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Arts commission finalizes Champ Gallery selections for January exhibit after Mentimeter vote
Summary
The Nevada City Public Arts Commission reviewed 27 submissions by 23 artists and accepted roughly 18 works for the Champ Gallery's January'April 2026 "Year of Advanced Music Appreciation" exhibit using a digital yes/no vote; staff will coordinate hanging and an opening with music and a spring reception.
Lon Peterson, assistant manager for the city, told the commission the Champ Gallery call returned strong community participation: "23 artists, 27 submissions," and outlined a straightforward yes/no voting process via Mentimeter to select pieces for the January 2026 exhibit tied to the Year of Advanced Music Appreciation.
Commissioners discussed a draft rubric that staff and commissioners had prepared to guide future calls, stressing theme alignment, feasibility, and fairness (including the practice of generally accepting one work per artist when space is limited). Commissioners debated how to treat multiple submissions from the same artist and how to arrange gallery width and hanging to accommodate a mix of large and small works.
The body reviewed all 27 submissions, discussing medium, size, local connection, and hanging logistics; staff noted some poster/descriptions in the packet had formatting issues and that the online form had closed on Nov. 28. During the review a public commenter, Daniela Fernandez of 211 Nevada Street, thanked the panel and asked the commission to consider gender representation among chosen works, saying she noticed "a lot of faces of men" in the materials.
The commission used Mentimeter for a slide-by-slide yes/no vote on each submission; staff captured and stored the results digitally and Amber recorded votes in the meeting packet. Commissioners resolved a single tie (submission 22, a cardboard piano piece by Ken Harden) by discussing whether the gallery layout could be adjusted to include it; they agreed to make space where feasible.
After tallying the digital votes and addressing the tie, a commissioner moved that the commission accept the Mentimeter results as its official selection for the Champ Gallery; a second was made and a roll-call vote adopted the motion unanimously. Staff reported a final group of about 16'18 works depending on final sizing and framing decisions. Peterson said installation will be coordinated with maintenance staff and volunteers and noted the exhibit will run January through April 2026 with a reception to be scheduled.
Commissioners also requested future agenda follow-ups including a status update on the Broadstreet project, outreach to local partners (for example, the North San Juan Schoolhouse textile work), and clarification about fee waivers or other ways the commission might support local artists; staff said changes to fee authority would require City Council action.
