Bangor arts commission sets eligibility rules, plans ARTober kiosk displays

The Commission on Cultural Development's ARTober subcommittee met to vet award nominees and plan October promotion. Members agreed nominees must either live in Bangor or produce art in Bangor, and split the roughly 20-name list among themselves to verify eligibility. They also discussed filling Pickering Square kiosks with October arts posters and finalized details for an awards event on Thursday, October 8.

Key points

• Members agreed on an eligibility standard requiring nominees to either live in Bangor or produce art in Bangor, after extended debate over how to interpret the existing vague rule.
• The group split the roughly 20 nominees among members to verify residency and artistic activity, with a plan to check social media and nominating information.
• Members vouched on the spot for several nominees, including Brian Cattell, Holly Adams, Josh Westoak, Matt King, Sam Bullard, Chris Packard and Mariah Reading, while flagging Travis Baker and Ben Getchell as needing more research.
• The subcommittee decided to use the Pickering Square kiosks as a bulletin board for October arts posters, with members gathering flyers from organizations and delivering them to staff.
• Members concluded they lack the capacity to build out a broader citywide arts events calendar or social media promotion this year, and suggested revisiting the idea next year.
• The ARTober awards event was confirmed for Thursday, October 8, with an open public invitation, and jurors are set to meet Monday at 3 p.m. at the chamber.

Next steps

• Members will each vet about four nominees for Bangor residency or artistic production and report back.
• Members will collect October arts posters and event flyers and get them to staff for the Pickering Square kiosks.
• A member will write thank-you notes for the jurors and deliver them by Friday.
• Staff will look into a presentation box for the award, and the event will be promoted on the city Facebook page.
• The group will meet again next week, ahead of the October 8 event.

Read the full transcript The agenda