Bangor Cultural Commission approves grant increases, Artober logo, and award details

[0:22] Jennifer Snow: I'm terming coming up on the end of my second term, but I'm eligible to do one more charge sure the deadline if you're coming out December the deadline is Friday. All right, great. Hi everybody, welcome to September. I'm so glad to be back in person. This is much easier to do in person, but whatsoever, it's been a busy summer. So let's start with meeting minutes. Does anybody have any questions? Do we have, sorry, half thought we have enough people here for a quorum, right? One, two, three, four, five, great, just barely cool many minutes any questions? [1:59] Rosemary Lausier: How much is it, four? [2:01] Jennifer Snow: Four or five? Yeah, I think it's four. It's not only four. [2:05] Benjamin James: It's four, yeah. Yeah, because that was an issue for a while, but yeah. Okay. [2:14] Jennifer Snow: Can I motion to approve? Seconded. All right, all in favor? All right, thank you. My report, I don't have anything to report. All the things that I want to talk about earlier, well let's get rid of that financial report [2:37] Benjamin James: they still haven't loaded you said upstairs finance isn't loaded the it's a new budget but I mean everything is there so [2:48] Jennifer Snow: So yeah. Thank you for including the whole thing with our things highlighted to you. I don't know. [2:54] Ellen Taraschi: I don't see the lines. I know. There's a lot going on. Yeah. Yeah. [3:00] Jennifer Snow: Cool. Any questions about this year's budget? Obviously we haven't spent it. [3:16] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: Grant committee. Yes. So we had a meeting about a week and a half ago. Out. Our proposal is to double the limit for each of the different types of grants. So from, what is it, $1,500 for a single, for an individual to, is it a thousand? I think for an individual it was a thousand. Yeah, to two. And then for the group, the nonprofit group grants from 5,000 to 10,000. We would also like to make some changes to the application and things like that, but we're not going to be able to do that for this grant cycle because of the October grant cycle coming up right up. We need to get the application ready and on there and start pushing that so that we get applications for it. So what our goal is, we are going to start looking at what some different other grant applications kind of look like, some similar grant applications, to see if there's anything additional that they're asking for that we're not. But some of the things that we discussed were making sure that on the grant application specifically, it asks if they've submitted their follow-up from their previous grant act that they were approved for, because sometimes we're losing that in the process. We want to make sure that not only have we received their follow-up grant or follow-up report, but that it's complete and that we've gotten the information that we're asking for and that it's come in, you know, in a timely manner and things like that we want to make sure that we have the dollar amounts that the grants are for on the application because they're not so like we were searching for numbers on the application site and having a little bit of a hard time finding it so we want to make sure that 's very clear but yeah we just want to kind of clarify things but that's going to unfortunately have to be something for next year's grants not even the spring grants but like starting with the fall 2027 grants so that it's all equal right across the board. [5:55] Jennifer Snow: Yeah, so that's where we are. Did you all discuss, sorry? So, the doubling of the organization amounts very likely will mean that we will get applicants for more money, applications for more money, but we will likely then also still not be able to fully fund what we receive. [6:21] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: Yeah. What's the thought there? Well, the thought there was that our available funds have doubled, and so it makes sense to double the amount that we can give out, and just like it has been in the past, if the commission and the council decides that we would rather grant more people with smaller amounts, that means we can't fully fund everybody, then that's the decision that we make. But if we decide that somebody's grant application is something that we would like to see fully funded at a full $10,000, and that means that we can't fund others or because we have fewer applications, then so be it. We would be following kind of the same guidelines that we've been following. [7:13] Jennifer Snow: Cool, yeah, any questions from anyone else? [7:17] Mariya Doncheva: I have an administrative request to be added to the application, which is to submit a W-9 if they, if that has been included in the past, because I think with the most recent one, our finance department has been like, if we don't have the most updated one on file, it's kind of an additional back and forth to get there. That makes sense. [7:37] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: Do, is that something, so there were a couple of things that we weren't sure about. Can we make changes to the application without getting city council, without getting council approval? Or what is the approval process for making changes to the application? [7:55] Benjamin James: It depends on what you're making changes on. If it's like a major policy change, then I would want to bring it to be, you know, the Business and Economic Development Committee, but it kind of depends. [8:05] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: And as far as policy changes go, that is something that we need to make sure that we're talking about over the next couple months before 2027. Does City Council want us to clarify what is and is not permissible to be requested? So, for instance, the light hands, and we just want it to be as clear as possible for the applicants and the organizations that are applying. If that's what council would like to do, then okay. We just need to