Item 3 Arts Commission Annual Report 150202

STAFF REPORT

TO: Mayor and City Council

FROM: Jenny Rogers, Recreation Director

SUBJECT: Arts Commission Annual Report

MEETING DATE: February 2,2015

es C. McCann, City Manager

Approved for Forwarding:

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1 Issue: Presentation of the Arts Commission's Annual Report.23 Recommendation: Receive presentation.45 Background: The Mill Valley Arts Commission enhances the cultural life of the6 community by promoting the visual and performing arts in Mill Valley and by7 encouraging the efforts of local artists and the arts community. Each year the Arts8 Commission Chair presents a report to the City Council, which outlines the group's9 activities, accomplishments and initiatives. This year the Arts Commission's Annual

10 Report will be presented by Arts Commission Chair Teresa Rea.1112 Discussion: This year has been a highly productive year for the Mill Valley Arts13 Commission, which greatly benefited from City Council's commitment to offer14 additional support for its operations and activities. Guided by its Core Values to15 preserve the community's high quality of life and provide prudent fiscal policies and16 practices, City Council established ''further evaluation of the Arts Commission needs17 and implementation ofsolutions" as one of its 2012-2014 Priority Projects.1819 As a creative solution to its growing needs, the Arts Commission was folded into the20 Recreation Department in the fall of 2012. Commissioners, Director Rogers and staff21 have achieved even greater integration of the Arts Commission operations into the22 Recreation Department in 2014. This structure has greatly benefited the Arts23 Commission by providing the following: additional and ongoing administrative and24 program staff support; dedicated storage and archiving of essential Arts Commission

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City Council Staff ReportArts Commission Annual ReportFebruary 2, 2015

25 equipment, documents and resources (including the addition of a new outdoor storage26 shed at the Community Center dedicated to Arts Commission needs); expanded social27 networking outreach via the City website, the City's MY Connect e-blasts, and targeted28 department email blasts; and promotion of events through the Recreation Department's29 online registration system. Additionally, the Arts Commission is regularly featured30 with a dedicated page on its operations and programming in the Recreation31 Department's snazzy Activity Guides which are produced to promote the department's32 fall, winter and spring / summer program sessions.3334 The increased administrative and program staffing, resources and economic support35 provided by Council has not only led to greater arts programming in general, but has36 enhanced the quality of arts offerings provided by the Arts Commission and the37 Recreation Department this past year. In 2014, these additional funds allowed critical38 expansion of Commission's programming, outreach efforts and further refinement of its39 events and production execution, which has become a necessity.4041 As programs like the Comedy Night and Concerts in the Plaza grow in popularity,42 increased attendance changes the size and nature of these treasured annual events,43 necessitating greater oversight and magnifying the complexity of event production.44 Since joining the City in fall of 2013, Arts Coordinator, Kevin Marlatt, has worked as a45 staff liaison to Commission and as a highly capable production manager on the46 Commission's many special events throughout the year -- support that has proven47 invaluable this past year in delivering more tightly organized and highly polished48 events.4950 Commission and staff look forward to greater collaboration and synergy as a team as we51 work together on achieving the goals established by the City Council, the MV2040 and52 the Commission's own Strategic Plan.5354 Strategic Plan Progress: Gratified by the confidence instilled in it by City Council,55 Commission spent a great deal of 2014, (in addition to producing its roster of highly56 successful events), working on the implementation of priority projects identified in its57 Strategic Plan. In the last year, the Commission has made significant progress on58 several of these important projects including the following:

59 • Implement new General Plan goals, policies & programs specific to the arts.60 • Amend the title of the Arts Commission to "Mill Valley Arts Commission" and61 update Commission duties and responsibilities within the Mill Valley Municipal62 Code to include development of a new Public Arts Program.63 • Develop a Public Arts Program (PAP), including identifying sites for permanent64 and temporary installation of artworks in public.spaces such as a Sculpture65 Garden at community sites.66 • Promote the arts through development of a community arts calendar / bulletin67 board / kiosk and by hosting community building events like the "Arts and68 Culture Symposium", (a retreat for local arts organizations).

