Arts Commission

ARTS COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022 – 6:00 - 7:00 PM AGENDA To allow public access, anyone may access a meeting by telephone or Zoom. Specific instructions and links can be found at www.norwalkct.org/meetings. Members of the public can call in and listen to a meeting. They will not be able to speak or see any of the meeting participants. Each meeting will use a unique Meeting/Webinar ID. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide "live comments" will need to register in advance and use the Zoom meeting platform. All participants will be muted upon entering the meeting. To speak, click the “raise your hand indicator” and you will call on by the host of the meeting during the public comment section. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment are encouraged to submit those via email in advance of the meeting. For these comments to be read into the record, they should be submitted at least three hours in advance of the meeting start time. Please email Maritza Alvarado at malvarado@norwalkct.org to provide written public comment prior to the meeting. I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IV. ADMINISTRATION a. Approve the minutes of the February 1, 2022 regular meeting b. Approve the minutes of the March 1, 2022 regular meeting V. COMMITTEE/STAFF UPDATES a. Budget Committee Update i. Finance update – Nori Grudin b. Communications Committee Update i. Social Media update – Marc Alan c. Infrastructure Committee Update i. Committee Report – Brian Kaspr ii. Art in Public Places RFQ and proposal Page 1 of 2 VI. NEW BUSINESS a. Brianna James Project Proposal b. Jamaican Community Plaque at Heritage Park c. New Mayor’s Gallery Exhibit VII. OLD BUSINESS a. MLK Lighting Project Update b. Traffic Graphic Box Project VIII. ADJOURNMENT Page 2 of 2  City of Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting February 1, 2021 ATTENDANCE: Mark Alan, Janet Evelyn, Steve Rust, Brian Kaspr, Heidi Alterman, Liz Tardiff, Robert Abriola, Melissa Metuska, Nori Gruden (6:20) STAFF: Sabrina Church OTHER: Julio Pardo, Artist; Duvian Montoya, Artist; Marina I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Alan Called to meeting to order at 6:00. II. ROLL CALL Chairman Alan gave a roll call of the members present. There was a quorum present. III. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Marina spoke about the Georgetown school of Arts at the Senior Center. Her children took classes with the school pre-covid. As the senior center is not available to host these lessons, she is asking the commission to help her find a space to hold classes. Brian Kaspr suggested the wallpaper space. Chairman Alan asked her to email more details and he and Mr. Kaspr will follow up with her. Mr. Montoya offered to hold classes in the Art Space. IV. ADMINISTRATION a) Approve the minutes of the November 9, 2021 regular meeting. ****Ms. Tardiff moved to approve the minutes with a name change in section 3. ****Mr. Metuska seconded the motion. ****Ms. Alterman and Ms. Evelyn abstained. The motion passed with a quorum of six. City of Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting February 1, 2021 1  b) Approval of the minutes of Dec 7, 2022 **** Mr. Kaspr moved to approve the minutes of December 7, 2022. **** Ms. Metuska seconded the motion. **** Ms. Evelyn abstained. The motion passed with a quorum. V. COMMITTEE/STAFF UPDATES a. Budget Committee Update i. Finance update – Nori Gruden Ms. Church gave an update. The request for $50,000 for art in public places was put in. The Public Art Maintenance Fund will come out of the American Recovery Act. Ms. Church gave an update on the public art inventory. The last time this was done was 2016. Once it’s completed, the inventory will be put online so the public can access information about the art and its location. A request was made for the same operating budget as last year; $14,000. Ms. Church reached out to the Visit Norwalk team, to see if they will take over the social