make sure that we need to, that people know that so that they're not spending their time applying for something that city council isn't going to approve just full handed. [8:47] Jennifer Snow: Right, I will say I if council wants us to do that I'd like to have an actual discussion. I think that's something they have some arguments for why it's so broad and that it sort of came up a little bit when we have the budget discussions, but if there wasn't a specific request to limit it at the point and I'm happy to have the conversations with them, but I do want to make sure that it's a conversation that our voice is at least. Yes, yeah, I mean, I think we should schedule [9:21] Benjamin James: it where if you are making some policy changes or and to have that discussion that we schedule it when you know a few of you can be at a little meeting to have that conversation. Yeah, we actually [9:34] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: had that conversation during our grant meeting because there it's great we have very different points of view on different things and you know so for instance Mariah is much more business minded and less she doesn't understand the performing arts as much and we were like talking right back to each other in it and so I think that 's some of where the difference is for the counselors versus like what my stand on it would be is that they're more business minded and they look at lights as a capital expense and that 's not something that they feel this grant process should be used for whereas i see it as a creative medium. It's a medium. So that's definitely a conversation that I think would be good to have. I don't think it's something that we should shy away from having because if we shy away from having it and then somebody else applies for that and they get denied, I would feel awful if they could have applied for something else, just they [10:52] Ellen Taraschi: didn't know right okay i think the best way to break it down to somebody who doesn't have any experience in art or music or production like is like a music concert you have lights if you take away the stage show lights it's a totally different experience you know what i mean if you go to a lot of fun concerts in these business people go in their little suites and if you could break it down like that to them maybe that you know just find a relatable avenue because not [11:19] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: everybody goes to the theater you know what i mean 100 and just sometimes you know like they don't think of it that way i don't think of it in the way that they're thinking of it and my brain just doesn't even go there so i think it's good to have those discussions amongst ourselves so that we can work through that and then present it in a way that hopefully will resonate with them yeah that [11:43] Jennifer Snow: That sounds great. Cool. Any other grant community questions? I'm excited about the increased amounts and excited to see what applications we can install. [11:55] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: As far as adding the W-9 request to the application, [12:00] Benjamin James: is that something? I don't sense they're gonna wanna do that at application because they have to give like a lot of tax information, but maybe at the award, you know, we just put it right in the application that you will be asked to provide a W-9 if awarded, that kind of thing, just so they know it's coming, so. [12:21] Jennifer Snow: Can we also then add a link to a blank current W-9 form? [12:25] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: Yeah. Yeah, to the state W-9 form. [12:27] Benjamin James: Yeah, I mean, a lot of independent contractors are used to the W-9 thing. [12:31] Ellen Taraschi: Right. So it's probably, it's not a, [12:33] Benjamin James: not a fun section. [12:35] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: Yeah. But, yeah. Right. Because that's where we can make it. [Benjamin James: Yeah, absolutely. Okay.] okay perfect so we can add that as a in the like important notes section perhaps but they you know will need to provide that if awarded at the time of receipt [12:59] Jennifer Snow: seat perfect cool all right cultural awesome committee cow's not here and we will talk about the strategy there so let's skip that for now let's talk about our toger got some things to do [13:19] Rosemary Lausier: yeah it's right upon us so you know my fault for not knowing the reporting requirements We were not able to meet this month because I didn't know that either, so yeah, I did not know that. So don't. Yeah. So we know an important, you know, there that we need to be able to post our meetings ahead of time. So there will be public notice. Got that all squared away, but we'll meet again next Friday morning, 830. And so in the interim, we do have a few things we want to try to hammer out with the whole group. If we could, most of it I think we can handle next week. So I'd start by saying we also pushed out the deadline for nominating someone through next Thursday for two reasons. One is why not, and the other is what it looked like. I was miscounting what we had, that the form holds nominees from the past. I thought we were in the mid-30s. We're actually more like eight or nine strong people there, no doubt but you know certainly the world of america right so the city pushed that out that don't count on me as a social media influencer i put it out on my you know through my facebook and things i haven't been able to get in touch with betsy or monique at the downtown bengal partnership anyone has a good line today no i 'll reach out it'd be great i should see [14:40] Ellen Taraschi: you next week actually, but if you want me to reach out before that, I can. Be great. Yeah, I mean [14:45] Rosemary Lausier: the sooner the better, and if you guys, you know, feel compelled, please throw it out, you know, share of the city length or something. So beyond that, so the actual award itself, you know, in the past we've awarded, you know, something made