Park Commission - Regular Meeting

Good morning, everyone. It is 08:31. I'd like to call the meeting to order of the Dane Dane County Arts and Culture Affairs, Commission Executive Committee. Again, good morning, and, nice, to, see everyone. First order of business is, call to order. Roll call, please.

Chair Richardson?

Here.

Commissioner Revlon? Here. And Vice Chair Houle Omar? Here. Alright.

So

And for the record, we do have a quorum.

Yes. We do.

Okay. Thank you. First order of business then is approval of the executive committee, minutes from, 02/06/2022, 2026. Can I get a motion for approval, please?

I'll move.

It's been moved that we approve the minutes. We don't need a second. Any, revisions, corrections, so forth? Bearing none, all in favor, say aye.

Aye. Motion

carries. Approval of the commission, minutes from 02/17/2026. The chair will entertain a motion for approval.

I can motion.

Been moved that we approve the minutes the commission minutes from 02/17/2026. Don't need a second. Any revisions, changes bearing none, All in favor, say aye. Aye. Thank you. Motion approved. K. First rule agenda item is overall planning for our 2026 grant cycle one grant review. We have if if my math is correct, we have a 102 overall applications, but I don't have in my fingertips the dollar amount the the overall dollar request amount.

I mean, can you see my screen?

Yes.

I just want to share this

Yeah.

Little chart. And then, Rob, there was one more application.

Okay.

But there was a technical glitch, and so we have a 103.

103. Okay.

Last time. So yeah.

So we have okay. 173, and the total, dollar request is $3.46?

Yep. 346,730 for the cycle.

And that, is an increase of do you have a percent in increase from last year. The reason that Oh,

I didn't calculate the percent, but last year, it was 275,000, and it's nearly 350,000 this year. So

Okay. The

Pretty close to about 75,000 more in requests.

Okay. Again, the the reason that that that I'm always asking for percent increase or decrease in that, for the Friends of Dane Arts, as as as we're and and we're seeking funds, it it would be good to say that we had a x percent increase over last year. Because if we just give a number, the ordinary person is not gonna know these the the significance of the dollar amount. So we are at at at 346,000. Well, no one is gonna know if that's high, low, more or less.

But if we give a percent that helps with with the sales pitch that we have an overall increase of x percent, Again, that just helps with with with the sales pitch because you have to remember that when we're asking for financial support, donors will not really be supporting the Friends of Dane Arts. They're supporting Dane Arts. So our focus is those numbers that we can use in a sales pitch for Dane Arts. So 25%. You mhmm.

It's, like, about 25%.

Okay. About 25% increase. Okay. See, that that powerful to, you know, to say, and that's somewhat astonishing for us to absorb because we you know, we're not able to keep up with with the the demand. Okay. So we have a 103 overall app application for a little over 346,000, which is 25% increase. Okay. The number of capital grants, seven.

And then I mean, just looking at last year, first cycle, we also had seven. So it's pretty much identical.

Oh, okay. So no increase there. Is the dollar amount okay. So you said that, the dollar amount request is about the same. It is about the same. Yeah. I see it.

It has, like Okay. Less than a 100 more this cycle.

So Okay. Not

really remarkable.

Okay. In the short order, we're at 23 applications. Total request this year, twenty two thousand two sixteen versus four thousand four fifty. Holy cow. Holy cow.

Yeah.

That's something like a 400% increase.

Yeah. Exactly.

Wow. Wow. Okay. Okay. So, we have we continue to have, financial, challenges. So overall, then we have 72 no. I'm sorry. 73 then, project grants Yes.

Mhmm.

For a dollar amount of $3.00 8.

Yep.

$8.05 $5.08 as opposed to $2.55 from last year at this time. Okay. Mathematician, Marsha, what's what's the percent?

Oh, that one, Augusta already estimated that's about a 25% increase overall. Right? Or was I looking at the

wrong one?

Oh, 25% was just, like, the total total requests for the three.

Total total. Okay. So project requests. So I don't know. What's three zero eight minus two fifty five?

Let's see what

five. 20% increase.

Yeah. Approximately a 20% increase.

Okay. Alright.

Very good. Okay. Augusta and I are both good at math, apparently. Yeah.

