Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy Commission Meeting – September 13, 2021
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Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy Commission Meeting – September 13, 2021
The Sacramento Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy Commission met virtually on Monday, September 13, 2021, at 2:00 PM via Zoom. Chair Steven Winlock called the meeting to order, and a quorum was established with six commissioners present (Enriquez, Gott, Hastings, Perez, Wilson Ramey, Winlock) and three absent (Lavallo, Lapore, Blumenstock). The meeting focused on arts education partnerships, cultural equity, and program updates.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Approved the meeting minutes of August 9, 2021, by a unanimous vote (6-0, with absentions not counted).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 3 – Any Given Child Program: Alpha Bruton, a former city arts education coordinator, expressed support for the program and noted her interest in partnering through the Sojourna True African Heritage Museum. She lauded the progress of arts education in Sacramento over the past 20 years.
Discussion Items
- Item 2 – Friends of Sacramento Arts and Sacramento Arts Education Consortium: Staff (Megan Van Voorhis) presented a proposed partnership to advance arts education through the ArtLook data tool, a Creative Schools Fund, and expanded community outreach. The consortium includes the City of Sacramento, Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), and Friends of Sacramento Arts. Commissioners expressed support, with Commissioner Naranjo noting the potential for alignment with existing community efforts. The motion passed unanimously (7-0, with three absent).
- Item 3 – Any Given Child Program: Melissa Cirone proposed a three-year, $450,000 grant to SCOE to manage the program, citing SCOE's capacity to expand the program countywide. The program serves grades K-8 with assemblies and artist residencies; in 2019 it reached 36,000 students at 85 schools. Commissioners supported the shift, noting the need for robust evaluation and virtual options. Chair Winlock abstained (due to SCOE employment), so the motion passed 6-0 with one abstention.
- Item 4 – Cultural Equity Investment Program: Staff presented a receive-and-file report on second-year funding for grantees. Commissioner Naranjo voiced strong support for the program's continuity. No vote required.
- Item 5 – Race and Cultural Equity Priorities: Staff led a discussion on how to operationalize the commission's race and cultural equity statement, including potential creation of a task force, integration into commission agendas, and a forthcoming racial equity audit. Commissioners debated the merits of a separate task force vs. embedding equity into regular work. They agreed to revisit models at the October meeting. No vote required.
- Item 6 – Director’s Report: Megan Van Voorhis updated the commission on arts community reopening discussions, including vaccination challenges, LGBTQ community outreach, and a planned cultural tourism task force with Visit Sacramento. No vote required.
- Item 7 – Chairperson’s Report: Chair Winlock shared reflections from his travel to Zambia on the global importance of arts, thanked commissioners for influencing the Mayor's COVID relief budget, and highlighted reopening efforts at the Crocker Art Museum and Broadway series. No vote required.
Key Outcomes
- Approved partnership with Friends of Sacramento Arts (Item 2) – unanimous (7-0).
- Approved three-year, $450,000 grant to SCOE for Any Given Child (Item 3) – 6-0-1 (Winlock abstaining).
- Received and filed reports on Cultural Equity Investments (Item 4), Race and Cultural Equity Priorities (Item 5), Director’s Report (Item 6), and Chairperson’s Report (Item 7).
- Scheduled continued discussion on race and cultural equity models for the October 2021 commission meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Chair staff is ready when you are and you are muted, Chair. Gonna get a t shirt. Good afternoon. Welcome to September 13th, 2021 Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy Commission meeting. The meeting is now called to order. Will the clerk please call the role to establish a quorum? Yes, thank you, Chair. Commissioner Enriquez. Here. Commissioner Gott. Commissioner Hastings. Here. Commissioner Lavallo is absent. Commissioner Lapor is absent. Commissioner Norano is absent. Commissioner Perez. Here. Commissioner Wilson Ramey. Here. Vice Chair Blumenstock is absent. And Chair Winlock. Here. One, two, three, four, five, six, six. Thank you. We have quorum. Thank you. This meeting is a virtual via Zoom. For members of the public who wish to join, please refer to the agenda for the Zoom link. Once you've joined the meeting and wish to speak, raise your hand to provide public comment when the chair confirms the public comment speaking period for your desired item. Online, if you're online, click on raise hand on the bottom of your screen. Telephone, if you're calling in via telephone to raise your hand, dial nine, star nine, and then to unmute or mute, dial six, star six. Speakers will be called on by the last four digits of their phone number. You will have two minutes to speak once you are called on. The commission will now hear the consent calendar. Item number one. Madam Clerk, are there any members of the public who would like to um speak to this item? Thank you, Chair. I have no speakers with their hands raised to make public comment on this item. Thank you. Are there any commissioners who would like to speak on this item? Is there a motion and a second for this item? I'll motion. I'll second. I have a motion by Commissioner Gott and also a second by Commissioner Enrique. Will the clerk please call the roll for the vote? Thank you, Chair. Commissioner Enriquez. Yes. Commissioner Gott. Yes.
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