by a local artist who used a variety of people having to work in wood over the last three years, and we have a pretty nice idea presented by Ben and the committee [15:12] Samantha Schipani: This is a little small to look at. Yeah, picture that's in there is the three pictures there are basically different ones to choose from. Yeah. Thanks for the re-work too. [15:25] Rosemary Lausier: So it's an artist that works in glass. They're medium. Things are pretty small. I could probably, I don't know if in real time, I could send you an email where you could pull it up on the screen, but a picture of very nice hand-blown glass. [15:37] Samantha Schipani: Yeah, they are really like quality made, and they have lots of different colors. It could do custom colors inside potentially if we needed it. That would probably be, I feel like these would be fine if we just picked one that we wanted to go with. [15:56] Jennifer Snow: Do you know how much the engraving costs? [15:58] Samantha Schipani: I don't know how much the engraving is off-campus. Let me find out. Yes, I can. I can find out. Stat. [16:03] Jennifer Snow: Because in the past we've spent $100 on the gift, which I think is a nice amount, and they've all been engraved. [16:11] Nina Earley: And I think that is kind of a really nice element of the physical object. [16:18] Jennifer Snow: And if that, I mean it looks like we've got $35 to play with here. Yeah. If it falls under that, would be awesome. If it puts us at $110, maybe that still is worth it. Inflation. So that it's a nice object that is specific to the sport. [16:33] Samantha Schipani: Yeah, you can definitely get that. I love the idea. [16:36] Benjamin James: Awesome. Of the pumpkin as a part of the work. Yeah. Absolutely. [16:39] Ellen Taraschi: Do that. Absolutely. I like the white ones with the colors inside it as opposed to like your traditional orange pumpkin. I like that it looks cool. Yeah, I like that colors. Yeah, just I [16:55] Samantha Schipani: don't know, I mean, it's hard to say, like, is orange traditional, like traditional? Right now it's like, but it's also like an arts award, so you want to get a little funky with it, so maybe something [17:06] Benjamin James: These were always colored. I like the in the race. [17:11] Rosemary Lausier: Yeah, and you know what's in that picture might not be in stock. Sure. [17:16] Samantha Schipani: Well, we have to, you know. [17:17] Rosemary Lausier: And an alternative on the engraving side, Ben and I haven't talked about it, is, you know, we'd get a nice piece of wood that somebody glazes in to work for $135. So I go and sit on that piece of wood, and they say, oh, it's $100. You know, we have alternatives. So the idea was that other people would bring ideas to this meeting also within the committee asked people bring other ideas, you know, push this one on anyone, but I think quietly what has happened is no one's come up with a better idea or one that's even worthy of putting up against it. Right. So I mean if there's not a lot of opposition, I wish that I think anyone, yeah, great idea. Sometimes the best idea presents itself and it doesn't need, yeah, you know, two or others to vote on. Yeah, and [18:07] Samantha Schipani: then on the other side is the horizontal logo that's created for October so they fit better on the banners, the pole banners, right, so the middle one is the main logo but there are different colors, different color variants. [18:24] Rosemary Lausier: Yeah, so if there is still time, I think we've simply settled on some version of the middle one, but with a tan or some kind of background. Did we just decide on that? Well, what we decided on is that I was going to make it vertical. [18:40] Samantha Schipani: Yeah. That's what we left off. And then I made the three options here. Gotcha. But that's what we left off. So, gotcha. If you don't like that one or you want one of these better or you just want me to change it a little bit, that's fine. I like the dark color. Yeah. [18:57] Jennifer Snow: Yeah. It just, it pops out like to me. This is going to be, I mean it'll be for our whatever we post online, but also for the street banners if there's time to do that still this fall. [19:09] Benjamin James: Yeah, we're going to try to get a rush on it. Cool. Yeah, now that we have the logos. [19:13] Jennifer Snow: Does the city have guidelines or recommendations on what colors can be printed on those banners, [19:19] Benjamin James: banners, or what colors read the best? No, I mean, there's, it looks like you've got three here. You know, if you tell me which one you prefer, we'll work with that. What [19:29] Jennifer Snow: other information needs to go on the banners? Is it just Artober? Yeah, I think we're, yeah. I like the middle one the most. I think I'm having a hard time with the edge of the T. [19:42] Samantha Schipani: You don't like that? That was intentional. That was intentional to break the box. Yeah. Yeah, I did that intentionally. I don't know, I could see having issues with that too, but I don't even know if I love the box at all. Like that's just something I was putting on there to kind of like, okay, well we turned it, because did you see the other, you saw the other version, so we turned it, and the box kind of stayed with it. Yeah. So it could get the line on it, could get narrow, and it could also, if you wanted to make it balance the T, it just,, it looks a little awkward because the T crossbar at the top goes a little extent past the bottom leg of the R. So it looks, the R has like more like white space at the bottom because of that. I mean, it's not the end of the world and I couldn't just like, you know, hand move it over, but that's what that is. [20:32] Jennifer Snow: I think that's why the one without the frame looks more balanced. [20:37] Rosemary Lausier: Yeah. I gravitate towards the one in the middle, too. My only concern is white, though. [20:43] Samantha Schipani: White, I don't love for the banner. Yeah, I prefer, I would prefer the one on the left, honestly, for the