media and newsletter. A new special events staff person should be on board in the next month. There is a balance of $8,000 remaining in the budget. Mr. Alan discussed how it is unclear what is appropriate to support with the events budget. Ms. Church explained that the Arts Commission should only support events where they have a physical presence there to promote the commission. There is $13,000 left in the MLK art project capital budget. There is $25,000 left in the art in public places budget. b. Communications Committee Update i. Social Media update – Michelle Rakowsky & Marc Alan Ms. Rakowsky is continuing to handle social media which has been going very well. Chairman Alan put out a newsletter on MLK Day about the MLK project. City of Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting February 1, 2021 2 The newsletter had an open rate of 37.5% and received positive feedback as well as emails in response. c. Infrastructure Committee Update i. Underpass Update - Brian Kaspr Mr. Kaspr reported that they are wrapping up the final piece of the MLK project. He would like to use what is left in the capital budget for a mural in another underpass in the MLK Blvd. Ms. Church stated that the commission can move forward with a call for artists for the next mural and choose a location. These will then need to be voted on and approved. VI. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Rust gave a proposal for installing lighting over the finished mural on the MLK corridor. Four floodlights will be installed to highlight the artwork. This will increase visibility and security. A motion and photo sensor switch and a timer will be used. It requires very little power. Estimates are 140 watts for the course of the year for a total1600 hours, well under $50/year. The next steps will be to reach out to Public Works and OMI which owns the facility. Ms. Church mentioned the utility company may cover the cost of the electricity through a community fund. Mr. Rust will continue to gather more information, and sources will be researched to cover the funding. Ms. Metuska had an art teacher from the Narimack School reach out to the commission asking about artists coming to classes to talk about what it is like to be an artist, share their work, etc. Currently, all campuses are closed, this would be when the schools open up again. Chairman Alan suggested that the communications committee could work on this. Mr. Kaspr volunteered to be the first artist. VII. OLD BUSINESS - MLK Project - Janet Evelyn and Julio Pardo Ms. Evelyn reported that there is $7,500 allocated for the student part of the MLK project. Mr. Pardo presented the students artists project budget, and how it will be implemented. It will be a City of Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting February 1, 2021 3 four-class structure, taught by Jahmaine West. It will be a total of 50 hours of his time. Eight students and four sites will be chosen. The timeframe is February - June 2022. Chairman Alan asked about the materials costs. Mr. Pardo explained this would cover the cost of paints and brushes needed to create the artwork. Chairman Alan asked for clarification on the insurance cost. Mr. Pardo took this number from previous similar projects and clarified that this was to cover the students and teacher for any accidents or liabilities. Chairman Alan asked about the costs for the Art Space. Mr. Pardo explained that this would vocer the time spent in choosing the students and keeping the space open while the students were meeting there. Ms. Evelyn asked if the students would come from the MLK Corridor. Mr. Pardo confirmed that this stipulation could be included. Ms. Evelyn discussed some reservations with having the program run through the Art Space. The first is that it is a for profit business, and it is not in the MLK Corridor. Mr. Pardo mentioned other spaces he has looked at, but none of them are set up for this type of project. Chairman Alan expressed concern with spending money allocated to enhance the