Arts Commission - Bylaws Subcommittee - Regular Meeting

I'm like, no. I don't wanna be in

the tight seat. So it

puts a lot of power in

this. Yeah. Know. Okay.

We're recording now. So whenever you're ready, Donna.

Okay. So we're gonna go ahead and call the meeting to order here for November 10/15/2025 here.

Sorry. Hold on. I gotta fix something.

Rock. Me? I'm good. Okay.

Commissioner Falado.

Present.

Commissioner Frank Stapley. Present. Commissioner Romero. Present. Commissioner Rosati? Absent. Commissioner Simpson Junior? Here. Commissioner Soiber?

Present.

Commissioner Subbers?

Here.

Commissioner Voehling? Absent. And Chairman Gratofsky? Absent. So we have a quorum with six.

Next on the agenda is approval of minutes. Hopefully, you've all had a chance to review the 08/20/2025 Arts Commission meeting minutes. There any discussion or a motion to approve

I'd make a motion to approve as presented

second motion by Romero second by Simpson Commissioner Frank Staffley. Motion to approve the minutes.

Moved? Approved? Just aye

or Aye.

Oh, sorry. I'm slow. Aye.

Commissioner Romero. Aye. Commissioner Simpson. Aye. Commissioner Soiver. Aye. Commissioner Summers. Aye. Commissioner Falado.

Aye.

Motion carries. Next on the agenda is citizens to be heard on agenda items. This section is for anyone wanting to speak regarding agenda items and are allowed a maximum of four minutes. It is not a question and answer period and staff and the commission members generally do not respond to public comments would anyone like to speak on any agenda items tonight Seeing none, we'll move on to agenda items. The first item that we have is City Square Sculpture Presentation by Cija Chen on community engagement. Seija, if you wanna come up.

Hi, everyone. Thank you for having me today. So today, I would like to tell a little bit more about my work in general, and then also talk about how we're gonna proceed with our community engagement for our public sculpture at the city center. So this is How does this work? Sorry.

All right. If you can move to the next slide. So I would like to talk about my art really quickly to give you an understanding of my practice. So my work starts with papers, starts with menus, starts with little things like this. This is a paper that I collected today from the Rialto Theater.

Please. So all these papers I collect from the community, from the public, our papers are not meant to last. For example, somebody might take this event, take a look and dump it, trash it somewhere. The vaccination cards, documents from governments, receipts. But to me, those papers hold specific meanings and memories. They are the witness of how we live, where we've been, what we've done. And to that, menu is one of the things I often collect, if you can go back to the previous slide. This is a very ordinary menu from a Cambodian restaurant in Los Angeles. If you look at it, you see a bunch of food items. But to me, I see a map.

Why do I say that? Because if you look at the right hand side, you see two dishes. One is a chive cake, the bottom one is a shrimp cake. If you see those two items in the menu in a Southeastern restaurant, southeast Asian restaurant in America or in Europe, you can safely assume that some of the person who owned the restaurant or the chef has, is a Cao Shanese descendant. And why do I know that?

Because I was born and raised in Cao Shan. And those food items are staples onto our menu. And the reason why they made their ways to those Southeast Asian restaurants around the world is because Cao Shanese people moved to Southeast Asia in, starting in the eighteen hundreds. And then later, they moved to America and Europe because Cambodia War, Vietnam War, and they bring this item along with them. So to me, when I look at menus in this country or in any country, what I see is places that on the spin, the memories they carry, the cultures they carry.

Next slide, please. So I collect all of this, just like I collect this paper and then make paper cuts out of it. Next slide, please. So I will collect them. I will use scissors knife to create shapes. Next one. Shapes of buildings, shapes of trees, animals or abstract forms. And this practice is called paper cut art. Next one, please. So I would like to talk about paper cut art a little bit.

Paper cut is an ancient art form dates all the way back to the fourth century. It's actually part of my family heritage. Still, today, it's practiced and appreciated in many countries in the world. You see Switzerland's artists on the left, Korean artists, Vietnamese artists and Mexican artists at the bottom. Next one, please.

And that's my dad in the picture doing his paper cut. Where I was from, where I was born, paper cut is used often as window decoration with religious offering. So it's both a decoration, but also carry significance. But you notice, Papercut usually use single color paper and create intricate shapes out of it. And what I do a little different is I use ready made papers I collect from the public. Next one, please. And I create shapes, different shapes, and I collage them onto canvases. Next one, please. These mountains, these layers of collages, paper cuts, they form mountains on my paintings and rivers. Next one, please.

