Public Arts and Culture Advisory Council

PUBLIC ARTS & CULTURE ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING SUMMARY October 16, 2017 5:00 p.m. Members present: Chair Lindsay Brubaker – Niles Park District Michael Crisci – Niles Historical Center Debi Gajewski – Artist Kathleen Gallegos - Artist Susan Lempke – Niles Public Library Carol Luc – Artist Katie Schneider – Niles Chamber of Commerce and Industry Steven Vinezeano – VFW Staff present: Staff Liaison Cathy Spadoni Mayor Andrew Przybylo Members absent: Janet Spector Bishop – School District 63 Cory Hance – Artist Dr. John Kosirog – School District 71 Ericka Stoor-Burning – Artist Staff absent: Trustee George D. Alpogianis Also present: Edward Eubank – Chair, Fine Arts Dept. of Maine East H. S. District 207 Mr. Kim Wasilewski – resident, former professional artist I. Call to Order Chair Lindsay Brubaker called the meeting of the Public Arts & Culture Advisory Council to order at 5:07 p.m. on Monday, October 16, 2017 at the Niles Administration Building, Room 218, 1000 Civic Center Drive. II. Approval of Meeting Summary Steve Vinezeano made a motion, seconded by Susan Lempke, to approve the meeting summary of August 14, 2017. On voice vote, all concurred.  Public Arts & Culture Advisory Council October 16, 2017 III. Organization Representative Reports Niles Chamber of Commerce – Katie Schneider reported that there are no arts and culture- related activities to report at this time. Niles-Maine District Library – Susan Lempke reported on the upcoming Halloween events, Maker Fest on November 11, and that the library is running “Story Hours” year round. Niles Historical Center – Michael Crisci reported that Notre Dame students are doing service projects at the Center. Upcoming programs: Tom Castle will be “singing songs of the high seas” and Rochelle Pennington will give a presentation on Christmas tree ships. Staff Liaison Cathy Spadoni reported that information about the “Purse”ue Your Dreams Auction, the Twinkle & Lights Contest and the Arts Feed webpage appeared in the fall Focus on Niles newsletter.  The Bugle ran articles regarding the approval of the Master Plan and the “Purse”ue Your Dreams Auction.  Once the final Master Plan is received, the digital version will be made available to all Council members; a hard copy will be provided to those members who request one.  Ericka Stoor-Burning has resigned from the Council; there are now two vacancies.  Nick Wyatt, Staff Liaison to the Village of Skokie Fine Arts Commission, will speak to the Council at the November 13 meeting about the process of securing art for public display. Artist Kathleen Gallegos reported that she may be closing the doors of the Art Station Studio, and will then do more on-site activities. She will be at the Women’s Business Expo in Rosemont and invited all to attend. Artist Debi Gajewski reported that she is working on Halloween projects and is preparing for Christmas at the Grove in Glenview throughout November. All are invited. Niles Park District – Lindsay Brubaker reported on upcoming Halloween events, the Harvest Hustle on October 22, and the grand opening of the new Park District facility on Caldwell on November 4. Artist Carol Luc arrived late and did not give a report. VFW – Steve Vinezeano arrived late and did not give a report. School District 207 – Ed Eubank reported on the upcoming variety show presented by the Student Council and the Fine Arts Department and the winter concert on December 3. IV. Old Business a. “Purse-ue Your Dreams” Charity Auction Update Debi Gajewski reported that the purses are currently on display at the Historical and Cultural Center. After traveling to the Library, the Holly Jolly Market on November 25 and then back to the Historical Center, the purses will be auctioned off at the Niles 2  Public Arts & Culture Advisory Council October 16, 2017 Senior Center on Saturday, December 2. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. and the auction, conducted by Lot 14, will begin at 7:00 p.m. Debi is looking for someone to donate his/her time to play background music during the ½ hour reception. The Council discussed ways for the project to be promoted. It was noted that a temporary liquor license may have to be secured for this event. b. Master Plan Update The Village Board of Trustees approved the Arts & Culture Master Plan on September 12, 2017. The Lakota Group is making final corrections to the Plan and will send digital and paper copies shortly. V. New Business a. Master Plan Implementation Now that the Master Plan has been approved, Council members will work to establish priorities for implementing the Plan, create a budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, determine locations for public art and make decisions about the kind of public art to install. Members discussed a variety of ideas, including establishing Little Free Libraries in the recently named Niles neighborhoods, mosaic artwork and potential installation sites at Waukegan and Oakton and at Waukegan and Milwaukee. The focus of the next meeting will be to prioritize the list of locations and costs. Nick Wyatt, Staff Liaison to Skokie’s Fine Arts Commission, will facilitate this task by providing information about the process of securing art for public display. VI. Open Discussion Staff Liaison Cathy Spadoni noted that the Village website states that Mrs. Claus’ appearance at the Holly Jolly event is sponsored by the Arts & Culture Council. In light of this sponsorship, Cathy asked if the Council would be willing to pay for coloring books and crayons for Mrs. Claus to hand out to children waiting in line to see Santa Claus. This cannot be voted on at this meeting because it is not on the agenda, but she asked for a consensus approving the purchase (not to exceed $200) so that she could place the order. The matter will be placed on the November meeting agenda and will be voted on for approval at that time. Debi Gajewski recently visited a hamburger restaurant – Fizz Eatery – that she thought would be a perfect fit for Niles. She was referred to Ross Klicker, the Economic Development Coordinator for the Village. VII. Public Comment None 3  Public Arts & Culture Advisory Council October 16, 2017 VIII. Next Meeting The next meeting will be held on Monday, November 13, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. at the Village Hall Conference Room 218. Guest speaker Nick Wyatt, Staff Liaison to the Skokie Fine Arts Commission, will be present. IX. Adjournment There being no further business to come before the Council, Debi Gajewski made a motion, seconded by Kathleen Gallegos, to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 6:19 p.m. 4