I no. Yeah. I didn't do a whole lot of math in college.

Me either. Zero.

Okay. So, our overall 2026 cycle one, and no. Okay. Our anticipated, overall grant budget for 2026 is what, Mark or Augusta?

Total, approximately, 176,000. I don't have it offhand.

Okay. So we're gonna go with one seventy six. So we need to decide on what we wanna allocate for cycle one. Any discuss any, recommendations? We usually allocate a little bit more, I believe, in cycle one than cycle two historically. Right? Because we usually get more application in cycle one than cycle two. Is that correct?

Yes.

Okay. So based on again, I don't remember, if we have a blanket that we allocate 51% or what, if we had a blanket number or percent that we use?

Gosh. I'm kinda remembering, like, 55, 45, or forty, sixty. Does that ring a bell for anybody else?

Fifty five, forty five is what I recall.

Okay.

Okay. So 55% of 176, Marsha, Augusta?

It looks like 96800.

96008

about Marsha?

Okay. Okay. 96008800. That's let's let we wanna be precise. So that's numb okay. That's the number that we're gonna go with. So I need a motion to approve $96,800 as our overall 2026 cycle one budget.

I'll move.

The move I marched you that we approve soccer one budget of $96,800. Don't need a second. Any further discussion on that?

So you're not gonna print this to a vote then on the next commission meeting because you're just gonna let them know this is what the executive committee decided. Otherwise, we're doubling efforts and repeating ourselves.

No. We okay. We are set okay. Then, okay, a consensus that this is what we are recommending to the exec, to the full commission.

But they're not gonna vote on it. It's not gonna be an action item. You're recommending this and that's it.

No. No. I was told a while back that that when it comes to budgeting items, that the full commission has to approve it, not the executive. Mean, there was I can't remember who told me that, but someone from the county specifically told me that the executive committee can't be making financial major decisions, that it has to be the commission. So I'm asking for, at this point, a consensus of the ninety six eight, and it seemed like we have that. So this is what we'll be recommending for commission approval, next, on the seventeenth. Are we all in agreement on that?

Basically, right now, fifty five forty five. Correct? If I Yes. If I'm wrong on the amount of money that we have available, I'll let you know when I get back to Madison.

Okay. Okay. But and if, Mark if you wanna check to see why that what you are saying is correct versus what I was told, but that was what I was told. So, specifically, that that we can't, make the major financial decisions as a as a committee subcommittee. It has to be, the full commission.

Okay. Okay. That sounds right.

Okay. Okay. So next item is to approve a capital Auguste, you wanna put that back on the screen? Capital One, remember, we agreed that we would allocate 5% of the gross capital cycle one budget. So, yeah, so 5% of of the 90 what? 90 I wanna say ninety six eight Yeah. It looks like competitions.

4840?

Yes.

Okay. Mhmm.

4000 what?

4840.

Okay. So can I get this we can approve our this part, we can approve ourselves, and we make this decision without the executive committee? So I'd like to get a motion that we are approving a a capital grant budget for cycle 01/2026 of $4,840. Sure. Okay. Been been moved or any further discussion?

Also, question. So are the request is almost 16,000. Right?

Yes. Yes.

Mhmm. Okay. And then last year, we were looking at well, '23. Okay. I was the short order is what's changed so drastically. Right?

Right. But but, again, remember, we we approve that regardless of the number of requests, regardless of what our overall budget is, we would allocate 5% of whatever the total cycle one grant dollars are regardless of the number of requests.

Mhmm.

Okay. So Okay. Okay. So it's been moved. We don't need a second. Can I get a vote yes on approving a capital grant budget of $4,840 for cycle one? All in favor say aye.

Aye. Aye.

Excellent. Okay. For the short small. Yeah. But, Mary, if if we allocate if we were allocate more, there would be fewer dollars for the grant pool. So Right. You know, so it's a no win situation. We just have to bite the bullet and make those tough choices. So for short order, we don't have the same type of allocation process. We rely on staff to give us a budget for short order. So, again, we have a request a short order request of what how many dollars?

22,200.

