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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10141997 - P1 IN THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, STATE OF CALIFORNIA In the Matter of Declaring the ) Month of October 1997 as ) RESOLUTION NO. 97/ 508 ARTS& HLTMANIT7ES ) MONTHin Contra Costa Count_) WHEREAS,-Contra Costa County recognizes the contributions of artists, historical societies, art agencies, scholars, museums, theaters, performing arts, libraries, schools, and foundations.that represent and support the arts and humanities; and WHEREAS, the arts and humanities benefit and contribute to the health and well-being of the citizens of Contra Costa County by allowing people to express their creativity, providing enjoyment and enrichment for others, adding to cultural diversity through the display of events relating to cultural heritages, and creating jobs for county residents; and WHEREAS, Contra Costa County actively supports the arts and humanities through its newly formed Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County and the several regional arts alliances that are functioning throughout the county; and WHEREAS, Contra Costa County has arts and humanities programs that include the arts for- people. with disabilities, children of all ages,-seniors, outreach art,- inner city art, homeless art, and therapeutic institution based art therapies. - NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Supervisors declares October 1997 as ARTSAIVD HUAL4A7ITIESMOA7THin Contra Costa County. PASSED AND ADOPTED -ON October 14, 1997, by -a unanimous vote of the Board members present. _ Mark DeSaulnier, Chair Ji ogers G Uilkema D Gerber Joe Canciamilla I hereby certify that xhe foregoing is a true a?67Temnorder entered on the Minutes of said Board of Supervisors on the aforesaid date. Witness my hand and the Seal of the Board of - Supervisors.affixed this 14th day of October, 1997. PHIL BATCHELOR, Clerk of the_ Board of Supervisors By an County Administrator. ( . . � = Deputy Clerk - Introduced by Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier, District IV Arts andult C ure Commission of Contra Costa County. RECEIVED September 16, 1997 ��� 6 1997 CLERK BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEMORANDUM CONTRA CO STA CO.. District Commissioners: To: Jeanne Maglio,Clerk of the Board FROM: Margo Cowan, Executive Director. Stacey Moss District I RE: Agenda Item for Meeting of the Board of Donna Homer Supervisors: October 14, 1997 District II At its meeting of September 10, 1997, the Arts and Culture Judy McConnell Commission confirmed that 10:30 a.m. on October 14, 1997 is a District III satisfactory time for a 30-minute presentation to celebrate Arts and Robert Rezak Humanities Month. We thank you for adding this item to the agenda, District Iv and appreciate most especially your advice and encouragement in this matter. Karen Mitchoff of Supervisor DeSaulnier's staff has been Helen Meagher very helpful in working with us to get a resolution approved for District v presentation on that date. I'll confirm with you our plans for a brief musical performance as part of the presentation as details are At-Large Commissioners: determined. Elaine Smith Dunlap Thanks again,Jeanne, for all of your efforts on our behalf. Please do Richard Martinez not hesitate to call if you need additional information regarding this request. Sandra Pyer Shirley Smith Note new address,telephone and fax: 1236 Escobar Street,Martinez, CA 94553 510-646-2278 510-646-2078(fax) 651 Pine Street . Room 108-A Martinez, California 94553 Tel. 510 335-1415 Fax. 510 646-1396 ARTS AND CULTURE COMMISSION OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY 1236 Escobar Street, Martinez, CA 94553-1293 * 510-646-2279 August 14, 1997 Board of Supervisors, Contra Costa County. . Phil Batchelor, County Administrator Scott Tandy, Chief Assistant County Administrator Re: Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County(AC5) Two-Year Report The Arts and Culture Commission of Contra.Costa County (AC5) concluded its second year of operations on June 30, 1997. We wish to call to your attention the following significant achievements over this two-year period: •. Friends.of AC5 was incorporated by the State.of California in August 1996 as a nonprofit public benefit corporation providing financial support to the Commission. In May 1997 the Friends of AC5 Board of Directors met for the first time. • The Commission took a leadership role in enlisting the support of arts organizations throughout the County to urge the State Legislature to maintain the current level of funding for the California Arts Council,from which AC5 receives its largest