And they become landscape, landscape of a community, landscape of people's stories. It's a document of where we've been, what we do, and the stories we carry. Next one, please. So a lot of my paintings are collected and exhibited in public spaces, telling the stories of communities of migrants, just like just like Joliet being a center of transportation, being the hub, being the beginning, the first 100 miles of Route 66. People come from different places and bring their memories, their stories, their cultures to Joliet.

And to me, it's I bring the public their stories, their families, their history to my paintings, through the papers that they contribute to me. Next one, please. This one, that one, the previous one was at Seattle Tacoma Museum and this one is collective and exhibited at Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Next one. So to Next one, please.

That was a video. So these papers, by doing Using these papers and creating paper cuts, I'm not just creating art. I to me, I believe I'm holding spaces, spaces for public memories to be preserved, to be kept. And these papers, they're had they were originally had into the trash, but now becoming part of the art. And they are being part of the history present being part of the history that we're making today.

And hopefully, future generations can look at these and understand the time that we lived in. Next one. So, in addition to doing all these paper cut works in paper, I also do paper cuts in paper cut inspired art, cutting steels and make them into sculptures. And the way I do it is I go to communities and I do workshops. I do meetings like this and invite people to share with me their stories, their aspects, their perspective of their hometown, their city, and then I collect those stories and I create sculptures, art that truly represent and bespoke two d community.

Ray, if you can go back to the previous one. So, if you look at this, it's two little children waving one waving his hands. And, jump two slides ahead, please. This is part of the work I created, a part of the sculpture I created for Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Next one, please.

So Portsmouth was celebrating their four hundred years anniversaries of the city. And they commissioned me to create sculptures for the Maritime history, Maritime cultures. So one of the things that the members, the community members, taught to me is they want the sculpture to reflect not just the people who have gone to the sea, but the people who were left behind, the maritime culture, local, on land, people who waited for their family has gone away. So those two children, now you can see at the bottom of the right cell, are the children representing the community members waiting for their loved ones to return. Next one, please.

This is for Charles Shan International Airport. So for me, doing public artworks like this is a way for me to ask the question, to pose a question of the local communities, the members. What kind of communities are we? Who are we? Next one, please.

And what do we want to preserve? For example, this one is for Wichita in Kansas. Wichita has a nickname Air Capital of the World. It's aviation industry has such a big impact on the city. So this is series of seven clouds and on each cloud, I work with peoples from Wichita to create images that represents the city.

So you can see birds that become not becoming, mean, Wichita is a big stop for migratory birds. So you can see birds on the green panels. In the middle, you can see the historical airplanes that were made in Wichita, being featured at the center. Next one, please. So in stories, coming to do public art with the communities in the city, I'm hoping through this movement, we can generate support for the arts, but also bring people from diverse background together.

Next one, please. I want to ask people this question that, what do you want to see in the art? And what do you want to see in the future of your city? Next one, please. For public art, I believe that it has multiple, serve multiple purpose.

One is to highlight and enhance the space. And second one is to truly unite people during the process, to bring people come together, to collectively create a piece that is going to stay in the city. And during this process, hopefully new friendship can be born, new connection can be fostered, and conversation can be generated. What do we want for our city? And what kind of future do we imagine?

Next one, please. And next one. So, that brings to my proposal, Dawn of Unity. Resonating about the archway at Riedel Theater, this dorm, I believe, would create a space in the center of the city square. A space for people to come, reflect, and a place to appreciate the work, to appreciate the city through the work as well. Next one. I think we are all very familiar with the ideas. I'm just going to go quickly through. Next one, please. Yep, next one.

So, in this week, We're going to meet with schools. We went to the Rialto Theater this afternoon. We went to the History Museum this afternoon, today, and also the Junior College for lunch. All of those. And I understand, it just helped me understand so much more about the city and its people.

An artist can do the research miles away thoroughly. I understand, I feel like I have a good understanding of Joliet before I can. But I have to say, nothing beats an on ground engagement to talk to the people, to understand, to really engage what is Joliet. I think I'm getting quite a good sense of it. Next one, please. I think Joliet is about diversity. Joliet is about transportation. Joliet is about preserving the history while looking forward to looking towards the future. Next one, please. So, this week, we're going to get and collectively develop the perforation, the paper cut inspired cutouts on the dorm of Unity.

We will be Let's share agenda. We were going to we're going to schools tomorrow. We'll be hosting a lot of workshops, teaching the kids or everyone who are interested how to do paper cut. We're gonna give hands up templates and scissors so people can have first hand experience of how paper cut is made. And hopefully, through this process, people can think about what patterns, what patterns were thing, what the things that represent Joliet and maybe they can cut it with their own hand and submit it to our website.

If we can go to our website. So this is a website we created. It's called jolietunitydorm.com. So it has a home page, an about page that tells the public this project. And if you go to the news page, and if you click on that, this is our community workshop.

