Delaware State Arts Council Meeting



Delaware State Arts Council Meeting

March 17, 2010

Mispillion Art League

Milford, Delaware

Council Members Present: Delaware Division of the Arts:

|Lise Monty, Chair |Paul Weagraff, Director |

|Pamela Bell |Karen Lewis |

|Lou Braithwaite |Kristin Pleasanton |

|Richard Givens |Sheila Ross |

|Margaret Johnson |Susan Salkin |

|Gail Lear |Roxanne Stanulis |

|John Ranney | |

|Ruth Sokolowski | |

|Deborah Wicks | |

|Carson Zullinger | |

|Guests: | |

|Guillermina Gonzalez, | |

|Sara Gallagher, Mispillion Art League | |

|Sharon Hepford, Mispillion Art League | |

|Judy Struck, Mispillion Art League | |

|Carrie Townsend, Consultant | |

|Mayor Daniel Marabello | |

The meeting was called to order at 11:00 a.m. by Lise Monty, Delaware State Arts Council Chair. Ms. Monty requested that a motion be made to approve the December 16, 2009 Council minutes. Richard Givens made a motion to approve the minutes as written, which was seconded by Carzon Zullinger and was approved by all.

Ms. Monty complimented the staff for the Michael Kaieser “Arts in Crisis” event held March 16 at the Baby Grand. This event was very successful and there were over 200 people that were in attendance.

Paul Weagraff presented the Directors report (See Attachment I)

At the conclusion of Mr. Weagraff’s report, Lise Monty thanked the Mispillion Art League for their hospitality and introduced Sara Gallagher, President of the Mispillion Art League; Judy Struck, Board Education Chairperson and Sharon Hepford, Exhibit Chair. Ms. Gallagher welcomed the Delaware State Arts Council and said that they were delighted to have the Council visit their new facility. Ms. Gallagher stated that they have been fortunate to have a lot of community support. Ms. Stark stated that she is hoping to expand offerings to the community and Ms. Hepford reported that they had a wonderful turnout at the student exhibit this past weekend. The teachers as well as the students involved did a wonderful job. The Superintendent attended this event in which there were approximately 300+ in attendance.

Guillermina Gonzolez resigned as a Council Member as she is now the Director of the Delaware Arts Alliance and will be working with the Council in a different capacity. Ms. Gonzalez reported that the Delaware Arts Alliance’s objective is to serve as a dynamic advocate for arts and culture throughout the state. The DAA will be a unified voice for the artistic community.

This will be accomplished by:

➢ Creating visibility

➢ Educating business, government and institutional leaders

➢ Enhancing educational opportunities

➢ Uniting arts and cultural organizations and providing a forum for communication

Current members represent sixteen arts organizations and artists throughout the State.

Ms. Gonzalez provided contact information as well as information on how to be part of the DAA. She also expressed her enthusiasm about working in collaboration and reminded Council that National Arts Advocacy Day is April 12 & 13 in Washington.

Sheila Ross presented her report on Poetry Out Loud – Sheila Ross announed that Alex Cummisky was named the winner of the Delaware Poetry Out Loud program. This event was held at the Smyrna Opera House on February 24 in which 17 schools were represented. Mr. Cummisky is now preparing for the National finales which will be held in Washington April 25 through 27. Ms. Ross thanked all of the staff and Lise Monty as well as John Ranney, Joyce Hill Stoner and Gail Lear who participated in this event. Ms. Ross stated that this was the third year that the winner was from Middletown High School.

Susan Salkin then presented an overview of the upcoming grant season.

The deadline for grant applications was March 1 and the Division received 115 grant applications. One of the differences was that this year the DDOA received 62 GOS applications compared to 57 for last year.

Last year the Division distributed stimulus grants which were a one time opportunity to help save positions which will not be repeated this year.

There were approximately 40 new panelists assigned to review General Operating Support and Project Support applications. Arts Stabilization and Education as well as Startup grants will be reviewed internally. The grant line is 1.2 million with an additional 300 to 400 thousand in federal dollars.