$2,222,000. So, you know, I would strongly suggest that we come up with a similar type of allocation so that we are not adjusting the budget based on number of request because, like, for our grant pool dollars, we have a set number of dollars based, regardless of the number of requests, the dollar amount is the same. So it doesn't adjust up and down by, the dollar, amount requested. So I'm suggesting to, Mark Augusta, we can have a similar approach unless you have a better way of of, attacking this. No?

I mean, that sounds appropriate to me. Or So because

was Mark gonna say something.

I was just gonna say, let me re I told Gusta I need to review the short order because we have so many. I don't know how we wanna proceed with, funding them, but decide on the percentage, and we'll go from there. But, again, this may be adjusted according to what our budget actually is when I get back to Madison.

Okay. So okay. So could you take a look at that by, before the commission meeting then? Or you

That's my yes. That's my intention.

Okay. So we'll we'll, hold off any any any any discussion on that. Any any any idea that you think why there was such a spike? I know that we've been out there, you know, promoting people to apply, that seem to have taken hold, and this is the result.

Well, in all the cuts that have happened are certainly all the federal cuts. Mhmm.

I'll say, like and Mark has mentioned this too, but we're we're seeing a lot more individual artists applying with a nonprofit, you know, presenting an exhibition or a project at a nonprofit that maybe can't pay them enough to really do it. And the profit they're working with will recommend Dane Arts as a resource to help support the project. So, like, we there's three applications from an organization that we've never seen a project from yet. You know? And they're all in. So it's it's kind of that word-of-mouth of, you know, venues promoting Dana Arts to help, I think. But anecdotally, what I've seen.

Okay.

Well, it's because the people know about it. I think it's a good problem good problem to have. But

Yeah. I mean, it's it's good that more people are aware that, excuse me, that we provide funding, but the downside is we can't support the increase in request. And and and so, you know, from the survey, you know, people were excited that they received funding, but they but but their enthusiasm went down when they realized how much they're gonna get. So it's a tight line, you know, rope to to, to continue to get more requests without the dollar amount to support them that could work against us. But we have to deal with it.

K. So okay. So, Mark, you'll you'll get back to us on, how you wanna handle, the short order budget.

Yes.

Okay. The number of review panels, how many do we have?

Yeah. We have six panels. There's five panelists per panel. And then we have so that's a total of 30 reviewers.

Okay. So a 30 times 100 is, okay, 3,000. So that's what we anticipate will be allocated to the panelists.

Correct.

Okay. Okay. Okay. So that then that brings us down to, the k. We need to subtract the $96.08 minus 4,840 minus 3,000. So we need to subtract, what, $7,840 from the $96.08, and that will give us our approximate net dollars to work with for the grant pool dollars.

Alright. I haven't calculated it yet.

Okay. But but that's where we are. That's what it looks like where where we are now. We'll have the commission take, you know, take a look at that, and, that's where we'll we'll make, the final approval. Right now, we just we'll we'll be informing the commission of of the scenario, and then we'll ask for a motion for approval of this of the overall of the net cycle one grant dollars. Okay. Do we have all of the chairs for the panelists?

Oh, we have half. We have three of six secured. I will share my screen quick with the schedule. Let me switch.

Yeah. You have me down for, I believe, March 23.

Yep.

Okay. But we only have three or six.

Oh, Fran. Thanks, Fran.

Yeah. Just got in there.

Okay. I would

think two more.

Okay. Again, you can always count on me if we don't. So we'll make make a plea, at the commission meeting. We'll still be in time.

Mhmm.

Okay.

Marsha, do you want some training on that? I I can give you an overview of chairing one of those panels.

Brandon, I've in the past. Yeah. The two available dates coincide with Madison Spring Break and Wisconsin Heights Spring Break, and, hopefully, we will be busy with a circus camp. So, yeah, I'm not I'm not unwilling. I'm just not available at all that week, Monday through Friday, the twenty third through twenty seventh. So sorry.

Okay.

I know I planned it right during spring break, and I

Mhmm.

Shot I mean, I haven't had a problem with the panelists.

Okay. Again, we'll make a plea at the commission meeting. And, again, I'm just letting you know that I can if we fall short, I'll fill in one of those, gaps and at least one more of those. Okay?

I need to update that, sir. We have all the we have all the panelists as of right now.

Okay. Oh, great.