banner, personally. [20:50] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: I really like the one on the left. It looks very, like, kind of Art Deco-y to me. Very, yeah. But I do agree, I would want that crossbar on the inside. inside. Only because, like, I understand your reasoning, but I think people are going to look at it and think it's a mistake. Okay. [21:13] Nina Earley: Yeah, can we see that? No problem. I'll send it on study. Or a version of this color, the frame. Oh, yeah, that's easy enough to experience. [21:23] Samantha Schipani: Yeah, like it could be a pan background. Yeah, or just the one on the left about the [21:28] Jennifer Snow: box. I like the orange and red and like this whole color palette and I like the art part in the [21:38] Samantha Schipani: bright orange. Yeah so maybe just get rid of the box on the left and then maybe that's what we [21:44] Rosemary Lausier: want. Yeah and then there might be a little work to do on the exact aspect because we don't know [21:51] Jennifer Snow: the dimensions. Yeah but if we can just then I think if you can share the colors. Yeah we'll get [21:56] Benjamin James: you those i mean if you if i if we just get a good load on me they 'll move it to their [22:02] Jennifer Snow: children yes do you and they can make a full read of the background variation [22:06] Rosemary Lausier: and it sounds like you don't need anything from us once we have well i don't need a good [22:11] Samantha Schipani: yeah it's time [22:21] Benjamin James: [22:24] Jennifer Snow: i don't think we will have a question Do we think we'll have time to update some of the print files that are coming out and some sort of a [22:45] Rosemary Lausier: thing? Yeah, we can make everything consistent with the new font and the new colors. [22:52] Jennifer Snow: Last year we printed nominee. Like a program? No, we didn't do a program. Oh, we did do a list. I have those files. Yeah, we do. That's easy to update the colors on if you just send me the hex codes for these colors. [23:09] Samantha Schipani: Send me the hex codes? Let me follow that quickly. [Jennifer Snow: Or whatever.] Or just send me a PDF, would that work too? Yeah. [23:20] Rosemary Lausier: Send me the hex codes though, for the law. Yeah, that would be great. [23:24] Jennifer Snow: But yeah, we printed a list of all the nominees with their websites sites and a sentence about them so that it's more of a networking thing to hand out and also last year it was new we did kind of a i'm a nominee paper award for those who were in the sidewalk arts festival so they could sit on their table this year though the sidewalk art is still [23:52] Rosemary Lausier: happening for our event but we'll know the nominees yeah we can get all of them [24:04] Jennifer Snow: sure cool yeah the map file update is slightly more complicated because we have hired a designer to do that i don't think i have the high res file but i can ask her again because she's now a fellow parent in class so she did last year say that she was sending the high-res files and then she didn't there's still a follow-up it's not it doesn't downtown go now too so yeah but it's not branded okay this one this one was specific to arts locations okay in downtown like art businesses i think one Idea we have too, for I think that's from exteriors, a mural map or like an art music back up down, you know. I think that would be really, but maybe that's something we can do after the new asset. Let's see with that, you know, that survey. [24:58] Ellen Taraschi: And yeah, maybe what parts, I think that would be really cool and to add it to the key so that you can like literally just pop the phone in front. I mean anything, where's the theater, where's this, you know, this everything's right there. I think that would be really. [25:13] Jennifer Snow: Yeah. All right. Lots of ideas for future meetings. Yeah. Let's get back to the rest of your list. All right. No,. [25:21] Rosemary Lausier: Those are all good things. But one of those dovetails, then no question for the group. I don't know what we're doing with the kiosks in Pickering Square now, but we could potentially, if they're empty, use them for October. Maybe put out a call to all the organization so they want to get something stuck in there. [25:38] Benjamin James: We could do it. Yeah. Yeah. Just work through Betsy. She does a lot of the things. [25:43] Rosemary Lausier: Input for that kiosk so and that so the ones in Pickering Square that are new, the new electronic ones, oh so no I was thinking more of one that you've asked this committee, oh yeah okay. [25:57] Benjamin James: Yeah if you want to put things in there for our children, is it because this the water district [26:05] Rosemary Lausier: Isn't doing anything right, yeah they haven't been able to get their stuff together. I've got a lot of projects going, well good so we'll sort out like a, you know, some kind of equitable boy to make that call, you know, so that at least we feel like we put it out there in a lot of ways so no one comes to us on October 10th and says why not me, you know, you didn't submit, so we can work on that next week. A nice thing to do and I'm sure that dovetails with some of the other things you're thinking about. Or later on the agenda, the last thing on our side is jurors, we need, you know, we'd like to have five total, two or no, and it would be last, someone from Bangor beautiful because they went out here, someone from the committee, Kelly or Cal probably because probably what it would look like, that would be Sarah. I don't know the reason I said that is I think one of you did it last year, a son, long story, so long story short, it's one committee member, it's last year's winner, so we really need three more so. We're hoping to have a list of six names that we could start to approach next week. We had quite a few names from previous meetings. I didn't join them with me, so this is just a data dump of names, hopefully from a variety of mediums, different type companies or organizations, or solo artistes. [27:58] Samantha