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69 • Promote strategic partnerships to encourage local resource sharing, to expand70 opportunities for local artists and to increase access to programs and71 scholarships for arts-related activities and events.7273 Amendment to the Municipal Code: The Commission's proposed Strategic Plan was74 presented to City Council for its consideration and approval on January 6, 2014, which75 it received. Following from this plan, the Ordinance to adopt recommended changes76 into the Mill Valley Municipal Code was then approved by Council at their meeting on77 February 3, 2014. The Arts Commission Ordinance changes included an update to the78 Commission's title and an expansion of its roles and responsibilities: namely79 responsibility for the creation ofa Public Art Program for the installation of temporary80 and permanent artworks on public and private property within the City; a program81 which the Commission will develop and oversee on behalf of the City Council and82 citizenry of Mill Valley.8384 Development of Public Art Program: As part of this Work Plan, Commission85 members and City staff have been working together to develop the Commission's first86 public art project, reCYCLE, an Outdoor Art Contest, featuring recycled bicycle87 wheels, decorated by local artisans, to be displayed outside the Community Center.88 This outdoor art project is set to debut this spring with a Kick Off Event on Earth Day,89 Wednesday, April 22Dd

, 2015, and selection and display of the award winning wheels in90 August of this year with an opening reception at the Center's First Tuesday Art Walk91 event, August 4th

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9293 Community Arts & Events Kiosk: This year, Commissioners investigated a number94 of various options for installation of a proposed community arts kiosk in the downtown95 area including everything from old-fashioned bulletin boards to modem electronic96 touch-based kiosk systems. The importance of creating a community arts and events97 calendar / kiosk was identified by local artists and arts organizations who attended the98 Commission's highly successful Arts & Culture Symposium and by members of the99 Community Arts Coalition during the recent General Plan process. In 2015,

100 Commission and staff, working in conjunction with the Mill Valley Chamber of101 Commerce, the Mill Valley Building and Planning Department and the Recreation and102 Parks Commission, hope to present Council with a fully fleshed out vision for the103 proposed kiosk in alignment with City policies, practices and with cultural attitudes.104 Proposed content of the kiosk would include information on current community arts and105 culture news, City news and information, opportunities for individual artists and106 galleries to showcase their artworks and local exhibitions, and promotion of current arts107 and culture events for visitors looking for things to do in town.108109 Support For New Artist-in-Residency Programs: The Commission, in consultation110 with the arts community, has also identified the strong need for the development of a111 thriving artist-in-residency program here in town. Artists are sorely in need of space to112 create their work as real estate values and rental rates have soared in recent years,113 eliminating affordable work spaces and access to local art studios. Commissioners hope

