Florida Council on Arts and Culture June 2, 2015

Meeting Minutes Teleconference

FLORIDA COUNCIL ON ARTS AND CULTURE

MEETING MINUTES

June 2, 2015

Teleconference

In Attendance:

Florida Council on Arts and Culture / Department Staff
Lois Benson, Vice Chair / Sandy Shaughnessy, Director
LeVon Bracy / Rachelle Ashmore
Jamie Bristow / Morgan Lewis
Katharine Dickenson / Dr. Gaylen Phillips
Towson Fraser / Elsie Rogers
Robert Judd / Michelle Smith Grindberg
Dr. Ruth Orth / Sarah Stage
Brenda Shoffner / Patty Warren
Joy Satterlee / Curtis Young
Kathryn Townsend

I. Call to Order

Vice Chair Lois Benson called the meeting to order at 9:05 am.

II. Introduction of Council, Staff and Guests

Rep. Benson asked the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and department staff to introduce themselves.

III. Adoption of Agenda

Ms. Bristow moved to adopt the agenda with Ms. Shoffner seconding. The motion passed.

IV. Chairman’s Comments

Rep Benson recommended that the Council keep an eye on the political races coming up.

V. Department of State Update

Sandy Shaughnessy reported that the strategic plan is now complete and the Division is working on the action plans, which will be posted on the website soon. The Council’s feedback is welcomed.

Cultural Facilities deadline is June 15, and there are currently 75 applications in process. The deadline for General Program Support and Specific Cultural Projects was on June 1. Staff is very busy with the 510 new grant applications along with more than 400 grants that have already been awarded.

The National Association of State Arts Agencies has selected Pam Breaux, from Louisiana, as the new President.

VI. Business Items

A.  Fast Track Panel Report – The Fast Track Grants Panel Meeting was held via teleconference on May 12, 20115. Twenty-six (26) eligible applications were reviewed and twelve (12) were recommended for funding. Funding recommendations for this program are based on priority level and average score.


A complete list of all reviewed applications, recommended funding amounts, and final scores is provided below.

# / Application Number
Applicant Name
Proposal Title
County / Application Type / Recommended Amount / Total Points / Avg Score
1 / 16.7.100.014
Bahama Village Music Program, Inc.
Bahama Village Music Program
Monroe / Priority 2 / $2,500 / 288 / 96.00
2 / 16.7.100.016
Delou Africa, Inc.
African Diaspora Dance & Drum Festival of Florida
Miami-Dade / Priority 1 / $2,500 / 287 / 95.67
3 / 16.7.100.017
New Theatre, Inc.
A World Premiere Play - TWO WEEKENDS & A DAY
Miami-Dade / Priority 2 / $2,500 / 282 / 94.00
4 / 16.7.100.023
Creative Pinellas Incorporated
Creative Pinellas CARMADA: Arts on the Move
Pinellas / Priority 1 / $2,500 / 278 / 92.67
5 / 16.7.100.011
Anhinga Press, Inc.
Poets Tour Sunshine State
Leon / Priority 2 / $2,175 / 277 / 92.33
6 / 16.7.100.020
Don't Miss A Beat, Inc.
Don't Miss A Beat: Summer Arts Programming for Underserved Youth
Duval / Priority 2 / $2,500 / 277 / 92.33
7 / 16.7.100.015
Hope at Hand Inc.
Foster Art and Poetry
Duval / Priority 2 / $2,500 / 276 / 92.00
8 / 16.7.100.007
Ghostbird Theatre, Inc.
Antigonick by Anne Carson
Lee / Priority 1 / $2,500 / 273 / 91.00
9 / 16.7.100.003
Main Street of Monticello Florida, inc.
First Floridians First Americans 2015
Jefferson / Priority 1 / $2,500 / 272 / 90.67
10 / 16.7.100.004
Ballet Vero Beach Inc.
Ballet Vero Beach Presents Chicago Repertory Ballet: Ticket Donation Underwriting
Indian River / Priority 1 / $2,500 / 272 / 90.67
11 / 16.7.100.018
Spanish Lyric Theatre, Inc.
4 Guys Named José… And Una Mujer Named Maria
Hillsborough / Priority 2 / $0 / 272 / 90.67
12 / 16.7.100.013
The Girls' Club Foundation, Inc.
Visiting Curator and Artist Program enhancement
Broward / Priority 3 / $0 / 271 / 90.33
13 / 16.7.100.008
Miami Beach Arts Trust, Inc.
Grass Stains
Miami-Dade / Priority 1 / $2,500 / 270 / 90.00
14 / 16.7.100.009
South Florida Chamber Ensemble, Inc.
From the Parthenon
Broward / Priority 1 / $2,500 / 270 / 90.00
15 / 16.7.100.001
South Florida Youth Symphony, Inc.
Tuition Scholarships for students
Miami-Dade / Priority 3 / $0 / 267 / 89.00
16 / 16.7.100.005
The Dance Now! Ensemble, Inc.
Dance NOW! Performs at the Florida Dance Education Organization Conference
Miami-Dade / Priority 3 / $0 / 266 / 88.67
17 / 16.7.100.019
Rootz of Music, Inc.
American Roots of Jamaican Music
Broward / Priority 1 / $0 / 264 / 88.00
18 / 16.7.100.022
Lake Worth Cultural Renaissance Foundation
LULA’s Art Infill Marketing Campaign
Palm Beach / Priority 1 / $0 / 264 / 88.00
19 / 16.7.100.024
Highlands Little Theatre, Inc.
Alice's Adventures
Highlands / Priority 1 / $0 / 258 / 86.00
20 / 16.7.100.026
The Laboratory Theater of Florida, Inc
Calendar Girls Leukemia & Lymphoma Project
Lee / Priority 1 / $0 / 258 / 86.00
21 / 16.7.100.025
Expanding and Preserving Our Cultural Heritage, Inc.
Kids Cultural Empowerment Camp
Palm Beach / Priority 2 / $0 / 257 / 85.67
22 / 16.7.100.010
Miami Piano Circle Inc.
Kletzmer Miami Project
Miami-Dade / Priority 3 / $0 / 256 / 85.33
23 / 16.7.100.021
Heartbeat Foundation Corp
4th Annual Brazilian Festival of Pompano Beach ( www.BrazilianFestPompano.org )
Broward / Priority 1 / $0 / 243 / 81.00
24 / 16.7.100.002
Florida Brass Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps, Inc.
Florida Brass Equipment Purchase
Pinellas / Priority 1 / $0 / 237 / 79.00
25 / 16.7.100.012
Sickle Cell Natural Wellness Group Inc.
R.E.D. The Arts & Wellness Exhibition
Broward / Priority 1 / $0 / 219 / 73.00
26 / 16.7.100.006
The Arts & Cultural Alliance of St. Lucie, Inc.
This is your lagoon
St. Lucie / Priority 2 / $0 / 214 / 71.33

