I now call the April thirtieth, two thousand twenty six Las Vegas Arts Commission to order.

Would Deputy Clerk City Clerk Yvette please take roll call?

Chair Beals.

Here.

Second Vice Chair Roberts.

Excused.

Commissioner Clevin.

Here.

Commissioner Douglas.

Here.

Commissioner DeSantis.

Commissioner Chirk.

Excused.

Commissioner Chi?

Here.

Commissioner Portnoy.

Here.

Commissioner Von Bastians.

Here.

Commissioner Collati.

Excused.

Commissioner Vitone.

Here.

Commissioner Anderson.

Here.

Thank you, Chair.

We have a quorum.

And has the meeting been properly noticed and posted in compliance with the Nevada Open Meeting Law?

Yes, Chair, it has.

Thank you so much.

And I would also like to welcome two new commissioners.

Would you please give your name and a little in who you representing?

Commissioner Vatone, I'm representing Ward Five, Councilwoman Summers Armstrong.

Thank you both.

Comment during this portion of the agenda must be limited to matters on the agenda for action.

If you wish to be heard, please come forward and give your name for the record.

The amount of discussion as well as the amount of time any single speaker is allowed may be limited.

Seeing none, we'll go ahead and move on to item number four for possible action to approve the final minutes by reference of the regular meeting of March nineteenth, two thousand twenty-six.

Now we'll move to agenda item number five, which is a report by me, Carmen Beals, the Commissioner Chair, regarding a monthly summary of current initiatives, southern cultural events and opportunities awards.

Please join us for the illumination ceremony of harmonic ascension by Cliff Garden Studios, located in the Civic Center Plaza on May 7th at 5 30 p.m.

Remarks will begin at 6 p.m.

with the illumination happening at 6 30 p.m.

Also join us next month for the opening reception of Peaks and Valleys, capturing the highs and lows of the Las Vegas Valley, curated by Donna Fox, Thursday, May 21st from 5 to 7 p.m.

at the Mayor's Gallery at the Historic Fifth Street School.

For more information about these events, please visit www.artslosvegas.org or call 702-229 arts.

Do any commissioners have additional events or happenings that they would like to mention?

This is Commissioner Portnoy.

I have an exhibit running at the West Charleston Library through the middle of June called the Endangered Species series, featuring 18 works of art for the endangered species.

Commissioner Douglas, um, at the New Wu Art Gallery and Community Center.

Uh we're hosting on May 9th from noon to 2 p.m.

on a Saturday, the opening reception of the Native Youth Art Exhibition, celebrate aspiring Native American youth artists with an opening K through 12 students in the Clark County School District, Indian Education Opportunities Program, as well as homeschooled students present their creations from culture, heritage, and fun.

This uh event is not limited to the Native students who uh put out their art, but to all community members so you can come and celebrate them and you know cheer them on.

We have about 20 works that are going to be presented from many different tribes.

Uh, we're also going to have Indian tacos for the first 60 participants.

Oh, and it's sponsored by the Indigenous AF nonprofit, CCSD's Indian Education Opportunities Program, and the Andy Warhol Foundation.

This is Commissioner Clevin.

Um, on Saturday, May 2nd at 7 p.m.

here at Civic Center in the Plaza Downstairs, Vegas City Opera will be presenting music of the night, a concert of musical gems.

Please join us.

Um, also on Friday, May 8th at the Centennial Hills Amphitheater at 7 p.m.

Um, Jazz Outreach Initiative will be performing um their annual Jazz Under the Stars event.

And then lastly, the Rainbow Company is staging Peter and the Starcatcher.

It opens this weekend May 1st and 2nd, and then we also have performances on May 8th and 9th, and that's at the Charleston Heights Arts Center.

Okay, thank you, Commissioners.

Now we'll move to item number six, a report by Southern Nevada Arts Coalition.

Members include Gianna Blackman Taylor, Alison Monet Cordova, Matt Hodges, and Democena.

Welcome.

