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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/19/2025 - Meeting Minutes SALT LAKE CITY ARTI S November 19th, 2025 SALT LAKE CITY ARTS COUNCIL BOARD MEETING (Anchor location: 54 Finch Lane Gallery)5:30 — 6:20 P.M. https://uso2web.zoom.us/i/8735 i967257?pwd=TmsK24oOYIBAQQNGHzgPNDhpWAdChX.i ATTENDANCE: Board Members in Attendance: • Matthew Coles • Kathy Davis • Cuauhtemoc"C-moc" Sandoval • Denise Begue • Eugenie Hero Jaffe • Lana Taylor • Jeff Driggs • Anthony Wright • Sabrina Martinez • Caitlin Tursic • Ryan Canter • Travis English Board Members in Attendance Online: • Ignacio Rosenberg • Gabriella Huggins Board Members Excused: • Nick Pedersen • Hannah Nielsen Board Members Not In Attendance, Unexcused: • Pablo Cruz-Ayala Council/City Staff/Public in Attendance: • Felicia Baca,Arts Council Executive Director • Laurel Cannon Alder,Arts Council Deputy Director • Lindsey Day,Art Council Office Facilitator • Sylvia Richards, Public Policy Analyst(online) • Todd Oberndorfer,Visual Arts Program Coordinator • Tammy Hunsaker, Director, Community and Neighborhoods • Mike Akerlow, Deputy Director of Community Services MINUTES: MISSION: To promote,present and support artists and arts organizations in order to facilitate the development of the arts and expand awareness, access, and engagement. SALT LAKE CITY ARTI S Call to Order and Welcome Guests • Mr.Coles called the meeting to order and welcomed the guests from the City,Tammy, and Mike. Mission Moment(Future events&SLC worthy recognition) • The board discussed the latest arts&culture events they have attended around the city and look forward to attending in the future. Some events that were mentioned included the Diverted screening at Fischer Brewing,Legally Blonde at the U theater, and the upcoming Noises Off production. Approve Board Meeting Minutes • Ms. Davis motioned to approve the board minutes.Ms. Begue seconded the motion.The motion carried unanimously. Management Guest Speaker—Todd Oberndorfer,Visual Arts Program Coordinator • Mr.Oberndorfer gave an overview of the visual arts programming he manages with a focus on the programming at the Finch Lane Gallery. • It was noted that Finch Lane is one of the few municipal galleries in Utah. It allows the gallery to take on artistic risks that might not always align with the commercial market. It helps underscore that SLC believes in art as public life. • The building was built in the 193os and is a WPA-era arts space. • In terms of alignment with the strategic plan,it was noted that Finch Lane promotes public access,supports artists, and fosters community-focused, active partnerships.This includes the $50o honorariums given to selected artists. • It was noted that the final show of 2025 will open in a week, and we are looking forward to a great 2026 lineup.The 2026 season saw over 150 proposals; 14 were selected. • FY25 saw an uptick in visitors from 3,60o in FY24 to 4,600.This was due to the impact of the NCECA conference,which the city hosted.The gallery tends to average about 60o visitors per show cycle. • It was noted that board attendance at the opening reception and gallery stroll events are always appreciated. • FY25 also saw an increase in sales,exceeding the annual revenue goal,which is also great for the artists. • Looking ahead,the team is planning on some 2027 CIP improvements,further improving program systems, artist support,and strategic support. General Program Management Updates • Ms. Baca mentioned that the last screening of the Diverted documentary would be tomorrow, and it is the last local activation as part of Wake the Great Salt Lake. It was noted that there has been significant progress on the signature commission, and we anticipate announcing a composer and target activation date soon. • Ms. Baca noted a strong number of applications for the 9 Line call for artists, and that the pre-qualified artist pool process also closed. Budget/Financial • Ms.Tursic provided an overview of the October financials.Activity of note included the revenue from the individual contributions from Twilight,fees paid to S&S presents for next year's series, and paying out $431K in grants.No concerns were noted. • It was noted that the annual audit has been completed and will be discussed further in December.There will be an increase in unrestricted net assets tied to the Bloomberg grant(assets are restricted for this use).This is due to some funds not being spent due to delays in finalizing contracts,which moved payment dates into FY26. MISSION: To promote,present and support artists and arts organizations in order to facilitate the development of the arts and expand awareness, access, and engagement. SALT LAKE CITY ARTI S Board Work Ms. Cannon Alder provided an overview of the recommendations to update the Bylaws. • This includes updating the committee structure to better reflect the organization's needs, especially grant review needs. • Recommendations are to reduce the formal number of Grants Review committee members and shift them toward a more management-oriented role.The process would then be distributed amongst the board,with a minimum of nine reviewers per year. Each reviewing member would review about 30 grants annually.The board discussed if community reviewers needed to be formally added to the bylaws. Ms. Cannon Alder noted she would confirm. • Recommendation to update the listed number of board members from 25 to a range of 15-20. • Additional minor updates to the language and details of the nominating committee and Governance committee were made, and the board can review in detail before voting on updates in December. Public Comment • No public comments were given. Other Business • No other business was noted. Ms. Davis motioned to end the meeting, and Mr. Driggs seconded.The motion was approved unanimously, and the meeting was adjourned. MISSION: To promote,present and support artists and arts organizations in order to facilitate the development of the arts and expand awareness, access, and engagement.