Ms. Dickenson moved to approve the funding recommendations for the Fast Track Grant Program as presented with Ms. Bristow seconding. The motion passed.

B.  NEA Special Projects - The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) set program priorities for state arts agencies for 2014-2015. The NEA asked the state arts agencies to use Partnership Agreement dollars to support projects that provide access and services to the arts and cultural organizations in the state.
Each year, the Division identifies projects that address the priorities established by the NEA. These projects represent issues that are central to the mission of the NEA and that tie to the Division’s approved application. For this upcoming year, the Division is also addressing recommendations from the new Strategic Plan. These projects are constituency-based and monitored by Division staff.

Following the Council’s review and recommendation, the projects will be forwarded to the Secretary of State for approval. Award amounts for these projects are based on the amount of funds available per official notification of the NEA grant amount. The activity period is July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016.
The Division supports funding recommendations for the following 6 Special Projects:


Grant: 16-8501

Grant Award: Up to $35,000

Organization: Citizens for Florida Arts, Inc.

Project Title: Cultural Data Project

Grant: 16-8502

Grant Award: Up to $5,000

Organization: VSA Florida, Inc.

Project Title: Travel support to annual Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability Conference

Grant #: 16-8503

Grant Award: Up to $20,000

Organization: Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics, Inc.

Project Title: Rural Indicators and Metric Development

Grant #: 16-8504

Grant Award: Up to $22,000

Organization: Florida Association of Museums Foundation

Project Title: Mentorship Program and Professional Development

Grant #: 16-8505

Grant Award: Up to $35,000

Organization: Citizens for Florida Arts, Inc.

Project Title: Creative Capital Foundation Professional Development Workshops

Grant #: 16-8506

Grant Award: Up to $17,500

Organization: Florida Humanities Council

Project Title: Poetry Out Loud Annual Statewide Competition

Ms. Townsend moved to approve the funding recommendations for the NEA Special Projects as presented with Ms. Dickenson seconding. The motion passed.

VII. Other Business

None.

VIII. Open Council Discussion

Ms. Townsend asked if the budget proposal included the State Touring Program. Ms. Shaughnessy responded that it did not include State Touring Program and also did not include the Individual Artists Fellowship Program because the Division is currently changing these programs. The Division is hopeful that the changes made will encourage the legislature to fund these programs. Ms. Shoffner reported that she wrote an article about the State Touring Program in hopes that there would be increased interest in legislative funding.


Ms. Satterlee made a motion that the Council compose a letter to the legislature asking them to respect the process and not fund line items. Ms. Dickenson seconded the motion. The motion passed.

IX. Public Comment

None.

X. Adjourn

With no further public comment, the meeting concluded at 9:47 am.