And this will be regarding their a summary of their current initiatives awards.

Thank you very much for having us.

Uh Las Vegas Arts Commission.

Um we're very much excited to be here.

Uh, my name is Demasini Gray.

For those that don't know me, D E M E C I N A, G R A Y, and I am the um secretary and one of the founding board members for Southern Nevada Arts Coalition.

Um, and we are very excited to talk to you today.

I have um two of my other board members with me, uh Gina Blackman Taylor and Matt Hodges, um, and we're just gonna tell you a little bit about um our new organization and um and what we're we're looking to accomplish.

Um, so the Southern Nevada Arts Coalition was founded in 2024, um, and then actually very organically.

Um, it was a group of arts administrators, artists, uh, creatives that came together in a living room.

Um, and we were galvanized um by the um 2024 um City of Las Vegas Arts and Culture Summit that was held at the Fifth Street School.

Um we all wanted to uh have more conversation around deeper change that we could bring to Las Vegas and Las Vegas arts community.

All of us had been in the community for years, um, watching uh galleries close, uh artists um not being able to sustain themselves here in Las Vegas, and you know, really wanted to understand what could we do to advocate for the arts.

And you know, really wanted to understand what could we do to advocate for the arts.

We were very moved by learning and hearing from lawmakers at the summit.

And especially folks like Felicia Shaw from the San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition.

And so we decided to build a coalition.

We decided that the main issue that we kept coming down to was funding and funding for the arts, and that always being a very difficult place for us as an arts community.

The arts brings in more money to the state than to the state's GDP than mining and transportation.

And is an important economic driver for Southern Nevada as well as the entire state of Nevada.

So with our formation of the Southern Nevada Arts Coalition, we are now a nonprofit agency.

And we have a very clear mission to empower and sustain Southern Nevada through the arts.

We want to uplift the arts community through becoming a re-granting agency and a local arts agency.

So we had a very humble beginning of four board members.

We have Jennifer Clevin who is one of your commissioners.

She is our president, Mickey Sprott of Clark County.

She is our treasurer, me, Secretary.

I am the director of Art and Culture for MGM Resorts International.

And then Wendy Kovac, director, she's one of our board directors and founding board members and UNLV teacher, an artist, community member extraordinaire.

I just want to speak to why I got involved.

Being in this community since the first time I lived here was 2010.

While I'm not originally from Las Vegas, I have a deep, deep love for Las Vegas and have now moved here twice from across the country to be a part of this community and to help uplift the community.

And with the formation of the Southern Nevada Arts Coalition, I personally saw an opportunity for us to really help this community grow.

By the end of last year, we added three more board members.

And I'm gonna let them introduce themselves a little bit more and talk about why they join the organization.

I'm too short.

Bring them all.

Hi, my name is Gina Blackman Taylor, and that's J E A N A.

B L A C K M-A-N, T-A-Y-L-O-R.

As Democina said, I I got to join the board last year.

I'm a performer with Cirque de Soleil, that's what brought me out to Las Vegas, and I'm also the managing director for the Nevada Shakespeare Festival.

So in my personal story for why I got involved with the Southern Nevada Arts Coalition and why I feel so passionately about this work is that particularly during COVID, I finished my master's degree in public administration.

And as a part of that process, I started looking into public policy and our support for the arts.

And I really started to get upset by how much more money Northern Nevada was getting in philanthropic and arts dollars.

And a lot of that came from a long-established philanthropic community that had been supported by creative artistic infrastructure.

And so that is what fueled my desire to see that same sort of structure get built here.

My daughter is in Peter and the Starcatcher, get to see it tomorrow night, and twice on Saturday and Friday.

So I I became really passionate about wanting to see this arts community grow as we met with Commissioner Becker.

She it struck me because she said that she felt like Las Vegas was kind of in its teen years in its growth, and we are really primed for needing some of these key infrastructure pieces to help our creative community grow.

So then I get to turn it over to Matt.

Hi.

My name is Matt Hodges, M-A-T-T-H-O-D, G E S.

