Village Seal Committee

Village Seal Committee June 12, 2023 Meeting Minutes In attendance: Dick Witry, Patrick Deignan, Alex Franz, Maria Monastero Bueno, Amanda Sabri, Trustee Khem Khoeun (virtual), Joe Hibdon, Sheila Crumrine, Thom DaMario, Jasmine Gurneau. Absent: Emily England, Karen Lise Sherman, Michaela Marchi Introductions: Members introduced themselves. Review of Village Seal Review Committee’s Work: Co-Chair Monastero Bueno reviewed the findings and recommendations of the Village Seal Review Committee from February 2023. Public Engagement: Co-chair Monastero Bueno stressed importance of public education component in seal design process, and also relayed the Human Relations Commission suggestion that children be engaged in the process. Co-chair Monastero Bueno also suggested communicating the Village’s proactive and forward-thinking approach to this initiative. The group discussed various potential design processes, including engagement of artist(s) and/or design firms to create a final, usable design reflective of Skokie. Joe suggested ensuring that selected artist(s) are engaged prior to reaching out to children and/or the greater community for design concepts in order to ensure that their artistic process and integrity is respected. Dick suggested that clear parameters must be communicated if/when designs or concepts are solicited from the community. Patrick offered the idea of issuing an initial community survey to gather community members’ general thoughts about Skokie’s characteristics and attributes, which Amanda thought could have additional value beyond the seal initiative. Patrick agreed to draft a community survey and engagement plan for discussion at next meeting. Artist Selection: Jasmine offered to provide the committee with directory of Native American artists from the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative (CAICC). She also suggested that members of the committee present the Village’s initiative at the next CAICC meeting on June 29 to gather additional input. Joe suggested that all artists be compensated for their services, even if their design is not chosen as the winning design. Schedule for Future Meetings: The group set the next meeting date for June 26 at 9 a.m. at Village Hall.