grant. The Legislature complied with our request, and credited our efforts for changing its position. , .. • In October 1996 the Commission honored six County residents for lifetime achievement in the arts,with an awards ceremony, reception and dinner at Saint Mary's College. Nearly 200 people attended. The second annual Arts Recognition, Awards Ceremony is scheduled for October 19, 1997 at Saint Mary's College.., The late philanthropist and humanitarian Margaret Lesher will receive .a special posthumous award voted unanimously by Commissioners to honor:.her great benefaction within the County. The current year began on a high note with notification from the California Arts Council that AC5 was awarded an annual grant of$28,500 under the State-Local Partnership Program for Fiscal Year 1997-98 and Fiscal Year 1998-99. This was an increase of$1,500 over last year. At the same time, our peer panel ranking was upgraded to Level 3; from Level 3- last year. ' AC5 Two-Year Report page 2 New officers installed at the July 9, 1997 Commission meeting were Judy.McConnell; District 111, Chair; Scott W. Gordon, District II, Vice Chair; Sandra L. Pyer, At Large, Treasurer. A summary of our accomplishments is attached in greater detail. We would very much welcome the opportunity to report to the full Board of Supervisors or its Internal Operations Committee bi-annually to update you on our activities. In the meantime, if you should need additional information, please feel free to contact either of.us: :Thank you for your continued support of our efforts: Sincerely, Judy McConnell Margo Cowan Chair Executive Director Attachments: California Arts Council Peer Panel Ranking "The Year in Review- FY1996-97". ARTS AND CULTURE COMMISSION OF CONTRA COSTA.COUNTY The Year in Review FY1996-97 Accomplishments and Achievements The Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County(AC5), was established by the Board of,. ; Supervisors on December 13, 1994 and activated on July 1, 1995. The following is an overview of the Commission's significant accomplishments,achievements and activities: Mission Statement: The Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County(AC5) is dedicated to advancing the arts in: a way that promotes.communication, education, appreciation and collaboration throughout Contra Costa County so that_we may grow creatively as a community that preserves and celebrates our diverse cultural expression. FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT The Commission formed an independent organization,Friends of AC5, which was incorporated by. the State of California in August 1996 as a nonprofit public benefit corporation to support financially and to promote the activities and programs of AC5:. In May.1997 the first meeting of the Friends of AC5 Board of Directors was held to discuss, among other issues, recruitment of additional board members and fundraising strategies. In July 1997.the organization applied to the I.R.S. for'., recognition of exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and is currently awaiting formal determination of tax-exempt status. The Commission continued to receive financial support from the Contra Costa County,Board of Supervisors ($15,000) and the California Arts Council ($27,000). Additional funds totaling over$30,000 in project support were raised from a major corporate sponsor, and through contributions to an annual awards ceremony. PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Calendar: Through generous donations from Browning-Ferris Industries and Contra Costa Newspapers, the Commission launched a quarterlycalendar of arts and cultural events taking place throughout the .county. The first issue appeared in October 1996. More than 167,000 copies are distributed as inserts within the Contra Costa Times and the four related papers of the Knight-Ridder... newspapers. Public response hasbeen favorable,with some arts organizations attributing increased attendance due to interest generated by the calendar. The Commission seeks funding for continued . publication in 1997-98. Newsletter. Through its hi-monthly newsletter,Arts Alliance Network,the Commission informed arts organizations and supporters about Commission activities and other news about the arts. The first issue was published in May 1996 and is currently mailed to over 1500 arts organizations and individuals on the AC5 mailing list. FY96-97In Review page 2 Media Roundtable: In July 1996., the Commission co-sponsored a Media Roundtable in collaboration with the.Richmond Arts and Culture Commission and arts organizations in Richmond, Over 80 attendees had an opportunity to meet editors and reporters from the Contra Costa Newspapers and