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New City Arts and staff propose arts council and public-art commission; council to consider ordinance and funding
Summary
Presenters recommended creating a local arts council and a public-art commission to coordinate arts funding and stewardship; they proposed using an immediate $100,000 strategic fund split for consultants/commission startup and urged longer-term funding (percent-for-art and a multi-year pool) with staffing of 2–3 FTE to begin operations.
At the same April 8 work session, New City Arts and consultants outlined a feasibility study recommending a coordinated arts infrastructure for the region, including a public-art commission and an independent or hybrid arts council.
Maureen Bondi, executive director of New City Arts, said the study was funded by the city manager’s office with partners and documented a fragmented arts ecosystem that lacks a single coordinating body. "There was about $500,000 for arts and culture organizations that exist through the vibrant community fund," Bondi said while urging a clearer, dedicated approach to coordination and maintenance. Bondi and the study team recommended standing up a local arts agency (a nonprofit "arts council") to coordinate funding, produce a cultural plan, and steward an arts-information hub.
Ruby Lopez Harper, a consultant…
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