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MCA staff outlines grant schedule, poet-laureate panel and Veterans Park splash pad
Summary
At its meeting the MCA approved routine minutes and the agenda and heard a staff report from Keisha announcing upcoming project-support grant openings in September, a poet-laureate selection panel, art excursions with reserved tickets for low-income residents, and a Veterans Park splash pad opening Sept. 3.
The MCA convened at 5:00 p.m. and approved the minutes from its June 26 meeting and the agenda for this session before turning to staff reports. Keisha, speaking as the staff presenter, described a series of arts initiatives and schedule items the commission will consider in the coming months.
Keisha said the application period for project-support grants will open the 2nd Tuesday in September, with a separate January cycle that will include both project support and general operating support. "So, get ready for grants," she said, adding that two Q&A sessions had been held in advance of the grant season. The FY '24 end-of-year expenditures were attached to the meeting agenda for commissioners to review.
Keisha also outlined plans for public-art restoration and community events. She described restoration work and rehanging of older posters and artwork in city hall and said she plans a series of art excursions for the coming program year; she said she purchased tickets for a Lion King performance and intends to reserve roughly half of any block of 50 tickets—"25 of them are mandated to go to those at or below" the poverty level—to prioritize access for lower-income residents.
On a community recognition and outreach effort, Keisha announced a poet-laureate selection panel she said she had forwarded to the mayor and that the panel had the mayor's approval to move forward. She named the five people who will steward the selection process as Julia Faraci, Sari Rosenbach, Oliver Edgar, Steven Allison and Bill Foster and said the panel will meet after the commission meeting to discuss next steps. Keisha said there were no entries as of the meeting and stated the application deadline in the meeting as "this Thursday this Friday," a wording the record did not resolve to a specific date.
Keisha also reported that Kendall Solowata has been contracted to design and install a splash pad at Veterans Park. She invited commissioners to attend an opening she scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 1:00 p.m. "If you all can come on down, if you're available, please do," Keisha said.
The staff report closed with a reminder that nominations and awards paperwork (including an arts advocacy award) will be discussed later and that the panel charged with selecting the poet laureate will continue its work. No formal votes on grants, awards or capital work were taken at the meeting; the items were presented for information and future action.
