Arts Commission Accomplishments for 2009-10

DEPARTMENT SUMMARY

The Arts Commission organized a countywide Arts Symposium on April 17, 2009 on the topic of Arts Funding Sustainability. There were more than 100 in attendance at the event, including arts advocates, educators, artists, students, arts administrators, and foundation representatives, as well as officials from city and county government.

The Arts Commission organized and promoted its third annual “Poetry Out Loud” high school student poetry recitation competition held on February 26th in the Mural Room of the County Courthouse. This program was the result of a partnership with the California Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Poetry Foundation. Santa Barbara’s student winner competed in the statewide competition at the State Capitol in Sacramento on March 23, 2009.


PROPOSED STRATEGIC ACTIONS:

• Through the Arts Commission, continue to work collaboratively with County departments, government agencies, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and civic groups to provide and facilitate public art exhibitions and art education programs, serve as an informational and referral resource for County arts activities, and encourage increased access to the arts for County residents.

• The Arts Commission will continue to provide technical and curatorial support to projects such as the County Parks Calendar project and the Courthouse free film series.

• The Arts Commission will continue to organize, promote, and facilitate a series of “Brown Bag Arts Lunches” in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria to address emerging arts issues, encourage collaboration among nonprofit arts groups countywide, and provide networking opportunities to share information and resources.

• The Arts Commission will collaborate with the County government cable access channel and other downtown cultural organizations to provide film coverage for arts exhibitions and related activities, resulting in short films that are shown on public access television and provided for viewing in the Channing Peake Gallery. This year the Arts Commission established a YouTube account and uploaded a video of the EDGE exhibition of SB County contemporary artists.

• The Arts Commission will continue to send weekly eblasts of listings of countywide art activities, programs and funding opportunities in the area to our list-serve group.

• Staff to attend the California Arts Council statewide conference in Sacramento in April and the Americans for the Arts National Conference in Seattle in June. The national conference will address issues of Arts Sustainability.


PROPOSED KEY PROJECTS: ARTS COMMISSION

• Arts Commission staff will continue to provide technical and promotional support for the Public Art components included in the Overlook at Arroyo Burro Beach including support of the RFP for Phase III of the project.

• Working in collaboration with General Services, the Arts Commission staff will develop a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Percent for Art public art component(s) to be incorporated in the New Cuyama Aquatic Center.


Focus Area Four: Promote Programs and Projects that Enhance the Quality of Life of County Residents

CURRENT YEAR (FY 2008-09) ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Off-Axis Biennial Month-Long Celebration of Contemporary Art: The County’s Art in Public Places Committee (CAPP), in conjunction with the Arts Commission, organized EDGE, an exhibition of emerging and mid-career contemporary artists residing in the County which opened October 2008.  Additionally a free public performance of the Regrets Project by Jane Mulfinger and Graham Budgett took place in Sunken Garden of the Courthouse in mid-October.

• Through a City Council proclamation and a public recognition event in December the Arts Commission recognized arts advocates and community organizers, Margie and Joe Talaugon as the recipients of the 2008 Leadership in the Arts Award. The Talaugons have made significant contributions to the Guadalupe community including establishing the Guadalupe Cultural Art and Education Center.

• State of the Art Gallery 2008: The Arts Commission organized and promoted a public exhibition of 8 sculptures by 9 regional artists on State Street in Santa Barbara from August through November of 2008. Artist interviews aired on Channel 21 in Santa Barbara in November and December through a collaboration with SB Channels.
Public tours and a podcast of the exhibition were created in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art teen programs and nonprofit arts organization Notes for Notes. The downloadable podcast in collaboration with the Braille Institute was intended to increased accessibility to the sight-impaired community

• Restoration and installation of three Solstice Celebration murals by regional artists Richard McLaughlin and Benjamin Bottoms on the back of the Granada Garage in Santa Barbara completed in January. Arts Commission staff organized a ribbon-cutting with City Redevelopment Agency staff to unveil the murals and the temporary art installation of public art in Jardin de las Granadas as part of 1st Thursday in February.