Do we have a good mix of of of past panelists versus new ones? Yes. I mean

Yeah. The yellow Like, yellow is very experienced, and the blue is the panelists that serve at least once, and then the green is a first time. So not as many first time people as last cycle. So we got we have a high, rate of keeping people. I can't think of a word.

Yep. Yeah.

Great. Great attention. Yeah. Thank you.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's good. That's that's what we want, actually.

I'm like I'm spacing on the percentage. It was, like, a pretty high percentage of retention, like, over 50% per

month. So yeah.

Wow. Good job. You managed to recruit three of my former coworkers at the division of the art.

It's the division of the art up in here or the is that a division? Yeah.

Yeah. Alright. Okay. So in in summary, so we're good on all of the panelists are in place. We just need to find two more panel chairs.

Correct.

Okay. Okay. Any web oh, when when will the grants be available, to be read on web grant, or are they available I'm they maybe are now. I just I'm not aware of it. And two, Mark, when will you be assigning, commissioners to read, you know, their their number their share of

Augusta can open up the applications anytime now for everybody.

Yeah. They should be available, but I can I can have this prepared for the commission meeting? I mean, that will be my deadline. It's just to assign so everybody has a chunk. You know, everyone has the same number

to And and, can you send me the the, grants that will be reviewed on March 23? Because I I like to read them, be before I cheer the panel.

Yes.

Okay. Yeah. So

I'll plan to send that out on Monday.

Okay.

Is that okay? Unless you want it this weekend.

No. No. No. By Monday. Monday is fine. Okay. Any any other, any WebGrants updates or changes in the web grants it itself?

Nothing major and nothing that'll impact the way commissioners interact with it. We're looking at next year for some bigger updates. So

Okay.

Which I need to start on that right away because this year is flying by. But yeah.

Okay. Okay.

Just a few the application for clarity, but nothing fundamentally different.

Okay. So, move on to, Dana's mission and vision statements. Last executive committee meeting, I thought we came to a consensus on the proposed mission statement, but we did not review, I don't think, a a proposed vision statement. And we agreed that we will bring both of them to the commission for approval hopefully, Mhmm. At our upcoming meeting.

South Main Street.

Yeah. I'm gonna share my screen here quickly. So last time, we we talked about target audiences, and then we discussed mission and vision, but I had mentioned that I wanted to run it by the subcommittee that's working on this. So I did. I sent that email out right after that meeting, received positive feedback from that group.

And so where we're landing here are on these two proposals. So the mission statement, this is the current mission statement as it stands, and here's what we're proposing, if you'd like to read that a minute.

Yeah. It is the exact same language as what you showed us last meeting?

That's correct.

Okay. Which is we gave a consensus approval on this statement.

K. And then here is the proposed vision. The current one is here, and what we're proposing is this one.

K. So your your strategy then is to, is to give one statement to decide on versus two to review. Right. And I'm yeah. My question, I'm just asking.

Yeah. That's correct. And the committee, there was there was a question about adding belonging and fostering growth or omitting it from the vision statement. And the feedback I received was we wanted in, that we felt that the belonging piece was really important and the fostering growth was important and alluded to youth engagement. So so this is what that committee is proposing, and I'm happy to bring this to the commission meeting Yes. For that. So this would be something we would vote on?

At at at the commission meeting. Yes. Yeah.

And then, I think follow-up, I could get with Augusta, and we could talk about replacing all iterations that exist online then with these so we can make those updates then after that's voted on. And and we have a consistent mission and vision being used in all places where they're being presented right now.

Yes. Okay. So are we all is everyone good at that we are comfortable with with Friend presenting the two statements as presented?

Yes.

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I I am as well. Okay. So, Friend, we we will that will be on the agenda let's see. Do I have that on the agenda? Permission. No. I didn't have that. Okay. So that will be on the agenda mission and vision statements. Okay. Anything further, Fred, on that?

Nope.

Okay. Excellent. Thank you. Commission portal, Gusta, you wanted, that on the agenda to discuss the further use or not use of the portal?

Yeah. I'm proposing we I'm proposing we discontinue the use of the portal in favor of the Google Drive that Fran set up. But I'm open to discussing it if there's commissioners that want to keep using the portal. But at this point, it feels redundant and less effective than the system that we're currently using. So not to delete it, just to discontinue updating it.