I I work with Spigo World.

I'm a director of art and experience.

We make wild shows and restaurants there and everywhere else.

And what drew me to SNAC and what I connect with is an idea of like an ecosystem.

Like, for example, in Las Vegas, we have all of these big glossy global brands that tell the story of Vegas all around the place for people to come visit.

But behind those brands that broadcast that behind those big names are individual Las Vegans.

People who may dance or cook or juggle on the strip, but who all have a whole life and a community and their own interests and passions.

And I connected to the idea that the more that these folks and their projects or their ideas are funded and supported, the more well-rounded and expressive and fulfilled they are, the more they can bring that health and life to their work on the strip.

So as someone who you know gets to go to these shows and restaurant, but also knows the people behind them and how much how much they work and what their life is like.

It made me connect to finding a way to support them in their own artwork and projects.

And these are designed to warmly connect artists and creatives with opportunities and with each other.

And we've had two of these, and we're hoping that to get make them better and better each time.

And we but we've had a really good uh response so far.

Um a big one was that we achieved our 501c3 status, which has opened the door to a lot of our fundraising ambitions.

So those are the main milestones from recently.

So then I get to talk about what our goals are as we um move into the next phase of our existence.

So our board has worked with our really talented advisory council, they're on the website, you can find them, and our incredible committee members to define goals and action steps that will allow us to become the stable artistic infrastructure that we think this community needs.

And it is important to note that our overall goal in being a re-granting agency is to increase the amount of funding that is coming to Southern Nevada for artists and arts organizations.

Our intention is not to siphon away funds from orcs that are already getting it.

We want to grow the pot so that there's more to share.

So we're really noticing that there's more money that could be coming into this area overall.

It is not to sort of take what's already here.

We need to expand that pot.

So to that end, we want to ensure that financial stability and operational resilience by developing a strategy for funding outreach.

We are needing proactively seeking and securing funding opportunities and mitigating unnecessary expenses, especially as we grow.

Um, we have had sessions where we've looked to other entities, Felicia Shaw is one of them, inspire Washington is another one.

That process took 10 years to increase that that sort of stable funding.

So we're well aware that this is an ongoing process.

So we need to make sure that we have our financial stability in place so that we can continue to keep this fight up as long as we need to.

Um, we really need to increase community organizational knowledge and engagement by developing consistent online communication strategies and public programming, both virtual and in person.

That's our snack time.

That's going to be a part of that, but understanding that that need to have more operational resilience is a key to being able to not just achieve these funding opportunities, but maintain them and get the sort of reporting and organizational strength that they need in order to grow on their own.

Um we will continue to advocate for the art.

These are this is coalition building for us as on the state level.

And at this municipality level, that means helping organizations in this area understand what needs to happen in order for them to achieve that kind of funding.

So the 2027 Nevada State Legislative Session.

We don't have a BDR yet, but we hope to be a part of that kind of community and coalition building.

We've already worked extensively with CR Arts.

They are a longtime local arts agency.

They're one of our models.

So we the nice thing about this being built out in so many different areas is that we have a lot of models to choose from and and to help us on our way and help avoid some of the pitfalls that they may have experienced.

The downside is that a lot of those were created in the 70s and 80s.

So they have an institutional reputation and existence that is unmatched.

So we're we're going to be continuing to learn from them and collaborate with them.

And then secure operational and strategic growth by building staff positions and establishing a grant making program.

So we really value the work that bodies like yourself have done as a local arts agency to grow artists in this region.

But we also see the gap in how much funding we've been, we haven't been able to draw to the area overall.

So we're looking to fill that gap.

So with that being said, um, thank you.

And do you have any questions for us?

This is Commissioner Chi.

Thank you for the presentation.

Thank you.

Just curious, what are your main expenses right now?

I mean, everybody seems to be volunteering their time.

And the board members are not compensated either.

So what will be your in the future would be full-time staff, but right now, um what do you s predict as your major expenses?

Um currently our funding goal is um for staff and uh for grants.