MLK corridor in this way. *** Ms Metuska Moved to approve the project as presented. *** Mr. Kaspr seconded the motion. ****The committee voted against going forward with this project as presented. The committee would like to have the program reevaluated, with lower costs and have it presented it again to the commission for possible approval. Ms. Evelyn clarified that the goal is to ensure that the student art learning program includes students in the MLK corridor. And that the $13,000 earmarked for the MLK Corridor stays within the corridor. Chairman Alan would like there to be more public art in Norwalk, and more opportunities for working artists. City of Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting February 1, 2021 4 VIII. ADJOURNMENT ****Mr. Alan moved to adjourn the meeting. ****The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 7:50. Respectfully submitted, Amy Chaple Telesco Secretarial Services City of Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting February 1, 2021 5  CITY OF NORWALK ARTS COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MARCH 1, 2022 ATTENDANCE: Mark Alan, Chairman; Nori Grudin, Janet Evelyn (6:34), Melissa Metuska, Steve Rust, Elizabeth Tardiff STAFF: Sabrina Church OTHER: Brad Kerner, (Mural Proposal) CALL TO ORDER Mr. Alan called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m., acknowledged the above members in attendance, (as appeared on the Zoom meeting screen). He noted that he would reach out to a few members to see if they would be Ms. Church stated that there was not a quorum present, and the meeting would continue but without votes or approval of items. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mr. Alan stated that approval of minutes would be tabled until the next meeting due to the lack of a quorum. He asked if there were any comments or corrections to the minutes of the last meeting, and there were none. Chairman Alan noted a change the order of the agenda to have item under VI. New Business b. next on the order of business, as a courtesy to the representative in attendance. VI. New Business b. Review of EcoEvolution/5Fingaz Washington Street/Ironworks Mural Proposal Mr. Brad Kerner introduced himself and described his company, Eco Evolution, 105 Washington Street, as an environmental firm specializing in providing products and services with no-carbon footprint, low packaging, eco-friendly to encourage consumer environmental consciousness. Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting March 1, 2022 Page 1 Mr. Kerner presented an Artist Rendering Image of a mural ‘Sweat Dreams’ to be painted on the building at the corner of Washington Street/Iron Works building. There was a discussion on the positive acceptance of this design and the next steps of the approval process. Ms. Church explained that this Committee does not approve such projects, only the property owner, as there is no City Ordinance involved. She suggested Planning & Zoning should look at this, as past signage had been designated as advertising. She also suggested that Mr. Kernan could show the minutes of this meeting to document that the project was presented to the Committee. There was a discussion on future gallery openings for local artists and Mr. Kernan explained that he does not have art shows in his gallery, but there is artwork on display. COMMITTEE/STAFF UPDATES a. Budget Committee Update Ms. Grudin reported there is $7,817 allocated from the budget of $14,400 leaving $6,582 remaining of the budget. She noted that there are separate funding for Art in Public Places and MLK Student Art. There was discussion on costs of lighting, and Ms. Church noted that this is also separate with electric, installation and wiring costs covered by WPCA and Eversource funding. It was suggested to follow up with Julio on infrastructure costs. b. Finance Update Ms. Grudin reviewed the Operating Budget process, and a suggested that a separate Sub- Committee meeting should be held to outline details. Mr. Rust asked if there were available funds remaining from prior years Ms. Church indicated that the City has a ‘use it or lose it’ approach so any funds that are not allocated to a specific project are returned to the City. She added that she does have discretionary funds for infrastructure expenses. Communications Committee Update Mr. Alan noted that Brien Kaspr informed him there was nothing new to report. He added that some Art in Public Places ideas are in development and will be presented at upcoming meetings. Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting March 1, 2022 Page 2 Social Media update Mr. Alan reported that the newsletter is in the works to be published for March/April. Infrastructure Committee Update Mr. Rust spoke about MLK Lighting and the vendor used for installation as recommended by Janet Evelyn. He outlined that there are costs for installation and asked if a sample lighting fixture could be purchased to test color temperature and plug-in capacity at a cost of $150. Ms. Church replied that if he sent her the link of the item, she could use her P-card to purchase rather than have a reimbursement request. Mr. Alan suggested it is better to allow owner to purchase items to provide more control over the contractor for installation without adding the mark-up. He suggested this could be a test case to establish a process for future artist solutions with installation. Ms. Church agreed to set up time to meet with Suez. Ms. Church reported that the Redevelopment Agency staff are reviewing a proposal on Underpass Art that is going through the application process. NEW BUSINESS a. Review of Norwalk City Hall Art Gallery proposal. (Austin, TX People’s Gallery) Mr. Alan reviewed the Peoples Gallery in Austin Texas that was a similar gallery that could be used as a model when updating the City Hall Gallery for student art. There was discussion on the amount of artwork that has been there on display for the past few years. Ms. Church noted that things could be refreshed, but since the pandemic, there have been few if no in-person meetings or events at City Hall for this artwork to be viewed by the public. Mr. Alan reported that there is an artist’s scan code feature where artwork could be curated through the department for sale based on votes tabulated of the pieces. Ms. Church reported that City Building & Facilities Dept. is not happy with holes in the walls. Mr. Rust asked if there were funds available for the hanging system, which makes proper installation accurate, very easy and affordable. Ms. Church replied that we could use funds in the ARP - Art Reserve Plan. Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting March 1, 2022 Page 3  b. Traffic Graphic Boxes Ms. Evelyn discussed the plan for outreach to minority artists and students for project curator consideration. She explained the objectives of local artists’ involvement and creating another mural project for consideration. She added that she had contacted Loft Artist Studio on Wilson Avenue and was hoping for a follow up response as well as other organizations to solicit interest in traffic corridor artistry. VII. OLD BUSINESS a. Approve the installation of lighting for the pumping station mural in an amount not to exceed $5,000. Account No. 092114505777. Mr. Alan noted that this item would be tabled to the next meeting due to the lack of a quorum. ADJOURNMENT ** MS. TARDIFF MOVED TO ADJOURN. MR. RUSH SECONDED THE MOTION. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. The meeting was adjourned at 7:04 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, M. Knox Telesco Secretarial Services Norwalk Arts Commission Regular Meeting March 1, 2022 Page 4  Norwalk Arts Commission FY 2021-22 Printing & Duplication Account # 01-14-50-5221 Date Description Debit Credit Balance 1-Jul Beginning Balance $ 1,500.00 14-Jul Gway $ 370.00 $ 1,130.00 9-Nov Transfer to #5329 $ 250.00 $ 880.00 $ 880.00  Arts Commission FY 2021-22 Secretarial Services 01-14-50-5225 Date Description Debit Credit Balance 1-Jul Beginning Balance $ 2,100.00 Created PO for Telesco 7-Jul Secretarial Servies $ 2,100.00 $ 2,100.00 $ 2,100.00 11-Aug Telesco Secretarial Services $ 120.00 $ 1,980.00 14-Sep Telesco Secretarial Services $ 120.00 $ 1,860.00 14-Oct Telesco Secretarial Services $ 120.00 $ 1,740.00 15-Nov Telesco Secretarial Services $ 120.00 $ 1,620.00 13-Dec Telesco Secretarial Services $ 120.00 $ 1,500.00 8-Feb Telesco Secretarial Services $ 150.00 $ 1,350.00 3-Mar Telesco Secretarial Services $ 120.00 $ 1,230.00 $ 1,230.00 $ 1,230.00 $ 1,230.00 $ 1,230.00  Norwalk Arts Commission FY 2021-22 Advertising Account # 01-14-50-5237 Date Description Debit Credit Balance 1-Jul Beginning Balance $ 1,500.00 $ 1,500.00 $ 1,500.00  Norwalk Arts Commission FY 2021-22 Other Professional Services Account # 01-14-50-5258 Date Description Debit Credit Balance 1-Jul Beginning Balance $ 7,800.00 4-Aug PC July - Nice Festival $ 333.33 $ 7,466.67 9-Aug Michelle Rakowsky $ 500.00 $ 6,966.67 9-Aug mad Lab, LLC $ 200.00 $ 6,766.67 8-Sep Michelle Rakowsky $ 500.00 $ 6,266.67 8-Oct Michelle Rakowsky $ 625.00 $ 5,641.67 9-Nov Michelle Rakowsky $ 500.00 $ 5,141.67 29-Nov Michelle Rakowsky $ 500.00 $ 4,641.67 7-Jan Michelle Rakowsky $ 625.00 $ 4,016.67 27-Jan Michelle Rakowsky $ 500.00 $ 3,516.67 1-Mar Michelle Rakowsky $ 500.00 $ 3,016.67  Norwalk Arts Commission FY 2021-22 Business Expenses Account # 01-14-50-5286 Date Description Debit Credit Balance 1-Jul Beginning Balance $ 1,500.00 31-Aug Sabrina's Pcard - Amazon (tent) $ 207.86 $ 1,292.14 13-Jan The Norwalk Arts Society $ 250.00 $ 1,042.14 31-Jan Pcard - Hootsuite Inc - annual fee $ 370.10 $ 672.04 $ 672.04 $ 672.04 $ 672.04 $ 672.04 $ 672.04 $ 672.04 $ 672.04 $ 672.04 $ 672.04 $ 672.04 $ 672.04 $ 672.04 $ 672.04 $ 672.04  Norwalk Arts Commission Budget Summary Dept Account Summary Original Balance Expenses Transfer In Transfer Out Balance 011450 5221 Printing & Duplicating $ 1,500.00 $ (370.00) $ - $ (250.00) $ 880.00 Secretarial Services (PO for Telesco 5225 Secretarial Services) $ 2,100.00 $ (870.00) $ - $ - $ 1,230.00 5237 Advertising $ 1,500.00 $ - $ - $ - $ 1,500.00 5258 Other Professional Services $ 7,800.00 $ (4,783.33) $ - $ - $ 3,016.67 5286 Business Expenses $ 1,500.00 $ (827.96) $ - $ - $ 672.04 5329 Other Operating Supplies $ - $ (250.00) $ 250.00 $ -  Business Development & Tourism MLK BLVD ART FY 2020-21 09-21-1450-5777 PROJECT C0792 Date Description Debit Credit Balance 1-Jul Beginning Balance $ 50,000.00 Julio Pardo Creative - PO (Bal of $6,750 with 10-Feb correction) $ 10,500.00 $ 39,500.00 29-Oct Lauren Clayton Sarsoza - PO $ 26,500.00 $ 13,000.00 23-Feb Increase J Pardo PO (correction) $ 6,000.00 $ 7,000.00 Balance from closed po $ 2,500.00 $ 9,500.00 $ 9,500.00  Business Development & Tourism MLK BLVD ART FY 2020-21 09-21-1450-5777 PROJECT C0792 Julio Pardo PO#2100690 Date Description Debit Credit Balance 10-Feb Beginning Balance $ 10,500.00 24-Feb Julio Pardo Creative - 1st payment $ 5,250.00 $ 5,250.00 14-Sep Julio Pardo Creative - 2nd payment $ 4,500.00 $ 750.00 23-Feb PO correction $ 6,000.00 $ 6,750.00 24-Feb Julio Pardo Creative - Final Payment $ 4,250.00 $ 2,500.00 Close PO $ 2,500.00 $ - $ - $ -  Business Development & Tourism MLK BLVD ART FY 2020-21 09-21-1450-5777 PROJECT C0792 Lauren S. Sarsoza PO# 2200614 Date Description Debit Credit Balance 29-Oct Lauren C. Sarsoza PO $ 26,500.00 4-Nov Lauren C. Sarsoza - 1st Payment $ 13,250.00 $ 13,250.00 6-Jan Lauren C. Sarsoza - 2nd Payment $ 13,250.00 $ -  Business Development & Tourism Art In Public Spaces Program 0922-3760-5777-C0804 Date Description Debit Credit Balance 1-Jul Beginning Balance $ 25,000.00 $ 25,000.00 $ 25,000.00  Capital Accounts Summary of YTD Expenses and Account Balances Description Department # Pro.# Original Balance Expenditures PO Avail. Bal. MLK Blvd Art 0921-1450-5777 C0792 $ 50,000.00 $ 40,500.00 $ - $ 9,500.00 PO: Julio Pardo $ 16,500.00 $ 16,500.00 $ - $ - Req: Studio 162, LLC $ 26,500.00 $ 26,500.00 $ - Arts in Public Places Program 0922-3760-5777 C0804 $ 25,000.00 $ 25,000.00