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Home My WebLink AboutCORRESPONDENCE - 25AMitre -Ramirez, Norma From: Huizar, Maria Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2015 6:10 PM Cc: Cavazos, David; Reenders, Kelly Subject: FW: Arts Grants Comments for the Public Record Attachments: 2015 Art Grant Feedback Categories: CMO Approved Communication on Agenda Item 25A -----Original Message ----- From: Sandra Pocha Pena [ Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2015 6:06 PM To: Huizar, Maria Subject: Arts Grants Comments for the Public Record Hi Maria, I have one more thing to add to the public record for tonite. The attached, Arts Grants Comments relate to the subject of Arts Grants which will be approved tonite. Thank you! -- SPS Sandra Pena Sarmiento "Frontier Arts & Hybrid Culture" 714.417.0073 1 INVESTING IN THE ARTIST Santa Ana's Artists' feedback garnered from Facebook comments, texts, in-person meetings and phone calls. Names have been removed where respondents indicated a desire to remain anonymous due to fear of reprisals. ALL folks giving feedback are requesting their Panel Comments and scores from all judges. Their emails will follow in a separate document. Summary: Overall, everyone was asking for more clear guidelines, more time to apply, more workshops, guidance on crafting proper budgets, a dedicated staffer to provide technical support, the need for organizations and individual artists to be judged separately, separate judging categories by discipline and for future judges to not be Art Commissioners. This last issue was brought up again and again as members of the Commission may have or had complicated relationships with local applicants. As staff has been informed, at least one commissioner was seen promising some applicants funding prior to selection and did not voluntarily recuse themselves from ethical conflicts during the judging process as required. All applicants expressed a desire to have grants judged by professionals in their field as grant panels are an important way artists build name recognition in the art field and have their work seen by prospective supporters/patrons/employers. General Questions Why were organizations judged against individual artists? Why did individual artists have to include work samples, but organizations didn't? - If staff had questions about a project or incomplete application, why didn't they contact applicant and offer a chance to set it right? -- Why was technical assistance not offered and why only one grantwriting/budget workshop when the submission period was so short? -- Why did commissioners serve as judges instead of impartial peer artists brought in from outside? -- Were all organizations who applied legitimate art organizations? -- Were all awards given to Santa Ana Natives, Residents or legitimate Arts Non -Profits? -- How many grants were awarded in each Ward? -- Why couldn't artists present their projects in-person like they do in other cities? HIGGY VASQUEZ: 1) 1 would have liked the opportunity to make an in-person presentation and answer questions the staff or judges had with my proposal. 2) Was it relevant that the art commission recommend to maintain the public art and heritage that is in place where it will be located. Isn't there something already on the books that says public art must reflect an area's history and heritage? Why wasn't this mentioned in the grant guidelines? PRISCILA HERNANDEZ for MANUEL CORTEZ: Manny is concerned that the judges may have been biased against his proposal because he was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer during the voting period. Did they think he couldn't carry out his project? Manny has decades of work serving the Santa Ana community through the arts and should have been given an opportunity to present his own work in person. Also, the commissioners should not have been the judges because they should have been peers with the applicants. Painters should have judged Painters. Organizations should have judged organizations. Applicants should have been required to have someone from or residing in Santa Ana to qualify since it is Santa Ana tax -payers who are paying for all this. ROGER EYES: I received a call on Monday before the AC meeting concerning the sculpture's placement within the plaza and would I consider looking for a different location if necessary. I was more than willing to modify my location and design. Unfortunately, this conversation was not brought up when you all decided to disqualify my winning proposal because you found it "unfeasible". I think it would have made a difference to have known about all the City's concerns and been given a real chance to address them. MATT SOUTHGATE: Proposals should be given reasons why scores were favorable or critical. Every judge should convey the reasons behind their choice as a transparent critique. This way we would know more about any potential conflicts of interest at play and also grow as artists. Feedback is important. 3