Fine Arts Commission

Skokie Fine Arts Commission May 10, 2023 Meeting Notes 1. Call to Order at 7 p.m. by Chairperson Pam Garbarini Present: Chairperson Pam Garbarini, Vice Chairperson Jeff Rhodes, Staff Representative Meredith Gioia, and Commissioners Michelle Beatrice, Debra Hatchett, Pramod Joshi, Judy Levan, Sonya Osseny, Pamela Sloan, Mitch Thomas, Vassi Vasevski, and Ellen Waxberg. 2. Upcoming Projects a. October 2023 National Arts and Humanities Month i. Proclamation - Gioia read the updated proclamation (included) for the commission to review. All approved the proclamation so Gioia will forward it to the Mayor’s Office. It will be scheduled to be read at the October 2, 2023 Village Board meeting. All commissioners should plan to attend. ii. Google Form for Outreach - Reminder to commissioners that the Google form is open for them to add their suggestions of arts organizations to reach out to. Link is https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QP2bq1zptHyUiV-Ffv123- D1QDgKFMjDxmR19_4lz8U/edit#gid=0 1. Gioia will share poster and information with Alex Franz, staff representative to the North Shore Center for Performing Arts Board to be shared at their next meeting. 2. Suggestion was made to reach out to Niles West and Niles North as well. iii. Vice Chairperson Rhodes explained the process that organizations would follow. 1. Organizations would submit a Google form with general information about their organization. Subcommittee members would determine whether the organization fulfilled the criteria to be included. If so, the organization would be sent a link to submit their events. 2. Organizations would enter in their own events and images, but the events will not appear on the calendar until a member of the subcommittee reviews and approves the events. a. This process was decided upon because it puts the responsibility for accuracy upon the arts organizations and lightens the workload for the subcommittee. #611135  b. While all organizations will be sent the same link, the submissions will be separate and need to be approved. iv. Posters were delivered. They will not be distributed until the QR code is live. Concern was expressed about continuity of design in future years. Gioia explained that while the Skokie jumble logo will only be used for Downtown Skokie going forward, replacing it with the Explore Skokie logo while keeping the wordmark the same should be recognizable enough in the future. v. The subcommittee (Rhodes, Osseny, VanOsdol, Thomas, Beatrice and Sloan) will meet separately to finalize the criteria for organizations and events. b. Spring/Summer 2023 Skokie Through the Lens- “Delighting in Our Diversity” i. The first call for submissions will be included in the Summer edition of NewSkokie. ii. Chosen photos will be included in an online slideshow and printed out and exhibited on displays in the lobby of Village Hall for the month of October. 1. If we get many submissions, may limit it to one per photographer for the lobby display. 2. Perhaps include some sort of event/reception for the October 2 Village Board meeting. iii. Gioia will investigate whether slideshow could be included on public access channel. c. October Storytelling Event i. After discussion, it was decided that next event should be held at Take Flight Spirits due to the ambiance and the opportunity to support a Skokie business. ii. Subcommittee responsibilities – Commissioner VanOsdol was suggested as the person to contact Take Flight since he worked on the last storytelling event there. Gioia will work with Commissioner Thomas to review Eventbrite to see if she is comfortable assuming the ticketing responsibilities. Commissioner Sloan will again assemble gifts for the storytellers. iii. Given that it is happening in October, the theme should reflect “spooky season” but be broad enough to allow for a variety of stories (ie Love Lost and Found in February). Commissioners were encouraged to give thought to ideas. 3. New Business a. SOAR posters #611135  i. Gioia unveiled the new SOAR posters to be hung at upcoming exhibits. It includes images of this year’s artwork and an explanation of what SOAR is. ii. Gioia will reach out to Oakton College to schedule next year’s exhibit b. Cultural Arts Grants i. After being absent a few years due to COVID, the Cultural Arts Grants program was reinstated in the FY2024 budget. ii. $10,000 has been budgeted for the Fine Arts Commission to distribute. iii. Discussion as to who may be eligible for the grants (schools or schools and not-for-profit arts organizations). Further discussion and a vote will be taken at the June meeting to decide. iv. Will also discuss granting fewer grants but in larger amounts to create a larger impact. v. Schools will be encouraged to investigate programs like artists in residence rather than one-day assemblies. Perhaps we will share links with them for ideas. vi. Even though the vote won’t happen until the next meeting, we will send a communication to the principals ASAP and ask them to share with their art/music/theatre/dance teachers so that they will be ready to submit when school is back in session in the fall. vii. Grant applications will be due October 1, reviewed and voted upon at the October meeting, and announced as the conclusion of Arts and Humanities month. 4. Adjournment – Commissioner Thomas motioned we adjourn and Commissioner Sloan seconded. Meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m. Upcoming meetings: June 14, 2023 Skokie Village Hall 5127 Oakton Street Skokie, IL Conference Rooms D&E NO JULY MEETING #611135 NATIONAL ARTS & HUMANITIES MONTH Village of Skokie, Illinois Proclamation By George Van Dusen, Mayor of Skokie WHEREAS, the arts and humanities are the embodiment of all things beautiful and entertaining in the world -- the enduring record of human achievement; and WHEREAS, the arts and humanities enhance every aspect of life in Skokie -- improving our economy, enriching our civic life, driving tourism, and exerting a profound positive influence on the education of our children; and WHEREAS, arts education research shows that the arts help to foster discipline, collaboration, creativity, imagination, self-expression, and problem-solving skills while also helping to develop a heightened appreciation of the beauty of diversity and cross-cultural understanding; and WHEREAS, we use the humanities -- history, literature, philosophy -- to explore what it means to be human; and WHEREAS, the arts and humanities play a unique and intrinsically valuable role in the lives of our families, our communities, and our state; and WHEREAS, the month of October has been recognized as National Arts and Humanities Month by thousands of arts and cultural organizations, communities, and states across the country, as well as by the White House and Congress for more than two decades: THEREFORE, I, George Van Dusen, Mayor of Skokie, Illinois, do hereby proclaim October 2023 as SKOKIE ARTS & HUMANITIES MONTH and call upon all citizens to celebrate and promote the arts and culture in the Village of Skokie. #611135