to learn about the editorial policies regarding coverage of the arts. . Exhibitions: The Commission continued presenting art exhibits on a rotating basis in the Board of' Supervisors Chambers, and in 1997 expanded the program to include district offices of individual members of the Board. Arts Recognition Awards: In October 1996 the Commission honored. six individuals for achievement in the arts and for the far-reaching impact their work has had over the years in Contra Costa County. The event included an awards ceremony, a reception and dinner attended by nearly 200 people at Saint Mary's College of California. It was the first such Countywide arts recognition awards ceremony ever held, and generated exceptional and widespread publicity. Honorees, representing all Supervisorial districts,received special trophies and copies of the resolution adopted by the Board of Supervisors saluting their accomplishments. .The event was taped by Contra Costa Television for delayed telecast. The second annual awards ceremony will be held October 19, 1997. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS California Arts Council: As the State-Local Partner with the California Arts Council(CAC), in January 1997 AC5 hosted a.full-day series of consultations with a program officer.from the Council's Organizational Support Program and County arts organizations receivinggeneral operations funding from CAC. AC5 also hosted a meeting of the District 9 members of the California Assembly of Local Arts Agencies (CALAA), representing county and city arts agencies of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Arts Alive!: With funding provided by the Housing Authority of Contra Costa County as part of a collaborative effort, the Commission produced Arts Alive!, a'summer arts program for youths between 12 and'I8 years of age who live in public housing. The program consisted of hands-on' classes taught by artists who demonstrated excellence in their media and in teaching young students. The Martinez Police Activities League (PAL)was a partner in the program. Multiculturalism and Planning: At its annual planning retreat in February 1997, the Commission identified the formulation of a multicultural diversity policy as its highest priority for 1997-98. To be developed in collaboration with multicultural communities, as recommended by the California ' Arts Council, the policy,will help the Commission in making decisions in areas such as the. appointment of Commissioners, staffing,programming, advocacy and technical assistance, as well as ensuring that all citizens have access to the resources that are necessary for full cultural expression. The Commission, in partnership with County agencies and arts organizations, seeks funding in FYI 997-98 to develop a long-range cultural plan to provide guidance and direction as the FY96-97In Review Page 3. Commission grows and expands its role: Alliances: Commissioners representing the five Supervisorial districts continued to meet .individually and collectively with arts leaders and patrons in their districts to build and strengthen alliances that help the Commission and arts organizations carry out their missions. Advocacy: The Commission took a leadership role in enlisting the support of arts organizations throughout the County.to urge.the State Legislature not to reduce funding to the California Arts Council, from which AC5 receives its largest government-sector grant. The Council credits the ' Commission in large part for changing the Legislature's position on that issue. AC5 also made . presentations before various community groups and the Contra Costa Conference of Mayors. ADMINISTRATIVE DEVELOPMENT Personnel: The Commission was saddened in April 1997 over the untimely death of its colleague from Supervisorial District V,.Helen Meagher. During 1006-97, the Commission accepted the resignations of its first Executive Director, Nancy Angelo, who took advantage of other career opportunities,and Commissioner Donna Homer of District H,who left to await the arrival of a baby. In December 1996 the Commission hired Margo Cowan as Executive Director, and in April 1997 hired Carla Paganelli as Office Manager. In May 1997, Supervisor Uilkema appointed Martinez resident Scott Gordon, an attorney, to replace Ms. Homer as District II Commissioner. Office Location: Since its formation, the Commission has moved offices three times and is now located in the County-owned historic Morrow House at 1236 Escobar Street. The Commission.has a long-range goal of developing a feasibility study for facility usage and funding to renovate the former residence to allow for public exhibitions and performances, in addition to its administrative operations.