Um but current ex the things that we've spent the most money on so far have been in that community outreach and that SNAC time as well as that legislative day.

So it has been advocacy and awareness have been the biggest things.

We do not have an active grant regranting program yet because that is not um we we until we had the 501c3 status, we were not able to solicit funds to that extent that would allow us to regrant.

So and this is this is a new development.

This is it it was granted within the last month.

We got to update the it was very exciting.

We got to update the presentation to say that.

So hopefully grant making will be the thing that ultimately is the largest um the bulk of of those expenses.

But right now it has been community outreach, knowledge gaining and and advocacy.

So, how can this group of people help you the most?

Jennifer prepared us for that question.

That's why she's the president.

Um so you know the biggest thing is knowing that you guys are all connected to your city representatives is is increasing our knowledge and and awareness.

So we all know that we are we are borrowed reputations, right?

If you look at who's on our board, if you look at who's on our advisory committee, if you look at who's on our committees, they are people who are scattered from across artistic disciplines throughout Southern Nevada.

They have their reputations, they have their expertise, they have their built-up credibility.

SNAC is is a brand new baby organization.

So that is something where we are still needing to get the word out that this is an organization that is looking to fill a really important gap and and increase that grant funding.

So we need your representatives to know that we exist, that we are um we are looking for stable funding uh so that we can build out that executive director.

Most of these programs are funded if you look at models across the country, these are funded by city municipality entities.

These are these are institutionalized positions and organizations because it's found that that is what's really needed in order to drive this work forward.

Um, but then the second aspect of that is that we need to be that designation of a local arts agency that would allow us to claim those re-granting funds that we're looking to eventually build.

Someone else can Commissioner Portnoy.

I have a couple questions.

I was writing notes and good presentation by all three.

Um my experience is decision by committee never works.

It just doesn't.

Um I would love to see, and I love snack.

I've got all these illustration things going in my head with that acronym.

Um to reach out to the creatives.

And I listen, I'm connected to a lot of the musicians in town.

I do a lot of work for them.

I don't call them musicians.

I'm an illustrator.

I don't call myself an artist.

We are creatives.

We work in different genres.

So my feeling is if you reach out to creatives, the creatives are gonna have a list, a morgue of names and folders and flyers and contacts.

It's all about making connections and building relationships.

I think you're off to a great start.

Um but I think the inclusion.

Is we we have turned into a city of what building are we gonna paint and what structure we're gonna put on a sidewalk.

Um great for those who paint, but not great for those who illustrate because they don't paint.

However, through high resolution scanning and reproductions, what size you want it, what surface do you want it printed on.

That's why I feel it's very important to speak to the creatives in town.

Circ is one of them.

Circ is a big organization.

Um in fact, we have one of their members, Michael Blair Davies, who's doing exhibit of his stuff, sculptures in my gallery.

So we're trying to connect everybody.

So that's just some suggestions in what I would go.

Well, and thank you for that.

Um I do want to add that we as Gina said, we have a lot of various disciplines um on our um both our advisory council as well as our board.

It's not all just arts administrators.

Um, you know, even I have uh BFA in sculpture, and you know, we have musicians and performers on on our team as well.

Um but to your point um of um of you know uh uh conversations around art in Las Vegas being about you know what mural are we going to paint on a building, you know.

We've um seen, especially over the last year, the loss of some staple galleries in the community, some artist-run spaces that have not been able to sustain.

Um so part of part of what SNAC is thinking about is how do we sustain these artist-run spaces?

How do we um or creative run spaces?

Um, how do we help sustain organizations that are not CERC, um, that are not big box theaters, that are um that are the the struggling um self-run organizations that just need support again collaborate within your name.

I mean, if you go on social media, you go on TikTok, you go on Instagram.

Uh for us old people, we still go on Facebook.

Um you always look for a collaborator because then you go viral.

It's no different in what you're trying to do and have it started and established to look for those collaborators, which are the creatives to take it to the next level.

