Minutes from the August 1, 2011 Roundtable

Mendocino County Arts Administrators Roundtable Meeting Notes
Monday, August 1, 2011
1:30 am – 3:30 pm
Grace Hudson Museum
431 S. Main Street, Ukiah
Recent ACMC news & activities:

Ukiah Chamber of Commerce ED, Amanda Hair, is now sharing office space in the Historic Ukiah Depot with the ACMC ED, Alyssum Wier, and Visit Mendocino County Director of Marketing, Betsy Wildberger (Alyssum and Betsy share one office, Amanda is across the foyer/gallery area). This means the building is getting more traffic which is good for all of our organizations! Alyssum hopes that there will eventually be a way to display or house information outside the building so it is accessible even after hours and on the weekends.

The ACMC has been involved since Spring with a creative place-making project in the North County. The project was a competition (open to Laytonville-area artists) to design welcome banners for the town of Laytonville. The project is intended to culminate in a celebration of area artists while providing a welcome to travelers and improving the business district. The street banners, once fabricated, will be up for 9 months out of the year. A panel was held a week ago and 15 year-old artist, Lindsey Ivasku, won. Her design is of a sun with radiating rays of light. The banners will debut in the fall.

ACMC staff and volunteers were in attendance at Taste of Mendocino at the Fort Mason Center in S.F. on June 13th with an exhibit of over 30 works of art (some quite large) and an information table. This annual event is primarily a wine event hosted by the Mendocino Wine and Wine Grape Commission but this year included ACMC and artisan food (a Farmer’s Market section) which added value (and color!) to the event. ACMC displayed artwork from Off the Beaten Track: Unpredictable Landscapes of Mendocino County, the Grand Opening show held at the Ukiah Depot in early May. (You can find a video of the exhibition hall and the ACMC exhibit on the ACMC Facebook page.)

TOT funds for the Grand Opening enabled the purchase of artwork display hardware that remains in use at the ACMC office. If you are interested in guest curating a show at the ACMC office — either highlighting the arts of a certain region of the County or showcasing the arts of the WHOLE county (i.e., issuing a call that is open to all artists), please approach Alyssum. The ACMC office is a resource for all artists in the County and is a place to find information about all arts organizations and arts-related events in the County under one roof. Please make sure we are getting your publicity material.

There is also a small but growing collection of donated contemporary art books at the Depot (for a Contemporary Art Reading Room). A volunteer will be cataloguing the collection (currently around 100 titles) and we’ll eventually post the list online. (Click the Contemporary Art Reading Room link in the first sentence of this paragraph to view the list of titles.) This program is volunteer-powered. We are looking for donated subscriptions to literary journals and magazines to add to this resource! If you would like to donate back issues, please contact Alyssum. A similar collection of books exists on the coast, at Lost Coast Culture Machine (ACMC Board Member, Anne Beck, is co-director of LCCM).

Alyssum attended the annual Americans for the Arts conference in San Diego, immediately following Taste of Mendocino.

Alyssum attended a Mendocino County Economic Development Summit recently at which an idea arose to market “Made in Mendocino” not only for food and artisan food products but also for hand-made items. What do you think about this? Is this something that the art community would embrace? Let Alyssum know.

ACMC’s Get Arts in the Schools Program (GASP) is now entering its 7th year. The application is now online! To apply, an artist must be a professional in their field, reside in Mendocino County, be a member of the ACMC and have experience teaching in the schools. Thanks to the Community Foundation and a grant from the James Irvine Foundation, ACMC will be able to expand this program and its supplement program, particularly in the areas of professional development for artists and arts integration training for teachers.

Alexis Moyer spoke about American Craft Week, Oct 7-16, 2011. Artists, Arts Organizations and Businesses are invited to dream up an event and add it to the list of activities celebrating ACW. Please see the ACMC site for an event registration form and more information and contact Alexis if you have any questions: 707 895 2810.

Alexis is also thinking of having a passport for visitors to get a stamp from all the places they visit…
Alexis is compiling a list of events which will be posted to the ACMC online calendar.

Mendocino Art Center – Mike McDonald

Mendocino Art Center is still struggling this year but has found good interim leadership. Some workshops have been canceled but overall they have more members than last year. Studio Tour is coming up in the fall.

Art Center Ukiah, Corner Gallery, Ukiah First Friday – Katie Gibbs

Has space open for artists to show. Artist needs to sit one day in the gallery in exchange for space. Having a few classes.

Mosaic, Mendocino–the Good Life, is now on display outside at Perkins and South State Street. Arts Council of CA and Art Center funded it. Elizabeth Raybee, young people and community members created it. (Alyssum added: There is an article on the project on the CAC website!!!)

Artists and Automobiles– the Driving Force, Show coming up, entry fee $25, due by Aug. 26 2011.

Woodturner and textiles show for American Craft Week in Oct.
Friends show in December
December Gift Show – Artist sit for opening then volunteers sit. People can come to buy gifts over time.
First Friday Elliot Little Photography and Elizabeth Raybee.in Mendo Traveler and 101 Mendocino
Raffle Don Pagano watercolor for funds for Corner Gallery

Grace Hudson Museum – Sherry Smith-Ferri

Currently Samuel L. Jackson landscape show and Grace Hudson landscapes.
Not enough money or staff time.
Grant for outside grounds improvements, will include public art pieces. Grant pays for infrastructure, not people hours.
Need to re-prioritize time.
Website re-do through ACMC grant. Torrey will create online store. Need to photograph everything, takes time, not ready yet. Really want to check it well before they go live.

