McHenry Times

City of Woodstock Arts Commission Met Oct. 5.

Here is the minutes provided by the commission:

In light of the current COVID-19 public health emergency, Governor J.B. Pritzker’s Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation, the Mayor has determined that an in-person meeting is not practical or prudent because of the disaster. Therefore, this meeting was held remotely.

CALL TO ORDER: A special meeting of the City of Woodstock Arts Commission was called to order remotely by Chairwoman Toni McLellan at 6:45 PM on Monday, October 5, 2020. A roll call was taken.

ROLL CALL

COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT VIRTUALLY: Cassandra Vohs-Demann, Jessica Campbell, Jeff Kleinschmidt, Chehalis Hegner, John Hegner, Susan Stelford, and Chairwoman Toni McLellan.

COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: Beth Davis and Matt Potts.STAFF PRESENT: none.

STAFF PRESENT VIRTUALLY: Economic Development Coordinator Krista Coltrin and Executive Assistant/Chief Deputy Clerk Jane Howie.

OTHERS PRESENT: none.

WELCOME AND OPENING COMMENTS

Chair McLellan said we’re looking forward to mapping out plans and setting up some subcommittees to focus on events. She thanked everyone for submitting terrific ideas for the Arts Development Plan and she’s excited to see where things go.

ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES

Motion by S. Stelford, second by J. Campbell, to accept the August 31, 2020 Arts Commission Minutes as presented. Ayes: C. Vohs-Demann, J. Campbell, J. Kleinschmidt, C. Hegner, J. Hegner, S. Stelford, and Chairwoman T. McLellan. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: B. Davis and M. Potts. Motion carried.

PUBLIC COMMENT: none.

In response to a question from J. Hegner, Chair McLellan confirmed that members of the public are always welcome to attend meetings both in person or virtually. Ms. Coltrin explained that there is a public link that the public can use to attend.

GENERAL BUSINESS / DISCUSSION

a. Explore Interest in Vice-Chairperson Position

Chair McLellan asked who may be interested in the role of Vice-Chair. S. Stelford opined J. Campbell would be good for the role, and J. Campbell opined S. Stelford would be good for the role. Ms. Campbell said she would accept the role. Chair McLellan asked if any other Commissioners are interested in being Vice-Chair. Hearing none, she said she’d like to revisit this item at next month’s meeting in case any of the absent Commissioners are interested. Therefore, Commissioners will vote on this at next month’s meeting.

b. Establish Meeting Dates for remainder of 2020 and 2021

Chair McLellan asked if everyone had a chance to review the meeting dates proposed for 2021. Ms. Coltrin explained that the dates presented are the first Monday of each month. Chair McLellan asked if any Commissioners have any concerns with the proposed dates. Due to holidays in July and September, she suggested selecting other dates in those months. Ms. Coltrin said the dates do not need to be determined this evening. Commissioners can think about the dates and this can be voted on in November, if they’d prefer. Should additional meetings be needed at a later date, a special meeting can be scheduled and posted. Chair McLellan thanked Ms. Coltrin for her efforts in putting these proposed dates together.

Motion by J. Campbell, to approve the 2021 Commission meeting dates, minus the date in September, second by Chair McLellan. Ayes: C. Vohs-Demann, J. Campbell, J. Kleinschmidt, C. Hegner, J. Hegner, S. Stelford, and Chairwoman T. McLellan. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: B. Davis and M. Potts. Motion carried.

c. Review Arts Development Plan Submissions

Chair McLellan shared preliminary thoughts pertaining to the creation of an Arts Development Plan. She thanked Commissioners for submitting their ideas. Chair McLellan said she believes there are four “buckets,” or areas, involved:

1)  Foundational building and information gathering;

2)  Hub and relationship building;

3)  Developing and launching programs;

4)  Administration.

Chair McLellan suggested the Commission hold off on the administration piece for now. She opined that these are the four areas where Commissioners can break out into subcommittees to make decisions on how best to handle each phase and how best to implement the Plan.

J. Campbell said she sees a lot of overlap in doing surveys and reaching out to people; information gathering and relationship building goes hand in hand. She added that this is a great way of finding out what people want, and at the same time you get their buy-in. Chair McLellan said she reviewed everyone’s submittals, but she didn’t pull everything out of the proposals and drop items into these “buckets.”

J. Hegner said that information gathering is a great place to start in addition to connecting artists. He also mentioned that it’s important to stay focused so as not to duplicate work.Chair McLellan believes people would be interested in both a digital and physical space. Discussion ensued pertaining to creating a Facebook page for this Commission and also adding a webpage to the City’s website in which to share art events.

J. Campbell suggested commissioning an artist for a piece of public art, such as a 10-foot ear that people can whisper their dreams into. She’s interested in having something highly visible in town that people can interact with. She opined this could be a fun kickoff and let people know that we’re here and we’re doing something different. S. Stelford suggested getting the guidelines set first, and get a Facebook page and webpage put together. Chair McLellan said she believes people will be looking for a landing place, so a Facebook page and webpage is very important. S. Stelford said Facebook is an easy place to start because people can comment and respond. C. Vohs- Demann stated that someone will need to manage Facebook as there can be a lot of comments that will require responses. S. Stelford mentioned that an event calendar component would be a great item to add to the City’s website.