Listen, you you play to your strength, you avoid your weakness.

However, you find people that your weakness is their strength, bring them on board, you'll be stronger.

Commissioner Portnoy, I would love your list.

For that wonderful presentation.

Um, and I look forward to uh revealing and going and attending and supporting some of your future programs.

So thank you all for coming today.

Thank you very much for having us.

Thank you.

Bye.

Thank you.

I'm an actor.

I love applause.

Fantastic.

Now we would like to move to action item number seven, which is report by cultural affairs staff regarding a monthly summary of current initiatives awards.

Hello, this is Holly Lay for the record.

Um, you should all have received the staff report with the updates, and they might be a little outdated now since we had a delay, but um we'll uh go through that in this PowerPoint.

Here is the schedule for our next arts commission meetings.

Uh we also made a little slide to say thank you to Commissioner Bernard Chick and Ellis Westfield, but they are not here, unfortunately.

Um they were gonna be at the last meeting.

Um, but I just wanted to thank them on the record for their service and all they did for the Las Vegas arts community.

But I just wanted to thank them on the record for their service and all they did for the Las Vegas arts community.

And we have a welcome slide for our new Commissioner Vitone.

I did not know Commissioner Anderson was going to be here tonight, so we do we will do that next time.

I'm sorry.

But uh wanted to say a big welcome.

Um Samantha is um a multi-generational Las Vegas native.

She uh her career is built on love for the city's evolving cultural landscape.

Her background spans a decade in the modeling industry, leading to the founding of the agency Vitone and Talent and various entrepreneurial endeavors.

She later formalized her experience with an international business degree from UNLV.

Samantha's transition into the institutional art world, began as an inaugural team member for the Las Vegas Museum of Art.

Today she draws on this multifaceted background as the associate director for 33 Gallery, a growing cultural landmark located in the historic West Side community of Las Vegas.

Thank you.

This is Laura Machado.

Um Parker is not in with us today, so I'll share a little bit about the projects that she's managing.

So the AMP Ward 3 Gateway and Arts District project is currently underway.

We have artists, 10 artists throughout the Arts District painting utility cabinets.

They have begun and we're on a time for a scheduled completion.

So that's exciting.

Also, for the AMP project in Ward 4, a portion of this project has already been completed.

We are looking forward to sharing those designs and completed cabinets for you at the next arts commission meeting.

Sasha was able to complete those last week.

So that's exciting as well.

Also, we're working on an arts district garage mural project.

We are currently in contract negotiations with the artist that was selected for this project.

I'm hoping we're having a walkthrough to determine the project deliverables to make sure that we have everything on schedule.

And once that contract is completely formalized, we'll share the new design with the arts commission meeting, hopefully in May, if not, then at the June meeting.

Also, we have a call for artists out right now featuring the lovely Democina who just gave a presentation.

She is going to be our guest curator for the Art in Public Places exhibition.

If you know of any artists that are looking to submit artwork for our calls for artists, please encourage this opportunity.

It's a wonderful uh time to submit for an exhibition, and then there's the added benefit of potential purchase for the city's art collection.

So please share the information.

It's on our website at Las Vegas Arts Registry Lost.vegas.

That's a long one.

Also, uh the team has been, thank you, Mary and Holly.

Uh we've had an overwhelmingly successful response to the call for artists for the celebrating life.

That call closed on April 22nd.

We received over 300 submissions.

So 300 artists over 50 submitted artwork for this exhibition.

And Mary and Holly and Parker have been taking in that artwork all week.

So it's really exciting.

Um the juror went through today and selected pieces for the show.

Those will be installed at the Charleston Heights Art Center.

We really, really hope that we see all of our arts commissioners at the award ceremony.

Uh Chair Beals will be giving out those awards to the first, second, and third winners for each category.

It's on May 29th from 6 to 8 p.m., I believe.

Okay, yeah.

So hopefully you can all join us.

It's a really, really great event.

We get a great turnout, and everyone is excited and happy.

Sometimes it's people's first exhibition, so it's a great show.