That it would no longer be considered we will no longer, refer commissioners to go to the portal for for updated information.

Correct.

Okay. Okay. I think we'll we'll you know, that can be on the agenda, and that that can just be informative that that that this is the move that that this is the direction that we that we will be going.

Okay.

Okay? Alright. Okay. Let's see. Where are we, executive director's report, mister Mark?

Nothing new other than what we've been doing. The business of art conference is in full swing. The poster calendar, we're still thinking about what we do for the fiftieth, coming up with some ideas on how to celebrate the fiftieth for '27. Interesting con interesting outcome of the Forward Madison posters that we've done for the past five years. We've now secured over sixty, seventy artists. So they no longer need us to help them with securing artists for the posters, but they've agreed to keep DaneArt's logo on all posters, which is great because it opens up, all the work they used to do for them. But to keep Dane Arts on the poster is a big big plus.

Yes.

Same with Aubergine Gallery. We've been partnering with them for the past two years both as a volunteer and as a Dane Arts. They've agreed to keep Dane Arts on all forward information relating to their exhibitions, which is great. So no no more work on our part to continue to have visibility. Black Madison in residence, artist in residence is doctor Roberto Rivera, who is there for the next six months to build his, business skills.

Anniversary's, gathering that we're doing for 2027 is in full swing. We've met with a couple different groups. Thanks for Fran and all her help, in trying to determine there will be no signature event. That's just too too time consuming and too much on our plate to even make that happen because they never really are very successful. We are certain that we wanna make this an awareness campaign.

So Augusta and I, actually, next week, will start traveling throughout Dane County to get to some of these towns and cities that we've not been to to hand out information about the conference, post a calendar, take some posters with us, to begin trying to reach as many many city towns and little areas that we have not been to throughout Dane County, as a way of promoting greater awareness. And I still met just last week with various people who have no idea even within Dane County who Dane Arts is. So we know we have a lot of work yet to do on on that.

Mark Wait. Excuse me. Mark, have you given any thought to a possible fiftieth anniversary now I don't wanna say logo, but, signature that can be placed on, like, on the website for

We we've kinda touched on that. I'd hate to divert from what our logo is now and create another one for the fiftieth that and then we're going back to the same logo as the following year. I'd like to be able to promote the logo we have now since it seems like we're gonna keep it

Yeah.

Rather than coming up with a new one for the fiftieth.

So no Incorporate 50.

Go ahead. I'm sorry.

No. I would say incorporate 50. But but if you if you've already thought about that and, you know, you have thought through that, then then that's fine.

Yeah. Well, again, everything's still up in the air. We're not quite sure how we're gonna celebrate, but we are gonna do something, whether it's with the county parks or all the towns and municipalities that we're gonna hit. So we're looking for the committees to come up with some ideas. And we have a good wait. We have Fran, about eight or nine folks who are on committees that are really Yeah.

And do do you wanna give a quick update of your meeting with Sylvia and Stephanie?

Yes. That's where we met Sylvia and Sam Kronauer and Stephanie Richards. That's where we came up with no event because it was too time consuming, too much work. But we are looking at what kind of signature ideas we can have that would go throughout the year. So we're combining that committee with another committee because we decided no event. So I think what we've decided on answering the who, what, where, when, and why. Yeah. So we'll meet in the next couple weeks to further explore how we celebrate the anniversary.

But, back to I forget Fred, I think that this was a suggestion you had too, that during next year's business, of arts conference to highlight it and whether the breakfast or the reception, again, could be fiftieth anniversary refocus with with no. Without having another event, but focus the fiftieth within an existing event. And even when we have our own posted calendar reception will be another case where we could hype the fiftieth doing doing an already current scheduled

Oh, yeah. For sure.

I'm sure

the committee will discuss all of those options. Mhmm. It's just early on. They've only had one two meetings now.

Right. If we have a conference next year, you know, it's always up in the air.

The comfort oh, we will. It's We will. We have them.

