Friday Art Walks, and has volunteered at countless events in Springfield. He is an active photographer of
public events and the cultural life in Springfield and is the administrator for Discover Downtown Springfield.
Donald Durland: Mr. Durland served for six years on the Springfield Arts Commission from 2002-2008. He
returned to the Arts Commission in 2014. He is a practicing artist and has retired from higher education,
where he taught classes in the visual arts.
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.
Kimberly Lyddane: Ms. Lyddane has a M.S. in Arts Management from the University of Oregon. She is the
Special Events and Volunteer Coordinator at Willamalane Park and Recreation District. In addition to her work
planning special events, Ms. Lyddane also serves on the board for the Oregon Festivals and Events Association.
Amy Orre: Ms. Orre has a BA in art and is experienced in teaching elementary school children in
extracurricular activities. She has worked as a youth activity leader at Willamalane. She currently works at the
Springfield Public Library.
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.
Wanda Seamster: Ms. Seamster is an accomplished studio artist and recently retired from the faculty at the
University of Alaska. Before moving to Oregon, she was quite active in the art and cultural life in Alaska,
serving on the Anchorage Museum Collections Committee, the Alaska State Council on the Arts Grants
Committee and many city art programs.
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.