We also have a call for gallery proposals.

So currently the city of Las Vegas has five galleries, and that number is expanding.

And we're always looking for artists to submit gallery proposals.

It can be from individual artists or um standalone galleries.

So we're accepting those proposals.

We'll review it.

Um right here is an image from the family album exhibition at the Civic Center Gallery.

So if you know of anybody interested in being in an exhibition, please share that call as well.

Also, uh Lee Lanner was selected for the Centennial Hills Environmental Tile Mural Project.

That project is currently underway.

He is fabricating this tile project, and it's set to install later this summer.

We also just recently installed Harmonic Ascension, the Civic Center Plaza Centralized Sculpture.

Here is a piece or an image of Cliff Garden in the foundry.

This was an outdated photo.

We actually installed it on Monday.

It went really really well.

We're excited to install it.

Also encourage all of the arts commissioners to attend that event.

Speaking starts at 6 p.m.

So hopefully we'll see you there.

This is Mary Sabo for the record.

Our program conducts routine condition assessments and inventory reports for items in the collection.

We're about 80% done with our annual inventory reporting.gov.

Um highlighting a few specific projects that we're working on.

We completed conservation and maintenance on radial symmetry.

And you may notice if you are downtown that the beloved sculpture Snowball in Vegas by artist Jesse Smeagol is missing at this time.

He was not stolen.

He is safe.

So he is in the process of repainting Snowball to give him like a vibrant coat of you know, same same style, same design, uh, but just a repaint snowball.

And we hope to have that piece back in action before the beginning of June.

And then we're also working with our um maintenance funder, Homero Hidalgo, um with a focus on graffiti abatement.

So that's been a huge help.

Holly Leigh for the record.

Uh we're beginning our monthly crit chats in June, and uh we've been having a great turnout.

We have a really great group that's consistent, and we have an email chat.

Um, so it's been a really uh successful gathering, and it will be moving to the historic Fist Street School in June as well.

This is Mary Sabo for the record.

Um, I'm excited to share the selected design for the Here's Park Tile Mural Project, um, Gila Monster by artist Miguel Rodriguez.

Miguel has completed the first project milestone and has started to secure supplies.

Um the park is going to be undergoing a renovation.

Um, so we'll kind of have a long timeline waiting for that to be mostly completed before we have Miguel going into work on site.

Um, so the mural is planned tentatively for installation in fall of 2027.

This is Laura Machado.

Uh, we are very happy to share that a design was selected for the Wallapai Canyon Trailhead Environmental Public Art Project.

Luis Varelo Rico was selected, and we will be able to share you those uh share with you those designs at the next Arts Commission meeting.

We also have a current exhibition, It's Oak Clay by Animal House Pottery at the City Hall Grand Gallery.

If you hadn't had a chance to take a look at it, please do.

It's a great show.

Holly Lay for the record.

Uh the project with Justin Favella is in fabrication, and we are still on schedule for a June, likely June event, and I'll keep you all posted on that.

I know it's coming up fast, so uh this is an outdated slide since uh the show has now been taken down.

It closed last week, and Urban Sketchers exhibition will be coming in next.

Our project for the healer is on track and in fabrication.

Um, and it is slated to be completed by the end of October.

This is Mary Sabo for the record.

Uh, this is also an outdated slide.

Um, the Nevada Arts Council Fellowship exhibition in the Chamber Gallery has switched over.

Um, so notions of erasure came down, and right now um six ways of seeing is installed.

And we will be having a reception for that exhibition on May 27th.

Laura Machado.

So hopefully we see everyone out there.

Holly Lay for the record.

I also want to mention that that same night on May 7th, we will have the reception for the windows on first with artist Sarissa Lopez.

She is completing her installation right now.

So it'll be up next week and ready to be viewed.

And that concludes our summary of current activities and initiatives.

Do any commissioners have any questions?

Thank you.

Seeing none, we would like to move to item number eight report by cultural affairs staff regarding the public art master plan awards.