Trying to each year, it's like, let's just get through this one that we're doing right now. We have 26 people registered, but we don't even have the agenda out, and that's what most folks are waiting on. We have the Yeah. We have the, early bird registration until the end of the month, and most people are gonna keep on hold their dollars until the last days. So they'll have to put forward the little 125 that it's cost. And we've got a lot of work going on in social media. I don't know if you've seen the posts. We're doing Instagram

Yeah.

Facebook. So, we have a lot of work going into this. So fingers crossed. We are expanding beyond Madison and Dane County now with, UW Stevens Point students coming in for the conference, so that's a plus. And there are a couple other things I can't read my handwriting and what I want else I wanted to say. Anniversary grants are in full cycle. Augusta's doing a bang up job on that. Oh, new commissioners. We have some new commissioners coming in. I know you wanted me to talk about a strategic plan with the strategic planner that I had in mind.

But we

have such a turnover coming up. I'm just gonna wait until, after May when everybody turns over because June.

Okay.

The county executive just appointed two more folks to the commission, in place of you, Rod, and, Marsha.

But but

One of them

get you excuse me. But after June.

Well, after we have to year off.

Yeah. Okay.

Okay. We have we have everybody that will be new. We have, like, four or five new folks coming on. We have to find out some things because Augusta indicated that, who is our new Doug, who is the chair of the commission.

Oh, I think that Yeah. I saw that.

I mean yeah. I asked the legislate I asked the county clerk to switch that. I don't know how it happened.

Okay. So I

I was gonna bring that to your attention.

So it looks like they've appointed, Sofia Snow from the UW First Wave program, and they're appointing the person that part time artist that you knew from Crusales, Fran, or you know of.

Sofia Snow, you're talking about?

Sofia Snow, the other woman that was appointed by

Oh, yes. Yes. I forget her name, but she has done she was Bare Knuckle Arts.

Right.

And she has done some work with Crystal as they were familiar with her and just kinda putting a few feelers out. People said that she was really wonderful to work with, and they had nothing negative to say about her. So

So

Youth education focus, I think. Right? Mhmm.

Yes. Yes. So that's all in process. So a lot going on still as much as we try to reduce our workload.

Mhmm. Okay. So so it's so they are in the pipeline for approve for final approval by the county board with the start date of of June so it'll be off in July. It'll be August would be there. Right. It's official.

They are in line. County executive now is moving pretty quickly at appointments versus what the former county executive. So they are in a resolution for this upcoming board meeting for our for appointments. So

Okay. We'll

see how So what is in the like, what's in the bylaws about chair appointments then? So can she just make a chair appointment, or is that up to the commission?

No. The no. The commission elects the chair and vice chair.

Okay.

Yeah. It was just a mistake for some reason.

Okay. I'm just checking.

Yeah. So no. So that's the to my knowledge, that has not changed. It's we hold elections in in, June.

Okay.

Yeah. K. Mark, do you know if, if if the new folks at least were briefed in advance so that they knew what they are committing?

I would hope, but no. I would think she gave them the traditional rundown of what a commit county commissioner does and time time span. So I'm I haven't had any conversation with her. I'm kinda waiting until we get this conference over before I have any further conversation about next steps with commissioners. And because she's making these appointments on her own, I don't wanna disrupt No.

Okay. No. Okay.

Cog in it.

Yeah. No. I'm no. I'm just saying it's one thing to give a broad perspective on commissions and boards that, you know, work for the county, but some specifics to, you know, to, in this case, the Dane Arts. Again, I'm not you know what I mean. So we'll just move we okay. We will move on from there. Right.

Yeah. It'd be really it'd be really great to meet with her and learn about what her goals are and what she's trying to tackle there.

Yes. Yes. Trying to be trying to be delicate on that because she was very clear. At least her assistant was very clear that it's her choice, and she's gonna make the choice that she wants.

Well, no one's saying otherwise. Okay. You can be clear on that. Right. Yeah.

Yeah. Okay. No. We moving right along. So our our next executive committee meeting is on April 3, I believe, Augusta.

Oh, I think oh, the next one is April 10.

Tenth. A

little bit different because of a religious holiday. We had to

move it. Okay.

I think that was Okay.

So 04/10. Yeah. And we have the, April grant deliberations then? Or

On the fourteenth. So it's a pretty quick turnaround between executive and commissioner.