Gloriana – Julie

Ideas to freshen up promotion. Better ways to get the word out.
Website – Webmaster works full time
Looking into Social Networking
Need help with grant Writing
Having adults shows and youth shows
So many talented people
Need more volunteers
Will try shows at Cotton Auditorium

Mendocino Stories – Pattie DeMatteo
Mendocino Stories and Music Series
So many talented people sometimes have 6 events a month but looking for larger audience.
This month mostly music and Tracy Burns – Improv comedy
Starting New Voices – New performers that have not performed in public before or for the Series before. May be some out of towners, too.
Always interested in new venues – 50 people – small house concert.
Want to promote partnerships – partner with inns and restaurants.
This fall event Tall Tales Contest during Paul Bunyan Days. 2 best tellers at kick off party – no fees.

Ukiah Symphony – Millie Hickey

Symphony under the stars – tables $100 w/ $20 admission
Contest for decorating tables and a gift basket for best decoration.
17th and 18th of September are concert dates.
Concerts are at Mendocino College. Next year the college is going to raise the rates and the Symphony can’t afford to pay pay what the college wants but they are committed to this season.
Trying to get more young people interested in the symphony
Have plenty of volunteers mostly ushers and so forth but sales are down.
Dine out events in private homes are successful – trying to branch out attract new people. Children’s concert w/ ballet in February was successful gave some money to Mendocino Ballet. In 2012 Children’s concert will be Tuby the Tuba w/ the Mendocino ballet. This year had 1300 kids – even bused them in from Lake County.
North State Street restaurant event $50 per person, less work since restaurant provides food.

County Youth Project – Gary Hudson

Gary has lived in the county since he was 11 years old. He was a deputy sheriff for 27 years – just recently retired. With Anna Kvinsland (former ACMC ED) he had spoken about art being a part of the social network for youth. There is a direct correlation of youth involvement in the arts to safety and a social network. Family services board supports it.
March 2012 there will be a First Friday Art Auction to support youth. They are hoping to raise $5000
Hamlet for students… Working with ACMC, with youth.

Tribe 13 Gallery

Tribe 13 is located at 221 N State Street (old Tangerine Gallery space)
They are past their 1st year anniversary
They are looking for more ways to get the word out & bring in volunteers. They have their own postcard for the first time.
Tribe 13 shows inter-dimensional – spiritual based art.
Clients are mixed broad-based with a subculture vibe but not age specific.
They host events w/ music, hand drummers, film screenings.
They have many volunteers with social networking skills.

Pot Luck Ceramics Club – Judith Edwards

Started with Community Ceramics Lab at College of the Redwoods – Group of Potters who pay for studio time and firings.This group of potters started the club.
We have EIN# and bank account $600 in tithes from sales twice a year.
Buy materials for ceramics lab with money – books etc
Put on workshops
Participate in Art Center Studio Tour
Will have open Studio during American Craft Week

ACMC – Bill Mulvihill
Members can now enter their info on the ACMC website and upload 10 pictures

BREAK-OUT SESSIONS REPORT BACK:

Cultural Tourism Ideas – Pattie, Alyssum

Cultural Tourism
Post shorter URL at crossroads “Find Events at: www.ArtsMendocino.org”
Work with Scott Schneider to promote events to inns more directly (maybe a complete listing of week’s events) Already have Go Arts and Guide to Artful Living Add something more personal like: “What is happening tonight:” to be printed and posted at Inns.
Work with wineries directly. We want more wineries to join the ACMC! Wineries that exhibit artwork, hold trunk shows, or host musicians will find good value in joining ACMC.
Formalize relationship with Wine Grape Commission
Drop off promotional material in Cloverdale and Healdsburg
Chamber in Cloverdale loves to hear about events in Ukiah and the coast.
Look into foundation for Hwy 1, like Route 66 Foundation? (Gualala Arts in interested in this)

Youth Development

Young people consider themselves to be artists. Acknowledge their creativity with participatory activities. “Everyone is an artist.”

Partner with other organizations so you have access to their circles.

For symphony: incorporate a visual show.
See Phadroid on Youtube esp. sydney opera house
discounts under 18 years old $5
free for music students
fundraising dinner highlighting youth performers
entirely volunteer contributions in Santa Rosa
opt out of mailings to save $ and only distribute electronically

Painters at work on stage during a concert. (Combine music and painting.)

Have someone painting while music is playing and then auction the painting.
Film it and sell DVD.
Blog – marketing

Ford Foundation is supporting urban Art projects
Artists should be owners of what they create (rather than get priced out of an area they have made cool) ACMC would like to encourage artist ownership and participation in the benefits of the value they have created.

Links Mentioned:

theabundantartist.com (Blog dispelling the myth of the starving artist)
Phadroid http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=phadroid+&;aq=f (example of performance that could be combined with traditional art form to engage more youth – appeals to multiple senses)
Code for America (Like teach for American but they work with city governments to write code for public good) www.codeforamerica.org
Corey Huff in Portland http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bidWalKvtes (art and urban decay)