This is Laura Machado.

So we wanted to give the Arts Commission an update.

As you're all familiar, we conducted a public art master plan.

So I wanted to share a little update on our status.

So for more than 40 years, the city of Las Vegas has been commissioning and displaying public art.

Today the city's public art collection has grown to more than a thousand pieces, supported by the Percent for the Arts Fund.

Over 4.5 million dollars has gone into this fund that supports public art.

In 2023, we asked Art Builds community to update our public art master plan, and they started to focus on all of the tasks that we had accomplished since 2013, gathering community input and refreshed our goals and strategies.

And these are our vision and mission that they updated.

So after a year of development, they came up with our updated vision.

The City of Las Vegas illuminates art and culture and celebrates our bold, dynamic, and diverse community by providing access to artworks throughout the city spaces, outdoors, and public room.

Our updated mission is the City of Las Vegas public art and gallery program serves Valley residents and visitors, celebrating the city's extraordinary character by acquiring and displaying artworks in public spaces and supporting community-led public art efforts.

In order to put that new mission into practice, the master plan outlined 41 recommendations to complete be completed over 10 years.

So that's we have until 2034 to complete all of these recommendations.

Since the master plan was adopted, I'm happy to share that we've already accomplished 13 of these goals.

So we're really excited that we've already accomplished this much.

I'm just going to list a few of those accomplishments.

So we have updated our website to include an interactive map of the city's public art collection, making it easier for people to find and explore artwork.

If you go to our website, you can find that in the collection tab.

We've also strengthened community connections by adding meet the artist events to our projects.

Recently, when we acquired artwork for the city, our civic center, we had a meet the artist with all of the artists included, and that was a really great turnout for that event.

And that's in all of our facilities in the parks, in the public right of way, and throughout you know, all of the city assets, which is a lot of plaques.

And thank you, Holly, for coordinating that tour.

It was great.

And then behind the scenes, we adopted clear policies for how we acquire, care for, and manage our collection.

This was really important.

So we have now four policies that address those issues, and we'll continue to update our records digitally.

We also moved over to an inventory system that is available online, so that's really helped in our inventory process, and those having those policies really provides framework for for the care and donation and de-accession.

We also one of the recommendations was that we extend our exhibition timeline so that we weren't rotating exhibitions so rapidly throughout our five galleries, and we have accomplished that.

We we're um installing shows that are lasting longer, so celebrating life will be up for I believe it's seven months rather than a four-month turnaround, and it's been great.

It offers people more of an opportunity to go out and see the show.

And then um we've also increased our educational outreach opportunities that we have.

So we're we're having artist lectures, we're having workshops.

Um the so that community members can meet in person.

So I think that that's been very successful.

And then we've also started to share our collection by exploring loans with regional partners.

We recently uh shared a piece with UNLV for one of their exhibitions, and we look to do that in the future as well.

Um another uh item on the list was to expand our focus for projects that connect art with the outdoors.

So when this we had an extensive survey when that went out to the community, and then we met with each individual ward to talk about what they wanted to see in their ward, and this one came up quite often that they would like to see art that connects with the outdoors, and so that's why a lot of our projects are in trails or in parks.

So that was in response to that recommendation as well.

So overall, I think that we've had a lot of strong progress and a solid foundation for the future.

Um I want to say there's so much work to be done, and we could not do it without this team, public art and gallery team and Mary and Holly.

Thank you so much for your commitment.

And and to Parker that's not here too.

She's new to the team, and she really started with a lot of gusto.

So we've have we have moved so many projects forward, and we're accomplishing these recommendations, and there's not only this plan, but there are other plans and goals for the department.

So thank you very much.

Um, and then yeah, if you haven't had a chance to look at the public art master plan, it's available on our website in multiple locations.

Um, but it on this slide as well.

If you click, it's a PDF.

If you go on the PrimeGov, it's there as well.

Um, we look forward to moving more of these initiatives forward.

Oh, I also wanted to mention.