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114 to encourage and solidify these opportunities in 2015 as several organizations have115 expressed strong interest in hosting artist-in-residence programs including: 142116 Throckmorton, The Image Flow, O'Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley Recreation117 and the proposed Mill Valley Lumber arts and retail complex. This need is highlighted118 in the Community Vitality section of MV 2040 and was identified as a top priority at119 the Arts & Culture Symposium, November 2013. Designed as dedicated environments120 in which to create, individual organizations would invite artists to make their creative121 work during these temporary work residencies. The Arts Commission hopes to inspire122 and encourage this movement by local art organizations in support of keeping our local123 art makers in the community.124125 Update the Arts Community on Commission Progress: Lastly, Commission and126 staff are currently working on a new e-newsletter to update the arts community on127 progress being made on priority projects identified as having greatest importance to the128 arts community as shared community goals. The Arts & Culture Symposium, hosted by129 the Arts Commission (Sunday, November 3, 2013) was framed as a strategic planning130 session for the arts community, and comprised of attendees from all the major arts131 organizations in Mill Valley, City staff and two City Council members. This year,132 Commission elected not to hold a Symposium event in order to make real progress on133 priority projects identified by the arts community. Commission and staff hope to update134 the greater community on our progress via this new e-newsletter early in 2015.135136 Community Engagement: Beyond development of these exciting new initiatives, staff137 and Commissioners kept busy this past year supporting the Commission's cadre of138 popular ongoing arts programs, exhibitions, events and activities. These traditional139 Commission events include monthly art exhibitions at both City Hall and the140 Community Center curated by the Arts Commission, the First Tuesday Art Walk with141 opening receptions at both City exhibition venues and local businesses throughout Mill142 Valley, Comedy Night on the Plaza, Concerts in the Plaza, and the Click Off.143144 All Commissioners took turns as curators during the calendar year of highly successful145 Commission visual art exhibitions at City Hall and the Community Center. In addition,146 the Commission has adopted a new practice of inviting guest curators and local arts147 groups like the Marin Open Studios to showcase their work at City Hall and148 Community Center exhibitions which offered an opportunity to reach out to new groups149 of artists and expose local audiences to some incredible new artworks by talented home150 grown artists.151152 Of particular note in the Commission's roster of guest curated shows was the recent153 Suki Hill memorial exhibition at the Community Center, curated by Dave Christensen,154 Director of the Harvey Milk Photo Center, along with Commissioner Robert Kilby, and155 Suki's daughter, Abby Hill. January's Center exhibition and opening reception featured156 the largest First Tuesday ArtWalk crowd in its history, with a gathering of over 250157 people in attendance. Locals and first-time visitors alike turned out to show their158 heartfelt appreciation for Suki's life and work. This special event incorporated a live

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159 pianist Larry Moss and a vocalist, which significantly enhanced the ambiance of the160 event. In 2015, Commission and staff hope to include more live musical performances,161 when possible, to the experience of the First Tuesday opening receptions at City Hall162 and the Community Center.163164 Last year, the Arts Commission enjoyed an enthusiastic response to both our "Call for165 Artists" & "Call for Musicians" which we hope to build on in 2015. The Commission166 depends upon an enthusiastic response to its multiple calls for artworks and artists to167 ensure high quality visual arts and performance for our activities throughout the year.168 These include our art exhibitions at City Hall and the Community Center, Comedy169 Night and Summer Concerts in the Plaza, the Click Off photography event and now its170 reCYCLE outdoor art contest and public art installation. Last June's Comedy Night &171 the AUgust Plaza Concerts Series continued to draw appreciative crowds. 2014 marked172 the 11 Anniversary of Comedy Night in the Plaza and the largest crowd yet for this173 popular community event. The overflowing Plaza crowd enjoyed hilarity and wry174 comic entertainment from three famed comedians including headliner Kevin Pollack.175176 In addition, the Recreation Department launched several innovative new arts and177 cultural programs in 2014 including: Mill Valley LiVE, our monthly live performance178 series for youth and their families featuring some of the best kiddie entertainers in the179 Bay Area, saw record attendance (150-200 regular attendees) and exceptional growth180 for a new program in its infancy; Stardusters Ballroom Dances, our monthly swing181 dance party for adults and the senior set with moves and fancy dancing shoes to match182 (attendance averages 75 to 100 dancers per event); Mill Valley Camp Out, in183 collaboration with the Fire Department, a sold out success with over 150 individuals184 and families participating in this first time community event; Dia de los Muertos (Day185 of the Dead) community event which, in its 3rd year, has now expanded into one of the186 most culturally diverse events hosted in Mill Valley with over 200-250 attendees187 engaged in this free celebration and afternoon of hands-on craft making; Mystery on188 Boot Hill, a special dinner mystery theatrical production featuring the Ross Valley189 Players from San Anselmo and sponsored by the Mill Valley Senior Club; and Trunk or190 Treat, the newest addition to our Halloween festivities, this year's inaugural event was a191 huge hit (attendance estimated at 150-200) and promises to be an even greater attraction192 this coming October.193194 The Recreation Department also expanded its array of new Rock Center music classes195 and lessons in 2014, providing additional music and arts education offerings for tots,196 youth, teens and adults. This past year saw the introduction of our cool new Digi-Lab197 space for the digital production of music and video. Formerly known as the "Radio198 Room", the space had become an under-utilized storage closets before its199 transformation into the modem Digi Lab. Outfitting of the space was in part thanks to a200 generous donation by the Mill Valley Rotary, which paid for the lab's new Apple201 desktop computer. Mill Valley Recreation and the Rotary collaborated on the202 Community Center's New Year's Eve concert event (along with local promoters203 Murphy Productions) in 2013, which generated the monies for this generous donation.