Okay. Will we have, you know, time to get, no, to get, the agenda stuff posted. You know, the executive may still the one phone review of how, the math medical formula shapes up and where the grants line line up, will we still have a chance to do that? Because I think that that's still important.

I don't think the agenda will be impacted by that.

Okay. Okay.

And then we do have up to twenty four hours to adjust the agenda. Like, it's not something we wanna do ever every month, but that does permit us a window. We need to tweak the agenda based on the executive committee meeting. We can do that.

Okay.

Yeah. I think I think since the numbers are part of the discussion rather than the agenda header. It'll be fine. Yeah.

Hey. Anyone have any announcements, that you would like to make or share, any information to to share? I'll be, introducing two performances at the international festival, tomorrow. Yeah. Great. At noon.

Mine at noon? Are you introducing my performance?

No. What no. I'm doing a Madison drum and pipes something, and then another one at 02:15. So no. I'm sorry. No. At one and 02:15.

Thanks for doing that, Rod.

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Yep. If they still need people, I'm probably gonna go. I just wasn't I was coming off of the flu and such a busy week, I didn't wanna commit. But if they still need people, I can go look and see if they need people.

I yeah. I don't know if they

I don't know either.

Okay. I'll take a peek, but I'm hoping to get over there tomorrow. Great. I had a a just a whirlwind of events. Yesterday, the youth concert was fantastic. Thank you for inviting me to that. I thought that the fourth Final Forte winner was incredible. He's such a such a young talent pianist. Did such a great job on the Rachmaninoff or no, Prokofiev piano concerto. And then I also went to and I'll say this in the commission meeting, but the Four Seasons Theater did this production of 1919 after the war.

And I don't know if you guys know. His name is Ken Fitzsimmons. He's a bass player. I used to hire him when he when we needed players in the chamber orchestra for concerts on the square, and he created this production of the year 1919. It was kind of like Hamilton meet meet meets Pink Floyd is kinda how I saw it. So he was basically like a one man show and talked about all the crazy parallelisms of 1919 to today. They were post pandemic. There was a lot of sort of conspiracy theory stuff going on. It was it was just incredible. The music was fantastic, so that was great.

And I proudly saw our our our logo at the end of the show. So that was awesome that we helped sponsor that. Then Jeff's son, Ray, he's married to Emma, so my daughter-in-law. She is an actor, and she was hired to perform in the choir for the Middleton Performing Arts Center Capital City Theater performance the following night. So we went to that, and there I was surprised in the program is the Danarts logo again.

And I thought, my gosh. We're really, supporting so many different things. It really was a proud moment for me. So just wanted to say that I I think, our work and then I went to the chrysalis storytelling thing, which we also so that was incredible too. So it's just been a whirlwind of events supported by Deignards, and I just felt very proud of everybody's work on that. Right.

Yeah. Well, Ken will be presenting at the conference. Do you wanna introduce his his his session?

Sure. If you need me

to, I can. Yeah.

Let me check the time and date. But if I can, I sure will?

Friday late morning. Thursday late morning, I think, is when Ken is on.

Okay. Because I think my panel's Thursday afternoon, so I should

use Yes. Great. Alright. I'll I'll talk more with you about that.

Okay.

Because we've been trying to have people introduce these facilities these presenters, and we're hopefully we're getting enough volunteers. In fact, Park Bank's vice president is volunteering

Oh, great.

With his community director for the conference, is exciting.

Yeah. That was so and I don't know when when is the right time, but can we add a future discussion about the status of fundraising and where that's at? Because that's obviously seems to be the most critical issue for the commission at this point. And then, also, I know, Mark, you've alluded to paring down some of the other things to focus primarily on the grant making program. And I I think that's a really worthy discussion also for executive committee initially because I think that's really important to think about and and where all of your attention is focused.

And, you know, you become a master of none when you're doing so many different things. Right? So, you know, is the grant program really the the meat and potatoes, and should we be focusing on just fundraising for that and making that as robust as possible? So I'd love to hear everybody's thoughts on that.

Great idea.

Okay. Any any anything else? If not, can we get a motion to okay. Public comment on item not on the agenda, none. Such other business as allowed by law, none. Now can I get a motion, to, adjourn?

I so move.

They move that we adjourn at 09:18AM. Thank you very