J. Campbell shared that her group, the Atrocious Poets, created a QR (quick response) Code, which they set out in areas during the month of April for National Poetry Month. She continued on to say that this was a fun way to get people involved in their event. Ms. Campbell suggested asking local artists to donate an image of their work, add the QR code, scan it and add it to their new webpage. From here, guests could answer survey questions, and they would come across the Arts Commission’s landing page. There was a suggestion to include all information in Spanish, as well.

S. Stelford mentioned that her neighbor has a fun idea to gather big mounds of snow and build a huge snowman for people to come to Woodstock to see. S. Stelford said she talked to Dan Hart about stringing umbrellas over Benton Street during the spring. She added that the cables are already installed for the overhead lights. They could use this as a fundraiser; people could buy an umbrella, with monies benefiting Arts Commission projects - “Shower Woodstock with Arts.” Chair McLellan said she likes the 10-foot ear idea that J. Campbell shared, as a future project. There was some discussion about QR codes and other possible ways in which they could be used for projects and events.

Another idea shared by J. Campbell was to have an artist of the month. This could raise awareness of artists and bring people together. C. Hegner asked if the name, Arts Commission, has to be used, as it’s not very “sexy.” She suggested Woodstock Arts, or something catchy. There was a brief discussion on ways to get their group named, which could be used for community events. Chair McLellan said the naming is something that can be discussed at a later time. First, the Commission needs to set policy, then fund- raising, hub, and then installations, which may be handled outside of the Commission. Ms. Coltrin mentioned that once the Arts Plan is set in place, the Commission will need to present a recommendation to the City Council should they need funding for a specific project. She believes that is the direction this group is headed.

There was some further discussion about creating a Facebook page along with a webpage as part of the City’s website. Ms. Coltrin said the Commission members are representatives of the City and cannot create an online presence on behalf of the City.However, she added, that City Staff can assist with this; she’ll look into their requests and provide information at next month’s meeting.

Chair McLellan said she’d like the Commission to set up the first three subcommittees this evening. There was a bit of discussion as to what each subcommittee’s responsibilities include. Chair McLellan said J. Campbell had recommended meeting with other community’s Arts Commissions, which would be great. She also agreed that a database would be a great idea, something publicly available, that would include both artists in Woodstock as well as artists in McHenry County. This will provide the Commission with what others are doing in nearby art communities.

Ms. Coltrin said the Commission will have to rely on her to maintain the database, just as she does for contact information within the business community. She added that any information that comes to the City, such as email, Facebook pages, etc. become public record. She mentioned that specific information, such as a person’s home address,cellphone number, email address, must be kept private, and this is allowed by law. Therefore, she suggested, should Commissioners gather personal contact information from other artists, it will be important to maintain their privacy. Information such as a person’s company, company address and phone number, can be public information.

C. Hegner asked about funding from the City and how does that work, with regards to creating surveys, distributing materials, etc. Chair McLellan said it will be useful to form subcommittees so that we can prioritize what needs to get done, and we can determine what funds may be necessary going forward. Ms. Coltrin said the City has the opportunity to reach the public, with opportunities through Constant Contact and Survey Monkey; staff can assist in the data gathering. She added that the commissioners need to determine what information they need, who and what to ask, and figure out what they are going to do with this information once they get it. Ms. Coltrin stated that the City has the tools and can reach out to the public in a variety of ways for this development plan. J. Kleinschmidt said that people will want to know what the purpose is of this information once we have it.

Chair McLellan said we’ve talked about a hub, both physical and virtual, which could also be part of information gathering. Commission members could ask artists what they want to see for this hub.

C. Hegner said it would be helpful to identity specific questions to ask groups/populations, such as business owners, artists, and educational institutions. J. Campbell said we’re looking at multiple tools here, not a one-size-fits-all. A survey is just one piece of the tools that can be used, but it can be kind of a boring tool. She suggested asking artists what they need from the City and to find some different ways to phrase the questions about who you are and what you want out of life. J. Hegner suggested starting with our own contacts, in the art community, and tailoring the questions appropriately. S. Stelford doesn’t want to get bogged down with the information gathering. She doesn’t believe asking residents is the place to start.S. Stelford suggested we start with the development plan, and perhaps an arts installation and art on loan. She opined that we need to start doing things to attract people. She agreed that a Facebook page/digital home is also a great place to start. J. Kleinschmidt said there’s got to be a clever way of doing this; he agrees that Facebook or a webpage is the place to start.

S. Stelford said she has a list of organizations, maybe 40-50, which is a great starting place to gather information. J. Hegner said there’s an Illinois Artists list; however, it does not include music, it includes visual artists. He suggested selecting all those that are on that roster. J. Campbell said they all know people that are out there doing interesting things. Contact those people and gather information from them as a great place to start. She suggested inviting contacts to attend one of the Commission’s Zoom meetings.