Schipani: Yeah. Well, Pat Johnson's on, they were beautiful, since you're on the podcast, they were beautiful. [28:04] Jennifer Snow: Yeah. Have you reached out to a beautiful yet? Not yet, but I will. Okay. Yeah. [28:09] Rosemary Lausier: So Renya Steinberg from the VSO would maybe be someone. [28:15] Samantha Schipani: You know, Jasmine Bourne, who I run an art, or yeah, there's a lot about one of the two. [28:21] Ellen Taraschi: Sorry. What name did you say? Amy Giroux. Oh. Oh, yeah. [28:25] Jennifer Snow: Yeah, also, yeah, she's great. Yeah, I mean, it might be a good fit. I would maybe email them both together, given them both currently at the symphony, and see if either of them are interested, so that [28:39] Nina Earley: it's clear we're not asking them both. It'd be great. Who else did you say? I said Jasmine Horn. [28:45] Samantha Schipani: She runs, she does First Fridays with me, she runs Dream Angle of Jewelry, and she'd be really, she's [28:49] Nina Earley: very busy, but she will make time for things. Okay. Also, yeah, and so maybe looking for two or three more names, because not everyone's going to be able to. Candace, yes, from the library, and she's [29:02] Jennifer Snow: a good one. Yeah, I've just emailed her right before it's being started, as I was sitting here. Yeah, she does the curation of the library shows. What do we know, our last name? Yes, give me one second. Oh, okay. This happened to one member in the other room with Candice Joyce. [29:23] Ellen Taraschi: This happened to us when we were in the other room. We kept getting kicked out. I don't know how we fixed it, though. Yeah. Oh, I'm sorry. That's what I just said. Sorry. [29:32] Jennifer Snow: I missed that. Yep. Candice Joyce. C-A-N-D-I-S. And then J-O-Y-C-E. Okay. [29:41] Rosemary Lausier: Anybody know anybody at any of the dance companies or the ballet? [29:44] Samantha Schipani: The photographer that photographs along the ballet, yes, I am, Michael Hallahan. [29:52] Jennifer Snow: Oh,, but actually, yeah,, we could ask the owner of Thomas. Yes. Or some of the board members of Bangor Ballot. Yes. That's easy. Because Rosemary and I are both there with them. They're not all Bangor residents, but some of them are. [30:23] Ellen Taraschi: I'm trying to get this. Okay. Kelsey might be a great option. What about, oh, it looks like we're still on somebody from the arts. [30:31] Nina Earley: Ivy or the Element Museum, George Kinghorn, he's kind of a few Johns, I think, or we could ask what [30:40] Samantha Schipani: Rochelle's really nice too. I like Rochelle. I don't know the last name, but she works there at the Summit. She'd be a really good person to have. [30:47] Rosemary Lausier: About it right now, so last one anymore. [30:52] Samantha Schipani: There's a new president, Jan Cook is her name, and she might be a good person to ask. She's the president of the Baymar Arts Society. Jan Cook? Yeah. And their meeting is on the 15th. [31:06] Nina Earley: I'll try to find like the online program for other people. [31:09] Rosemary Lausier: I'll probably reach out to you on the comments side. I'm sure I can find Candace at the library and a few others. So I might reach out to a few people for contact info, but I'll just say where to find the website and so on. Yeah, great. So I think that's it. Everything else, I think we can attack next week in our meeting. Any questions over October? [31:30] Samantha Schipani: Can I just go over what I need to get done real quick before we? Yeah, I just want to make sure I'm going to get rid of the box on this. I'm going to get the hex codes for the colors and we'll send it to everybody. And I'm going to also talk to the guy about it. Great. You have the price on this. [31:42] Nina Earley: Is that how it is? [31:44] Rosemary Lausier: Yeah. I think that's it. That's enough, right? That's fine. Yes. Okay. [31:51] Samantha Schipani: Is that guy, he has a studio at Waterfall? No, he works at Waterfall. He's one of the directors of the glass building, but his gallery is outside of Waterfall on the outskirts of town. If you didn't know, he made a gallery and studio by chance. It's on Route 1 on the way into Belfast, like right inside Belfast proper, but not in the downtown area. But he is a glass perfect teacher at Waterfall Art and Stage Summer facility at his studio because there's a huge awesome glassblower facility two miles down the road. [32:22] Jennifer Snow: We'll need to account for a time to go pick up a student. He's not going to deliver. If someone can't, then let me know with enough notice. My sister has a studio at Waterfall and I want to see her on it. [32:36] Samantha Schipani: She must know. She must know Brian is. handoff. [32:40] Jennifer Snow: Okay. And it sounds like he needs about two weeks notice. That's where I'm at. [32:44] Samantha Schipani: I'll check on the ingredients. I'll get everything went down. And do we want to pull the sugar on it otherwise? Do you want to tell them to go with it? Yeah we can go with it. Okay, we'll tell them to go with it. [32:54] Nina Earley: Which pumpkin did we want to go with? I like one of the white ones. One of the white ones. [33:02] Samantha Schipani: Okay, yeah well the white pumpkin. [33:05] Nina Earley: If it's got the color styles. The white models. Yeah. yeah this one's the middle top on the right yeah thank you yeah great. [33:22] Jennifer Snow: we won't oh yeah we don't we can just go for it because we're not going to engrave the actual yes we've done that in the past and we're complete to have a name yeah and that has yeah let's just do that 's That's great. Yeah. Cool. Okay. Any other questions? Come to the meeting. [33:44] Benjamin James: Cool. All right. Staff updates. The Arts and Culture Strategy Plan, RFP, is ready to go, so we'll send that upstairs, and they have to have legal review it, so just take a little bit of time for it to get out the door, but it should get out the door in the next week or two. Okay. And once it does I'll send an email out to everybody so they can link to it to send it to, you