So, one of my goals for next year, which is a recommendation on this list, is to have the arts commissioners more involved in each individual project.

So, right now, each project has an arts commissioner on the evaluation panel, and we want to expand that so that you're on an evaluation panel, you're invited to the kickoff meeting, you are also invited to a site visit or a studio visit, and then you're involved in planning the dedication event.

So that's four points of contact.

Um, hopefully to so everyone feels like they're more engaged in each individual project, and and then so that you feel like you're not just coming to a meeting every month for an hour or half an hour.

Um and and then so hopefully it feels like more of a um engagement for you.

So I hope that everyone's happy with that, and uh really look forward to working with you guys in the future more one-on-one.

And if you have any questions, happy to answer.

It's Commissioner Portnoy.

It's funny because I was writing down just as you were speaking about uh public parks taking art outside.

You know, we have how many galleries that five, did you say five galleries?

We have five right now.

We will have six, and then we will have seven.

Okay, so we'll say we have seven indoor.

Yeah, but how about a traveling art show in the parks, which we all represent?

We would need more staff for that.

This is Commissioner Cleveland, but that is an excellent idea, and I know in most of our wards, we do have an art in the park event.

We do one of them a year.

It's not the exact same artists at every single one, so it's not a touring, but it gives opportunity to view fine art outdoors and to purchase directly from the artists.

So I know in ward one, one is coming up.

I want to say it's this weekend on the second.

Um, and I'm sorry I don't have I can get you that information before the end of this meeting.

You you did say that they in that ward are usually the same people, that ward, right?

How about if that ward goes to the other ward?

Just bring it all over all over the valley.

This is Commissioner Clevin.

Anything's possible.

I am definitely going to share though that with our council on event services team who manages that program.

This is Commissioner Chi.

Um, congratulations on all the momentum.

Really, we see a difference.

I've seen a difference of the past couple of years.

Um request would be I don't know how many other commissions the city manages, but it would have been really nice for us to have been able to attend the Shirley Berkeley's city address, um, state of the city address at the Smith Center last week.

I know in previous years we did get invited.

I know I attended one of them, but this year it would have been just every year.

It would have been nice to have um, you know, been part of that address.

This is Commissioner Clevin.

I'll make a note of that and make sure everyone's invited next year.

Thank you for that.

Oh, this is Commissioner Douglas.

I just want to say um thank you for the presentation.

And uh I've actually been involved in a number of uh, you know, just reviewing murals and RFPs and proposals, and I really enjoy that part of being on the arts commission.

Um, you know, a lot of people don't know, of course, because they don't say who's on these, you know, uh these selection committees or these groups.

Uh, but I have definitely felt more connected to the arts and the artist and really the team and the commission being, you know, involved in that way.

So yeah, definitely uh if everybody gets the call to do something like that, you know, and you have the time to do it, you know, please do.

It's really fascinating process.

I second that.

I really enjoyed mine's my experience with the evaluation panels, not only this year, but last year.

So I'm really looking forward to going to the site and visit and put my little construction hat on, etc.

So with that, we're moving to item number nine, discussion regarding topics for future agenda items.

Comment made during this portion of the agenda by individual members shall refer solely to proposals for future agenda items, and any discussion shall be limited to whether or not such proposed items are within the purview of the commission and or whether such proposed items shall be placed on a future agenda.

No discussion regarding the substance of any proposed topics that shall occur and no action shall be taken.

Does anyone have any future agenda items that they would like to suggest or add?

None.

Seeing none, we're going to move uh to item number 10, which citizens participation.

Public comment during this portion of the agenda must be limited to matters within the jurisdiction of the commission.

No subject may be acted upon by the commission unless that subject is on the agenda and is scheduled for action.

If you wish to be heard, please come forward and give your name for the record.

The amount of discussion on any single subject as well as the amount of time any single speaker is allowed, may be limited.

Seeing no one else is out here, I'm going to go ahead and move to item number 11, which is adjournment.

Thank you for your time today.

The meeting is adjourned.