Paul Weagraff presented two initiatives from Secretary of State, Jeff Bullock that he would like to see the Division manage this year:

➢ Governor’s awards for the arts; the Council is routinely asked to participate in some capacity at this event which will be held in early October. The staff coordinator for the event will be Kristin Pleasanton.

➢ In the spring of 2011 there will be a celebration of the youth in the arts; similar to the inaugural event of Governor Markell. Sheila Salkin will be the staff liaison for the event which will involve the arts community.

Sheila Ross reported that the Division of the Arts and the Department of Education applied for a NEA Education Leadership Institute that will bring a core group of 5 to 6 leaders in education and the arts to work with mentors related to education in the state. This group will be comprised of decision makers in the state who can make a difference. The application was submitted in January. The group would consist of Sheila Ross, Debbie Hanson, Dan Cruse, Dorie Jacobson and Senator Sokola. Ms. Ross will receive notice in April if it is approved.

Lise Monty dismissed the Council for a ½ hour lunch break.

At the conclusion of lunch, Carrie Townsend reported on the Strategic Planning process. See the Strategic Planning Process Power Point Presentation on the Division’s website. Ms. Townsend reviewed the levels of public input, including interviews, focus groups, brown bag lunches, online surveys, and public meetings. At the conclusion of this process, the importance of continued support of access to new and diverse artistic experiences was emphasized. There was a need for increased and sustained advocacy as well as a more effective effort to have the arts economic impact recognized as a key component.

Paul Weagraff posted the draft plan on line and invited everyone on the Division’s e-mail list to respond. Notice also went on out the website and print media about the planning process. Mr.Weagraff reviewed several of the responses that were received.

Mr. Weagraff reviewed the plan details with Council Members incorporating a few minor modifications based on public input from the review process. The Council unanimously approved the Five-Year Strategic Plan which is attached for record.

Mayor Daniel Marabello was in attendance and thanked the Delaware State Arts Council and the Delaware Division of the Arts for all that they do on behalf of the arts. Mayor Marabello emphasized the importance of partnering with local government as many are not aware of the programs available.

Richard Givens made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 1:54 p.m. which was seconded by Carson Zullinger with unanimous approval.

 Division Director’s Report March 17, 2009

• Michael Kaiser Arts in Crisis tour drew more than 200 registrants to Wilmington on March 16, 2010 organized by the Delaware Division of the Arts and Delaware Arts Alliance

o Attendees included First Lady Carla Markell, Secretary of State Jeff Bullock, members of the arts, business, philanthropic, and education communities

• The Division’s funding, to date, in the FY2011 budget has remained stable in the grant line. Two other lines were reduced: (1) one position was eliminated, and (2) our contractual line was reduced by $10,000, presumably in anticipation of an increase in federal dollars.

• Grant eligibility and review procedures are now established as regulations, taking on the force of statutes. A link to the regulations can be found on the Division’s website. This action, mandated in our enabling legislation, was recommended by the Joint Sunset Committee in their most recent review of our agency. The regulations are written in such a way as to broadly define eligible grant categories and review procedures, while retaining flexibility in developing specific funding initiatives without having to go through a regulations review and approval procedure.

• The ArtCo amendment, allowing special draws by member organizations to address their current financial needs, required unanimous approval by all eight member organization board. Seven of eight arts organization boards approved, one voted against the amendment.

• In recent weeks, it was brought to our attention that at least one arts organization has allowed its corporate status to lapse (be voided) with the Division of Corporations and to be proclaimed void by the Governor (indicating a failure to file annual reports for two consecutive years). This is not something we have routinely verified, once organizations provide us with their original certificate of incorporation.

After further investigation, the Division found 11 funded organizations to be voided entities and six to be delinquent in their reporting (a one-year lapse). The Division immediately sent out notices to all 17 organizations, instructing them to get their status re-instated promptly, or they would not be considered for funding in the FY2011 cycle. The Division will now routinely verify that applicants maintain “Good Standing” with Division of Corporations.

• The State of Delaware will be migrating to a new financial software management program in FY2011. While this will not be visible to our constituents, it means multiple hours of training between now and July 1 for staff members involved in grant reporting and purchases: Susan, Paul, and Karen.