know, post it to your socials, LinkedIn, whatever, to get that one out too. That sounds great. [34:19] Jennifer Snow: And obviously the deadline will be posted there, right? Yeah, cool. We need to, I think we need to start reaching out to, oh wait, actually a question, the steering committee that will form, yeah, will the steering committee be part of the potential interview process for who gets hired? [34:43] Benjamin James: Towards RFP, I don't recommend it only because it just becomes, you know, like if you have the more people the more difficult the decision is type of thing, so I think it's important to have somebody from the commission there. If you wanted to have another person I think that's fine, but you know to have, you know, like an eight person committee for it's a small contract so. [35:11] Jennifer Snow: Yeah, sounds good, so then we'll need to form the steering committee for when they start, yeah. I'm assuming that it's going to be like a month from when it gets posted to when the applications are due and probably another several weeks of interviews and contracting and paper signing, all that stuff. So we're probably looking at a January start for this work, right? Great. So let's, I don't think we have to then decide today who we might want to ask. [35:47] Benjamin James: I don't think we have to start outreach yet, no, I don't think so, but I think maybe next month, yeah. [35:53] Jennifer Snow: We start, yeah, so think about whether you want to be part of that process. I do think we should have, obviously we need representation in the steering committee from this commission and the cultural asset committee will be the first step, but anybody can be on the cultural asset committee, does not have to be CAL, in fact it should be spread out a little bit for workload, and this is going to be a big project, so the more people we can have involved in this I think the better from our commission to. Help, let me know any questions, I'm. [36:36] Ellen Taraschi: willing to help i think it's a really positive thing for the city i'm very excited for it and I'm probably the freest of anybody so put me to work I'm definitely looking [36:46] Benjamin James: forward to it and Kaylee put in your packet I saw okay yeah it was fun yes thank you and we're going to turn it again to the farmer's market on September yeah okay so if anybody is at the farmers market. [37:03] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: So then what's happening with all of these? Well these are the kinds of things that [37:10] Benjamin James: will give a consultant to say this is what we've heard from the general public. I mean obviously you as commissioners will impart you know some of the things you'd like to see but this would be part of that. [37:24] Samantha Schipani: Biddle Jam's got five checks, not four checks. Well, I have a few questions. [37:31] Rosemary Lausier: Sorry, I had a flurry of emails yesterday. Sorry for that. But I did send a couple of thoughts on the RFP along, which I know are just the thoughts of one person. Any of those make sense or those things to incorporate or not incorporate? Yeah, I'm trying to remember [37:46] Benjamin James: the different points, but I was going to make a couple of edits before it went, I don't want upstairs so yeah but I think the steering committee I think we [37:56] Rosemary Lausier: talked about that so are you okay with that now did I you know whether it may be made sense to make it nine or eleven versus seven when you think of all the [38:11] Benjamin James: constituents we have yeah no I think you know I think it's up to you guys but you know seven's always a good comfortable number but if you want to go to 11 i think that's gonna happen [38:22] Rosemary Lausier: okay yeah and at what point would you want to engage beyond the farmers market and other things to you know start asking bso other artists in the community ptc that would be part of the process that'll happen in the process okay i saw that it was in the process for sure so sorry i being clear. I just knew you're doing some outreach ahead of time, so. Yeah, this is just outreach, [38:49] Benjamin James: just general outreach I like to do every year. We like to be at the art show. We like to go to the [38:54] Jennifer Snow: farmer's market. Gotcha, yeah,. Yeah, I want to make sure we don't do too much of this work before someone is hired so that they don't feel like we've done some work and they have to sort of figure out. I follow you, yeah. The work, you know, like I want the person coming in to do this worker gets hired to have a say in how it gets done what they right i mean i think i did this [39:19] Benjamin James: To kind of get people excited about doing the products, yeah, you know, to say, hey, this is going to influence this project that the commission's doing, yeah. We don't want us to do that, oh. [39:30] Jennifer Snow: No, I think number that is totally fine. I was just saying the outreach to individual organizations and gathering input more that specifically I think should be led by the. [39:41] Rosemary Lausier: That makes perfect sense to me and you have a lot, you know, that's more expressed. I do just want to make sure we weren't missing and like all in the guise of like you'd never want to stumble out of the gate and then you know not get the best possible outcome and so they're not because those things happen once the consultant's high and it's not you know you don't do a lot of community outreach to start asking questions and you know this stuff is great. Okay, so by design other people, other voices. Come in once that gets all inside and so okay, excellent, that's good to know. [40:13] Ellen Taraschi: Yeah, excited, great, yeah, really excited, thank you. Some really good ideas too from the public, yeah, like people were really excited too. I know I will get to it. I think people want what we want, yeah, a positive change and I think there's something that everybody's. [40:31] Mariya Doncheva: Yeah, it's a nice question now, yes, it's awesome after this and