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City Council Staff ReportArts Commission Annual ReportFebruary.2, 2015

Commission and staff hope to build on last year's successes by increasing the qualityand caliber of arts works and performances presented, further improving our productionof events and the quality of arts programs and activities in 2015.

Partnerships & Sponsorships: Arts Commissioners and staff worked diligently toexpand and further professionalize this past year's Click Off event in partnership withlocal photography center, The Image Flow. As in 2013, Commission elected to open upthe competition to a greater audience by allowing photographs to be taken anywhere inMarin. Broadening the appeal of the event allowed us to swell the ranks of registeredparticipants to a new high of 97. The event also benefited from greater sponsorship andeconomic support from the local business community. Commissioners in collaborationwith Recreation Department staff were able to build gift support from local individualsand businesses for the competition event providing prize donations in excess of $50oo!

Commissioners and staff have been increasingly successful in attracting donations offood and wine from local business, and would like express their gratitude for thisongoing support from Whole Foods in particular for providing free snacks, beveragesand wine for recent receptions and special events. Due to the great success of theirevents, Commission and the Recreation Department have begun to be approached withincreasing frequency by businesses interested in sponsorship and advertisingopportunities at their events and in the Recreation Department's Activity Guide. BothCommission and staff hope to make strides in exploring the possibilities for greaterphilanthropic and business support through the development of a sponsorship guidewhich will outline opportunities for partnerships and giving to the greater community.

Future Action: Looking forward, the Arts Commission has begun further work onimplementation of its Work Plan and in achieving goals established by Council, theGeneral Plan and its own Strategic Plan. The following goals were highlighted ashaving the highest priority in the new year:

• Fostering better communication and collaboration among local artsorganizations.

• Creation of a community arts calendar and downtown kiosk.• Completing a community needs assessment I arts census to better assess

community needs.• Partnering with the Chamber of Commerce and City Departments in sharing

information and resources on local arts programming and public events.• Growing the visibility and public participation in Arts Commission

programming and community events.• Creating more performing arts events in collaboration with the Recreation

Department.• Increasing social networking support.• Developing an internship program for aspiring curators I graphic designers I

website designers.

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• Recruiting more volunteers as additional0 staff support for Arts Commissionactivities and events.

• Developing a Public Art Program for the temporary installation of artworks inpublic areas in Mill Valley.

• Developing a citywide Arts Ordinance to help define the role of art in publicspaces.

• Refreshing our ranks with highly capable new Arts Commissionerrecruits, specifically those who might have specific expertise in socialnetworking, graphic design, webodesign and lor marketing expertise.

Lastly, as part of the natural evolution of the Arts Commission and the RecreationDepartment, Commissioners and staff are interested in exploring the possibility ofupdating the name of the Recreation Department itself to better reflect its new identityand its expanded arts programming role; some possible new names include "Arts &Recreation Department" and "Community and Cultural Services Department". ArtsCommissioners feel a new name would provide better integration and visibility withinpublicity and outreach efforts, help grow arts-specific programming and arts-specificstaffing within the department, and provide a contemporary update to the "outdated"identity of this recently re-organized city department. Any recommended changes tothe Recreation Department's identity would need to incorporate input from the Parks &Recreation Commission, of course, and the Arts Commission is interested in workingtogether with the Parks & Recreation Commission and staff to address this issuemoving forward.

Attachments: None

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Item 3 Arts Commission Annual Report 150202

Documents

Transcript of Item 3 Arts Commission Annual Report 150202