• Coordinate and organize nomination process for City of Santa Barbara Poet Laureate. The City Poet Laureate is announced in April as part of National Poetry Month and serves a two-year term.

• In this past year, the Arts Commission received several gifts of art to its collection totaling $31,600. They included a mural “Forces Gone Wild” valued at $17,500, “California Golden Hills” ($6,500), “Mt. Pinos Pine”, ($5,600) all by the late Santa Barbara County artist Ray Strong and a large scale “Untitled” mixed media work by Judith White valued at $2,000 from the Community Environmental Council.

• The Arts Commission expanded programming and increased public receptions in the galleries in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria. Staff has collaborated with 5th District Commissioners, Allen Hancock faculty and students in providing curatorial and installation experience and support for exhibitions in the Betteravia Gallery in Santa Maria. This collaboration has resulted in much greater community interest and attendance at openings. In partnership with the Downtown Organization, the Channing Peake Gallery has included free entertainment, presentations, and performances as part of 1st Thursday cultural nights in addition to a series of free lunchtime talks that have included artists, historians and curators.

• Using funds received from the City of Santa Barbara, the Arts Commission re-granted over $418,000 to city-based cultural arts programs through three grant categories: Community Arts Grants, Organizational Development Grants, Community Events & Festivals, and a pilot program of Next Generation Grants. The Commission, in partnership with the City Arts Advisory Committee, hosted a grant award program public recognition event in October of 2008 to focus greater attention on the grant program and the work of past year’s grantees.

• The Arts Commission organized a teen-art exhibition in Isla Vista in conjunction with the UC Santa Barbara Summer Arts Institute and the 10-year celebration of the Isla Vista Teen Center. The exhibition titled “ENVIRONMENT” featured photographs and video of environmental super-heroes and villains created under the direction of artist Bob DeBris. The exhibition and video were displayed in the Container Project, a shipping container adapted to serve as a mobile arts lab.

• A collection of photographs of children by Santa Barbara artist Barbara Parmet was installed completing the Percent for Art public art components at the Child & Family Services Building in Santa Barbara. Your World/ su Mundo, Your House/su Casa, Your Life, su Vida by artists Rafael Perea de la Cabada and Richard Irvine is also installed in the entrance to the building.

• A portion of Percent for Art funds supported historic photo exhibitions at Burton Mesa Safety Station in Lompoc for the open house in 2008.

PROPOSED STRATEGIC ACTION:

• Develop programs and projects that address and promote the cultural development of individual, families and children and explore ways to increase participation in the arts. Increase programming available to communities through increased programming of the Container Project… a mobile arts lab.

• The Arts Commission is in the process of archiving all County arts holdings; and is creating a data base to catalogue all works using multiple evaluation criteria. Additionally Arts Commission staff is working with parks staff to identify and evaluate current public art in County Parks in order to update our records.

• Update our website to include more information and increased links to other arts resources and organizations. Provide more information on arts opportunities and information on the work of the Arts Commission as a regional arts organization linked to the California Arts Council.


SERVICE DESCRIPTION:

Administer a regional program of arts support and cultural development including the County “One Percent for Art” program and the Public/Private Arts Partnership program. Promote Santa Barbara County as an international cultural arts destination and highlight regional cultural traditions, festivals, institutions, and venues working in partnership with the Conference and Visitor Bureaus in the County and the Downtown Organization in Santa Barbara. Operate the Channing Peake and Betteravia public art galleries as well as the City Hall Gallery in Santa Barbara. Maintain the archives and art in the County Arts Commission collection. Provide information and referrals for County arts activities and technical assistance to artists, arts and cultural organizations, and the public.


PERFORMANCE MEASURES :

South County Brown Bag Lunch
Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, 4th Floor Board of Supervisor's Conference Room from Noon - 1:30 pm.   Agenda

North County Brown Bag Lunch
Monday, November 15, 2010, Betteravia Government Center, 511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Board of Supervisor's Hearing Room. Noon - 1:30 pm.   Agenda