there was like busking because a lot of people supported it and then it's like oh yeah something we were just kind of talking about on the staff level is targeting the west market square area and broad street area to increase pedestrian traffic and community engagement during arctober so we put a couple of questions in the packet and just want some general feedback of like what type of installation in that area might help further. Increase foot traffic or could something be physically procured within our limitation that is some type of art installation in that area and also like getting a pulse on what pre-existing events we already have that. And that seemed to generate a lot of foot traffic in that spot of town. [41:47] Samantha Schipani: I think to the last question, I think the Penn group does a lot, gets a lot of people. [41:52] Rosemary Lausier: There. They put the stewardship there. Yeah. [41:54] Samantha Schipani: They get a lot of people there. [41:58] Ellen Taraschi: I was thinking about when I read it, about the fish that they brought, the downtown partnership, the fish. Oh, yeah. That they brought in front of the library, remember? And that was really cool. I don't know if it's still available, if the artist still has it around the area. [42:11] Benjamin James: That's that. Yeah,, yeah. [42:14] Ellen Taraschi: I came out like I came out of my. We talked about this. [42:25] Rosemary Lausier: That's like an idea. Maybe that will end up short term installation on these bars like that. [42:32] Jennifer Snow: When you say West Market Square slash Broad Street, is that are there plans for the street to be turned into a pedestrian street? [42:42] Benjamin James: No, we're just looking at how can we activate that space more, you know, just to... A lot of people gravitate towards that area normally, but it would be great to just have that space more active. [42:57] Rosemary Lausier: For that month or... [42:59] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: Well, yeah. [43:01] Benjamin James: I mean, at the beginning, you know, October, but it would be great to have some things going there throughout the summer. I know Betsy does a lot. It's like we could augment that a little bit more. Yeah, I was just going to say, I think we should work with Betsy. Yeah, just to support that. No, she and I have talked about this. [43:17] Jennifer Snow: She's also the one who made the fish connection. We have the person who might know where that fish is. Or if there's maybe another animal that artist is. Right. [43:32] Benjamin James: And she and I are also working on, like, we're trying, we're working with that company that does the, you know, the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit that was trying to do something, [43:44] Mariya Doncheva: like that here. That would be awesome. Yeah. [43:50] Benjamin James: So we've got a bunch of stuff going on that would be very cool. [43:57] Ellen Taraschi: Another idea for that is to put up a stage for the kids. Like there is the stage at the sidewalk art festival that the younger kids were playing at and there's a lot of people that stopped watching those kids but I mean and it wasn't a big late PA system or anything you know but just a small stage for like a little kids ballad bands or whatever down in that space would bring people over to that end and you know I don't know just an idea that would have been expensive. I mean they could bring their own equipment and yeah. Yeah and related to [44:28] Rosemary Lausier: that you know some of the best ideas are stolen. We were in a small city in Canada similar size to Bangor and they had a real small stage that couldn't fit more than two people on it. It was like an open mic space. Yeah. It was sponsored and that you know I'm sure there was some vetting process to get a slot to do it but it was pretty deep. It was a little space like West Margaret's where it stood out to me as something that would have been interesting. [44:55] Ellen Taraschi: Yeah, that would be wicked cool. [44:57] Samantha Schipani: I have a page of TJ on top of the parking garage. [45:01] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: But it's not connected. [45:04] Nina Earley: We're just going to go. We're just going to go and have a signature. [45:09] Samantha Schipani: I could go up there. Yeah, that would be phenomenal. That would drop a lot. Yeah, I'd love to be able to be thought about that as much yet. And the first prize is wrapping up in October for the year. [45:30] Nina Earley: So maybe something to think about for next year. Yeah, I mean, I think some of these are bigger ideas. [45:34] Samantha Schipani: Yeah, I'm happy to, I'd like fan on those kind of things. Yeah, for sure. You know, we are watching ready to grow, right? Yeah, then paper and square is good for bigger art. [45:46] Rosemary Lausier: Like music things pretty adjacent to that space. Yeah, and right as the panels. [45:54] Jennifer Snow: Else end up with something at some point. There's just going to be a little bit of space. [46:00] Rosemary Lausier: Right, do you think prostitution it's fair? Let's try that because I mean you can kind of see one. [46:06] Samantha Schipani: From the beginning, that's generally I would like to figure that out. I'm coming to when I'm moving is. [Rosemary Lausier: There a.] City ordinance. Yeah, but I don't think so. There's that guy who's always in Pickering Square caterwauling. So I don't think so. Again, it's one of those things if I got in trouble, I would ask for forgiveness rather than permission. [47:36] Benjamin James: Because Tracy and I, Tracy was the parks and rec director and I talked about doing, you know, maybe as part of this sort of result of the strategy is that there is a sort of a busking plan, you know, that there's somebody in this spot and then this spot, you know, just to kind of coordinate it, you know, a little bit, you know. Yeah. We don't want people competing buskings like parks and rec. [48:21] Ellen Taraschi: Yes, that would be really cool. And they can also busk