 Agency Updates — Secretary of State Initiatives

• The Division has been asked by the Secretary of State to develop two events over the next several months.

o Fall 2010: Governor’s Awards for the Arts. Kristin Pleasanton will coordinate this event for the Division. Council members have routinely been called upon to participate in various aspects of the planning and execution of this event, from fundraising to selection of award recipients.

o Spring 2011: Celebration of Youth in the Arts. Fashioned after the Governor’s Inaugural Arts Celebration, but featuring youth exclusively. Sheila Dean Ross will coordinate that for the staff, but the idea is to get outside organizations to take on the bulk of the planning and execution of this event, with the Division as the coordinator.

• The Division has been charged by the Secretary of State to work on two initiatives over the next several months.

o Facilitate a comprehensive marketing initiative for the greater Wilmington area, engaging Wilmington’s arts organizations, CVB, and Tourism. The intent is to ultimately have the model replicated in other areas of the state

o Begin exploring other funding mechanisms for the arts to supplement the work of the state, corporations, and philanthropic communities.

Design Delaware: A Strategic Plan for the Arts in Delaware: FY2011–FY2015

The Strategic Plan is designed to be clear, comprehensive, and flexible. To correspond with the strategic plan, the Division and Council will annually develop an operational plan that integrates specific action steps, evaluative measures, and timelines with the goals and objectives of the strategic plan and the state’s fiscal cycle. In an ever-changing environment, the intent behind this approach is to keep the Division focused on the long-term goals and objectives, while developing operational plans that recognize the realities of a changing environment and variable resources over the short-term.

Mission Statement

The Delaware Division of the Arts is a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts to enhance the quality of life for all Delawareans.

Vision Statement

The Delaware Division of the Arts and the Delaware State Arts Council envision a day when all Delawareans recognize the arts as vital to education, the economy, and quality of life, resulting

in the broadest possible support and participation.

Core Values

Access to the arts for all Delawareans

Advocacy to raise awareness of, and support for, the arts

Creativity and innovation in the arts

Diversity in programming, services, audiences, and participation

Education in and through the arts for all ages

Excellence in artistic product, process, and service to the community

Partnerships to advance the arts and maximize opportunities

Public value of the arts to impact our lives and develop strong communities, economies,

and schools

Goals and Objectives

I. Strengthen the arts sector’s ability to deliver quality programs and services

1. Sustain/cultivate/diversify funding streams

2. Improve organizational/individual capacity

3. Improve efficiencies of operations

II. Broaden and deepen public engagement in the arts

1. Increase awareness of arts opportunities

2. Expand access to the arts

3. Increase levels of involvement in the arts

III. Advance lifelong learning in the arts

1. Raise public awareness of, and support for, arts education in pre-K–12

2. Increase organizations’ and artists’ capacity to serve as arts education resources

3. Facilitate increased access to arts-based instruction in both arts and non-arts settings

IV. Facilitate enhanced integration of the arts in civic, economic, and community life

1. Expand network of arts advocates and their collection of arts advocacy tools

2. Increase arts participation and profile in:

a. community and economic development initiatives

b. policy formation

3. Expand Division/Council role as leaders in promoting and supporting the arts

DELAWARE DIVISION OF THE ARTS STAFF (at the time of the plan's adoption, March 17, 2010)

Paul Weagraff, Director

Susan Salkin, Deputy Director

Gwen Henderson, Grants Manager

Karen Lewis, Administrative Assistant/Office Manager

Kristin Pleasanton, Art and Artist Services

Terry Plummer, Community Arts Development

Sheila Dean Ross, Arts in Education Coordinator, 504/ADA

Roxanne Stanulis, Communications Coordinator

DELAWARE STATE ARTS COUNCIL MEMBERS (at the time of the plan's adoption, March 17, 2010)

Lise Monty , Chairperson

Pamela Bell

Steve Boyden

Lou Braithwaite

Joann E. Browning

Richard Givens II

Guillermina Gonzalez-Sobrero

Margaret H. Johnson

Gail Lear

Elisabeth Poole

Reverend John Ranney

Ruth Sokolowski

Dr. Joyce Hill Stoner

Deborah Wicks

Carson Zullinger

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