Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Discussion
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER CALENDER YEAR 2019 ALLOCATIONS FOR CULTURAL ARTS GRANTS AND FACILITY USE AS RECOMMENDED BY THE CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
At the December 3, 2018 regular meeting, the Cultural Arts Commission with on a 8-0 vote recommended to City Council funding for four organizations that applied for Cultural Arts funding. They also voted to recommend facility use for three organizations not to exceed $10,000 per applicant during calendar year 2019. These seven applicants are all Carson-based and achieved the required minimum rating score of 70 points. The total amount of funding being recommended by the Commission for calendar year 2019 is $40,000. The City Council is being asked to approve the allocation of funds and facility use for the Cultural Arts applicants for calendar year 2019 as recommended by the Cultural Arts Commission.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
APPROVE the Cultural Arts Commission funding and facility use recommendations for 2019 Cultural Art grants.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
1. REJECT the Cultural Arts Commission Recommendations for 2019 Cultural Art grants.
2. PROVIDE alternative recommendations for the Cultural Arts grant 2019 program.
3. TAKE another action the Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
On November 19, 2018, seven grant applicants made presentations before the Cultural Arts Commission. The Commission reviewed scores and deliberated over the recommendations for funding the grants at their regular meeting on December 3, 2018. Both meetings were properly posted.
The total amount requested from the four applicants specifically requesting funds was $85,205. The applicants who submitted proposals for funds include:
• Alexey Steele - $20,205
• CSUDH Foundation for Praxis City ArtS Parks - $40,000
• International Printing Museum - $10,000
• Rockin Blues Entertainment - $15,000
The following applicants requested facility use not to exceed $10,000 in facility rental fees each for calendar year 2019:
• Grupo Folklorico Faisan: Not to exceed $10,000
• Kenneth Walker Dance Project: $1,048
• Sophisticated Dance: Not to exceed $10,000
Deliberations were conducted in accordance with the funding guidelines established by the City Council on November 8, 2006.
The first step in the recommendation process was to rate each applicant with a score ranging from 0 to 100. Rating sheets were provided to each commissioner. Applicant scores were based on Project Impact, Project Goal, Project Budgeting, Project Viability, Project Integrity, and whether or not the applicant is Carson-based. Each Commissioner completed an individual rating and the results were tabulated onto a spreadsheet (Exhibit No. 1). All seven applicants scored an average of 70 or better after the scores were tabulated by staff.
The second step in the process was for each commissioner to offer a funding recommendation for each applicant who scored 70 or higher. Each Commissioner was asked for a verbal funding recommendation via roll call. Staff then calculated and announced the average funding recommendation for each applicant. After some discussion and debate, the Commissioners agreed to recommend funding in the amount of $10,000 per applicant. The next step was discussing facility use for the three applicants who requested it. Commissioners were again polled via roll-call vote, and they unanimously recommended facility use not to exceed $10,000 each of the three applicants. All of these recommendations were recorded on a spreadsheet (Exhibit No. 2). A matrix showing the original funding request, overall rating, and funding recommendation is attached (Exhibit No. 3).
Below are the recommendations for funding from the Cultural Arts Commission. The recommendations total to the full allocation of $40,000.
Alexey Steele: $10,000
Artist Alexey Steele hopes to continue his “Love My Neighbor” campaign. He will produce a body of several new original works of art depicting visually striking and diverse (on multiple cultural, social, and psychosocial levels) characters representing the community of Carson. The final world-class art will be made available for free viewing by all people of the city in designated publicly accessible venues including Scottsdale, Carson Park, and Wells Fargo Carson Town Center Store.
CSUDH Foundation for Praxis City ArtS Parks: $10,000
PRAXIS City ArtS Parks will provide a series of 6-week visual arts making workshops in Stevenson and Del Amo Parks. Professional artists will work with a group of approximately 15 students. Funding will support 6 classes in each park (3 in the Winter/Spring, 3 in the Fall).
International Printing Museum: $10,000
The International Printing Museum will continue to bring the traveling educational program, “A Museum on Wheels: Benjamin Franklin’s Colonial Assembly,” to the schools of Carson. This is a two-hour presentation that brings life to the world of books, inventions, history, science, American History, and the life of Benjamin Franklin.
Rockin Blues Entertainment: $10,000
The purpose is to bring community together through music and art, and to develop the hidden talent in the community by teaching the art of stage presence, performance, expression, microphone technique, personal commitment and confidence in those people who lack public speaking confidence.
Below are the recommendations for facility use from the Cultural Arts Commission. The value of facility use recommendations is not to exceed $10,000 per applicant.
Grupo Folklorico Faisan: Not to exceed $10,000 in facility usage
Grupo Folklorico Faisan is a Carson-based 501(c)3 requesting the use of the Dance Room 201 at the Carson Community Center for two days a week (Wednesdays and Thursdays) from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Kenneth Walker Dance Project: $1,048 in facility usage
Kenneth Walker Dance Project seeks facility usage support for the creation of a new work based on Brazilian music. The new work will be previewed at the end of the process for any citizen in the City of Carson to view. The viewing will take place in the same space.
Sophisticated Dance: Not to exceed $10,000 in facility usage
Sophisticated Dance is seeking assistance with facility usage. This will allow Sophisticated Dance to continue to be a vehicle for its students’ performing arts endeavors by offering performing arts activities to keep them constructively engaged in positive and productive interests while allowing them to grow and express talent. Sophisticated Dance continues to positively and productively engage youth through the arts and prove that dance is an essential form of human expression contributing to the overall well-being universally.
Please Note: Per action by the City Council on May 18, 2015, Sophisticated Dance will enjoy fee waivers for use of facilities at the Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center not to exceed those days and hours as directed by City Council. This expires on June 30, 2019, so Sophisticated Dance is seeking facility use support from July-December 2019.
A complete recap of the rating scores and Cultural Arts Commission funding recommendations is attached (Exhibit No. 3).
V. FISCAL IMPACT
The recommended allocation of $40,000 is available in the 2018/19 approved budget.
Each recipient is required to submit a quarterly report. Funds will be dispersed in quarterly installments pending compliance with financial reporting requirements as determined by a city accountant.
The total funding amount recommended by the Cultural Arts Commission is $40,000, which is on budget. The total cost of facility usage will not exceed $21,048 if all three applicants are granted room use.
CONSIDERATION PROCESS FOR CALENDER YEAR 2020: ALLOCATIONS FOR CULTURAL ARTS GRANTS AND FACILITY USE SUPPORT WILL START JULY 1, 2019.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Recap of Rating Scores (page 5)
2. Recap of Commissioner Recommendations (page 6)
3. Final Recap of Grant Requests and Commission Recommendations (page 7)
Prepared by: Dani Cook, Seniors Services Coordinator II