Loading...
6/21/2023 - Meeting Minutes Salt Lake City Arts Council Board Meeting Minutes June 21, 2023 54 Finch Lane, Salt Lake City, Utah Zoom Online Present. Matthew Coles Kathy Davis Jeff Driggs Kate Jarman Gates Ebay Hamilton Sarah Longoria Hannah Nielsen Cale Newhouse Katherine Potter Susan Rickman Richard Taylor Marti Woolford Not present: Sonali Loomba Excused: Thomas Kessinger Torle Nenbee Staff: Felicia Baca, SLAC Director Taylor Knuth, SLAC Staff I. Call to Order and Welcome Ms. Susan Rickman, Chair of the Board, called the meeting to order at 5:32pm. II. Arts Event Discussion Mr. Jeff Driggs saw The Scarlet Pimpernel by Titus Productions Theater Co. at the Midvale Performing Arts Center. He said they had 300 different costumes and it was an amazing play. Ms. Felicia Baca went to Washington and saw Joni Mitchell perform in concert. It was in the Columbia River Gorge and it was the most incredible concert. Ms. Kathy Davis saw the play Puffs at the West Valley Performing Arts Center. Ms. Hannah Nielsen said that the Leonardo Museum held their month-long Pride pop-up exhibition which included a drag show. Mr. Matthew Coles said he attended the Living Traditions Festival. Ms. Marti Woolford attended the Death Cab for Cutie Concert. III. Approve Board Meeting Minutes A. Mr. Driggs moved to approve the May Board Meeting minutes. Ms. Kat Potter seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. IV. Management A. Program/Administrative Updates & Presentations 1. Ms. Baca gave a high-level overview of the Living Traditions Festival, explaining that Ms. Dawn Borchardt would present in more detail next month. They had about 1,000 more people in attendance than at last year's festival, for a total of about 34,600 people. They projected to make $28,000 in beverage sales, and actually received $62,000 in revenue. Dawn's team and Shawnee did a great job with accessibility. They had sign language interpreters, large print brochures, and wheelchair-accessible ramps. Shawnee was on site as an accessibility coordinator. Some Arts Council Board Members were volunteers at the festival. They held some new films and partnered with the Salt Lake City library's 12 Minutes Max program. Ms. Baca asked for both positive and negative feedback from the board members who attended the festival, saying "We don't get our feelings hurt easily around here." a) Mr. Coles commented that there were a lot of good food vendors, but that the flow to get to the area to eat was a little odd. He thought it might be helpful to have some pathways between the vendors. He mentioned that the food is always a highlight of the festival, and that there were some great performances this year. b) Mr. Driggs said that, as a volunteer, one of his assignments was to check in on the vendors, and they were all very complimentary and appreciative of the event. Ms. Baca mentioned that Maggie, the volunteer coordinator, did a great job. c) Ms. Woolford said that while she was taking surveys, someone mentioned that it was very hot to sit in the audience seating area at the main stage. She said there were a lot of people passing by the booth that she was sitting at. Also, her wife was volunteering at the East gate, and said that there were some misunderstandings with the security guards and some patrons. Ms. Baca and Mr. Taylor Knuth acknowledged that there was some inconsistency with the security staff. They also said that dogs are not allowed at the festival, but that if an owner says their dog is a service dog, they have to take their word for it. d) Ms. Potter was a volunteer who helped with the food vendor set-up. She said the volunteer process was great, but that when the person in charge of the volunteers was pulled away, the volunteers didn't know what to do and were unable to answer questions that the vendors had. Ms. Baca and Mr. Knuth said that staff member was the only one without an assistant. 2. Ms. Baca said that the two Twilight Concert Series shows that have taken place were both sold out, and had a really high rate of attendance. There were significant queuing issues for the first concert, but after that was addressed with the security company, they got everyone through the gates in only 15-20 minutes. The Head and the Heart is sold out, Trampled by Turtles is close to selling out, and ticket sales for the others are also high. "We're feeling really good about ticket sales," Ms. Baca said. a) Mr. Driggs mentioned that his kids went to one of the concerts and said that the audience was not paying attention to the opening bands. He thought that maybe if someone announced the bands, that could bring some awareness to the audience. Ms. Baca and Mr. Knuth said they would look into the possibility of announcing the local bands who open the shows. 3. It rained a bit during Busker Fest this year, but people seemed to be in good spirits. There were new performers, including national and international artists. The last Jordan River Stroll will take place tomorrow, at Constitution Park, as an intentional activation of North Temple, according to the mayor's goals. 4. As a substitution for the craft market, there was a workshop for artists held at the Finch Lane Gallery, led by a group from Minneapolis called Springboard for the Arts. They held three workshops about legal issues, fundraising, and business plans, for artists. 5. The Finch Lane Gallery has new exhibitions coming up this month. And, the exhibitions for 2024 have been scheduled. 6. The Grants Committee has 80-90 grant applications to review. 7. Mr. Knuth let the board know that the Arts Council's new website will be launched by the end of the month, and they would like to update the board's biographies and headshots. He said he would be sending out an email with more information. 8. They hired a new part-time Office Assistant, Lindsay Day, who is Kelsey's sister. There were 36 applicants, and 4 interviews, and she was the best candidate. They are getting ready for some second-round interviews for the Program Assistant positions. V. Budget/Financial A. Mr. Cale Newhouse reported on the organization's finances through May. He also talked about the new Reserve Fund Policy that needed to be adopted by the board. They received no comments on the policy, so they were ready to move forward with a vote, and then the Executive Committee would decide on the exact amount that would be in the Reserve Fund. Mr. Coles made a motion to adopt the Reserve Fund Policy. Ms. Kathy Davis seconded the motion. The policy was adopted with a unanimous vote. B. Mr. Knuth and Ms. Baca presented the proposed budget for fiscal year 2024, and the small amendments that they made. They did not receive any public comment, or board comment, on the budget. Ms. Baca went over the changes with the board. a. One of the changes was due to the fact that the Arts Council is a finalist for a grant that they applied for. In order to prepare for site visits from the funder, and start engaging with stakeholders, they will need to increase staffing. Ms. Longoria asked if they had sent the board copies of the grant application, and Mr. Knuth said he had not sent it to the whole board, but that he would do that. C. Ms. Potter made a motion to adopt the FY24 proposed budget with the changes as presented to the board. Ms. Davis seconded the motion. It was approved unanimously. VI. Board A. Ms. Rickman reminded the board that Mr. Newhouse is moving on to a new life in New York, and if anyone knows anyone capable of filling that role, to recommend them for the board. B. Ms. Baca said that this is the time of year when officer positions are open, and if anyone is interested in serving as Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, or At Large, those positions are open, and to reach out to her. If nobody volunteers, they will be reaching out to the board members. They will present a slate of officers to the board in July for a vote. VI I. Public Comment/Other Business A. There was no public comment. B. Mr. Knuth handed out complimentary tickets to the Utah Arts Fest, and reminded everyone to ask Wendy for tickets to the next Twilight Concert. C. Ms. Woolford made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Kate Jarman Gates seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 6:34pm.