and make something lovely. [48:30] Benjamin James: Do you guys remember the tuba guy? Oh, yes. He was walking around playing a tuba, right? [48:35] Nina Earley: I guessed that entirely. [48:37] Ellen Taraschi: It was awesome. His neighbors must love him. [48:40] Samantha Schipani: I trumped it that I can't play the violin. [48:42] Rosemary Lausier: So we don't know whether there's like a city permit to be a busker or anything. [48:45] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: It looks like for busking you have to do an event permit okay and it's like a 25 average so. [48:52] Benjamin James: That might be a project for the future and work on like you know a way to allow that 's a little. [48:59] Rosemary Lausier: Easier. Yeah, we can buy a buskin and not park over though I suppose maybe there could be a. [49:08] Jennifer Snow: A cultural question grant where we pay a bus fare for a year and then once a week and then. [49:21] Samantha Schipani: You just it's just done. Yeah, and I'm sure we're doing here they'd probably give us a some sort of deal right I think yeah give it for less yeah that's cool but a broader. [49:34] Rosemary Lausier: Our idea to make that a more vibrant space with more arts of culture that we're here for. [49:40] Samantha Schipani: So there's a mural going, not necessarily near there, but not quite in Pickering Square. It's [49:44] Rosemary Lausier: over by the bank, but just around there. So you can see it from that intersection, [49:51] Jennifer Snow: not quite when you're driving, not when you're in West Market Square. That is going up in the next few weeks. Very exciting. I think their opening for it is September 26th, I think, Saturday, I believe. Before I go through events, things for, you know, greater public good, any final thoughts? [50:24] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: It just occurred to me that because the grants are due October 1st, we need to start making sure that the word goes out about grants and I don't recall how we are getting we've [50:42] Benjamin James: been getting that information out we usually ask Dave to do something in the city's Facebook [50:51] Jennifer Snow: page social media and the website and then people can share it I think I also in the spring I think I sent an email I was going to say previous applicants we had an email yeah I want to do that again and I think I'm also this week I'm going to do that for previous nominees okay hey the forum's open right now let's do some direct outreach because I actually think that's us more towards the same response so if you know anybody who should be nominated you all can nominate people can also self-nominate a little bit of conflict of interest to nominate yourself but unless you can send a link to a friend and say hey please comment me that's fine I would love to get at least 20 arts award nominations by next Thursday. We're at 10 now, we got one today. Okay. Well one of those [52:01] Rosemary Lausier: is a test that I put in. I wanted to make sure the essay part was coming. Yes. So you'll take [52:08] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: care of reaching out to Dave about submitting, putting something on social media. Yeah, is there [52:15] Mariya Doncheva: any particular language you might have that you want included with that or included with like [52:22] Jennifer Snow: updating the website. Can we see what was sent out last year? I have to do some digging but [52:32] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: if we can see what was sent out last year maybe we can update it with like you know we have more money. We should for sure. So that we can highlight that would be great And then I will send you, like, those small changes to the application. I'll copy – should I copy the entire commission on those changes, or do I just need to – because it's literally just, like, perfect. I will send those over tomorrow. [53:10] Jennifer Snow: Great. I'm just taking a really quick look at, I'm just trying to see if I can find. All right, I'm not finding it, but we've also made our own in the past. If you like scary things, go see the Witch Hunt Theater. First Friday is this Friday, with lots of fun things happening in town. Anything else happening over the next few weeks? [54:30] Samantha Schipani: If anybody likes music in the park, I'm playing in Hayford Park every Thursday. We're having DJs in a crowd. We've had about 20, 30 people turn up pretty regularly in the past. We're going to start doing them again in the fall. I have an 8th grade park, 6 to 8, it's over on Union Street, it overlooks the baseball field and the water park. Yeah. Like when? No, Thursday. Thursday 6 to 8. Thursday 6 to 8. Yeah. [55:00] Ellen Taraschi: Isn't there like a skateboard competition coming over there for the kids? [55:04] Samantha Schipani: Don't know, because we play like way under the top of the hill, so like we're like, [55:07] Nina Earley: I can't even see the skateboard. [55:09] Ellen Taraschi: I know, I was really excited about that. [55:12] Rosemary Lausier: Skateboard Park's down low. [55:15] Jennifer Snow: Where else is Skateboard Park? [55:16] Samantha Schipani: I don't know. I'm TJ and Patty Murphy's on the 26th. [55:18] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: And Golden Pond, it opens next week. [55:23] Jennifer Snow: And Golden Sea. And then the mural opens at the end of September. See the lighting. I have a solo show at the Rockman Chat, though. It's not in September, but in October. [55:40] Mariya Doncheva: Do you? Amazing. Fantastic. Congratulations. [55:43] Jennifer Snow: And then the AIGA, the other board that I'm on, poster shows at the library in October and November. That opening is October 8th. [55:52] Sara Elizabeth Green-Hamann: The Declaration of Independence is going to be at the library the 17th to the 19th. Then you have to get a ticket in advance, but it's free. We're just trying to make sure they know how many people will be there. All right. Great. Hopefully we'll see. What's going on? What's going on?