Chair McLellan said we’ve covered some ground here this evening. She pointed out some of the suggestions heard this evening and said that we need to get a Plan in place. In addition, we need to determine action items for the next meeting along with information gathering. Ms. Coltrin opined that the City can compile a list of contacts for Commissioners. She asked Commission members to forward their contact lists to her. She mentioned that perhaps Grant/Communications Manager Terry Willcockson may have some information that she can contribute.

S. Stelford said in the Commission by-laws that we’re supposed to have artists and resident programs, as well as public art programs. We don’t have to wait for public opinion, this is what we are charged with. We are the advisors concerning public arts, putting together these guidelines, she feels we need to come back to the development plan. She opined that the information gathering will come organically as we get our name out in the community. J. Campbell hopes that artists in and around town will think of this as something they’re a part of. She opined that it’s important to build the support and get buy-in from people. S. Stelford suggested that perhaps local artists could also be a part of the subcommittees at some point, once the foundation and guidelines are in place. J. Campbell suggested having Woodstock Library Director Nick Weber attend their next meeting. This way the Commission could find out his vision and what he's already done.

Chair McLellan suggested forming the subcommittee this evening; both the multi-faceted information gathering along with the development of the Arts Plan. She’d like to have adraft plan for review so they can lay the foundation, as well as to present to City Council.In addition, she’d like to invite Library Director Nick Weber to a future Commission meeting. In response to J. Kleinschmidt’s question, Chair McLellan pointed out the first three “buckets” the subcommittees will focus on: foundational building and information gathering; hub and relationship building; and developing and launching programs. Chair McLellan said once we get to work on these three areas, we can assist in connecting artists in the region, advise in art-related matters and coordinate art programs. S. Stelford said that she’s an art historian, not an artist herself. She added that the Commission doesn’t need to access a not-for-profit, as we can decide on project-specific public art, proposals for artists in residence programs, such as art festivals. S. Stelford opined that as the Commission grows, new ideas will arrive and we can branch out. She believes this is a great starting point.

There was a brief discussion about the number of Commissioners per subcommittee. It was decided that there would be three Commissioners on the first three subcommittees discussed this evening. J. Campbell said she is interested in information gathering; C. Hegner will join her. J. Kleinschmidt will assist J. Campbell and C. Hegner with the information gathering segment. S. Stelford said she’d like to work on the development plan; C. Vohs-Demann will join her. S. Stelford mentioned that she’s drafted similar plans in the past; she has a template she can work from. They’ll create a rough draft using the Commissioners’ ideas; they’ll share the draft with the Commission. J. Hegner will assist on the development plan.

There was a brief discussion about some of the other topics that need to be handled. J. Campbell mentioned what the City can do to assist. Chair McLellan said one of the proposals talked about funding, and talking to the City’s Grant Writer. S. Stelford said the Commission needs to find ways to raise money. She explained some of the fundraisers she’s participated in to raise money for the Old Courthouse. In response to a question from C. Hegner, S. Stelford said the Commission needs a plan in place before we can ask the City for money. Ms. Coltrin said the City will be looking at this development plan to determine where the money is needed. She explained that the City is currently in the budget process; however, funds have not yet been allocated for the Arts Commission. She agreed that the City will want a plan for something concrete that they can get behind to fund, then they can vote on adding something in the budget.

Chair McLellan said we’ve got our three subcommittees. (by default, Chair McLellan, B. Davis and M. Potts will work on the marketing and fundraising subcommittee). J. Campbell will reach out to Nick Weber to invite him to the next meeting. Chair McLellan extended her appreciation for all the ideas and input, thus far. Chair McLellan provided a brief recap of what each subcommittee needs to do before next month’s meeting. She asked Commissioners to get their lists to Ms. Coltrin by October 23rd. Ms. Coltrin said she’s not quite sure how the Commission wants this list presented because if she compiles the lists and shares it, the information becomes public. She will look into this further. J. Hegner said we should create a basic landing page where people can enter their contact information. S. Stelford suggested having Ms. Coltrin hold onto the contact information for now. There was a suggestion that J. Campbell, S. Stelford and Chair McLellan reach out to their subcommittee members to set up a time and location for their first meeting.

Chair McLellan thanked the Commissioners for their time and efforts.

FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

1. Vote for Vice-Chairperson

2. Action Items from One State Together in the Arts Conference

ADJOURN:

There was a motion to adjourn by Chair McLellan, second by J. Hegner. Ayes: C. Vohs- Demann, J. Campbell, J. Kleinschmidt, C. Hegner, J. Hegner, S. Stelford, and Chairwoman T. McLellan. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: Beth Davis and Matt Potts. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:25 PM.

https://www.woodstockil.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/arts_commission/meeting/41681/f_-_arts_commission_10-05-2020_-_part_1_of_1_-_minutes.pdf