We have two workshops, one on Friday, one on Saturday. And I would like to invite to come to experience Papercut first hand. And after you understand and get your hands, not wet, but cutting the papers, can go to Ray, if you can go to the connect page. Yes. There there is a questionnaire that you can fill I can fill fill out and tell me what is Joliet to you.

Answer all the questions. And if you scroll down to the bottom, there is a upload button that you can upload any imageries, paper cut designs, photos that you think represent Joliet. And then hopefully together, we can create the beautiful paper cut perforation for the dorm. And, Dorm Ray, if you go to gallery, gallery, yes. So all the visual entries will be presented, will be exhibited in gallery.

So people will have a chance to see their artwork, their create their creation being appreciated in the community. And this website will also document every steps of the way that we go through in this public projects. People will see how it's being made, the process, the fabrication, the transportation, the installation process. And at the end, we can transfer this website to the city. And if the city want to keep it, this will serve as a living archive of how, at 2025, everyone in Joliet come together. Together, we create the dorm of the Unity dorm. Yep. So that's that's my presentation. Thank you. And if you have any questions.

Does anyone have Yes.

Ahead. Lots of them. Not that many. So will you be taking dozens of ideas and then some you

know, put

a voting, you know, process down to see which one everybody likes or if you participated, that's I mean, I'm assuming you'll have dozens of ideas.

That's a good question. So after we receive all the feedback from the public, I will then do an initial design, an initial design of the of the the dorm and the paper preparation of the dorm. And I will submit to the committee to get your feedback to see what you think, if there is anything need to be changed or you want to add something more, if that makes sense. So it's very much an interactive process.

How many of these designs do you think can be incorporated into the sculpture? Is it, Some of these that I've seen looks like there's one or two with just regular other shapes or is it dozens? Is it

That's a

good question. We will see what idea gets the most popular. We're gonna incorporate the things that got mentioned the most. So right now, I'm thinking limestone. Limestone got mentioned so much and is such an important piece of architecture and history here in Joliet. So I can see the limestone making its way into being one of the items being presented at the final design as long as the railways. But I'm very excited and can't wait to see what other people, what everyone has to say about Joliet. Yeah. Yeah. So can't give you a definite number right now

because I I'm just trying to get a scope in my mind.

Yeah. Yeah. I understand. I understand. See how many things were presented. And do you and do you wanna pull up the school the agenda so the community knows what we're doing? Is this the one? Perfect. Thank you. So okay. My site is not very good. I can't really actually really read right now. So if you can okay. I can see Jolene. I I know we're going to the West School and now we're the Central High Schools but the Washington Junior High School, yep, those are the ones that we are going and the elementary school.

Yep. And then Saturdays, the meeting, we're hoping to also do some more visits of the sites. For example, prison that we were hoping to visit and maybe the library as well. We want to understand and get as much information as possible. Yep?

I have a question. If families are coming, is there anything they should bring with them other than ideas? So

people can use Tin. We will provide templates and papers and scissors at the workshops. But people, public are welcome to bring things that they are meaningful, that are meaningful to them, to Joliet and they create paper cuts using those material. And actually and and we were chatting today that potentially potentially at the after the sculpture is finished, we can also do exhibition putting on the paper cuts on the window fronts in surrounding the city squares. So people, whatever they create, people will have a chance to see it being celebrated in the public.

That's a great idea and it ties back to paper cut being window decoration and I think it further generate interest to this project and then I think it's always good for people to see their creation being celebrated.

Can we talk about the materials? We've talked about this when we had our conversation online, but just for the record here. Materials that you would use and what is being done to help with any, I don't want say destruction, but anybody does graffiti or anything like that? What what precautions are you taking for that kind?

So after the we will apply UV coating and and and anti graffiti coatings on top of that. So it can be easily removed. Should anyone spray I all

have one more. So I love the idea about having the junior high and the high school people involved. You also mentioned some history. So I'm assuming that there's some, for lack of a better word, old timers in the city that have ideas of what the city means and the history and How stuff like will you hear from them? Just online?

Or I mean, if they say, let's say, a steelman, which is, you know, something that's, one particular thing. Does a junior high kid have to cut it out to make it you aware of it? I mean, of the older things like limestone or whatever

Steuben. Whatever

you're seeing. Mean.

So we had a fantastic tour today at the History Museum. But then what I would like to is encourage everyone to come to the public sessions, the public session on Friday and Saturday, so and we can have in person conversations and to have an understanding of the general public, not just the students are thinking and I think that's just as important and also online too, like, hope that people can if you can make it to the in person meetings, I encourage everyone to go to the website to share their perspective and to let me know what you think represent as most representative.

How about a timeline? Good question.

Thank you

for that. Thank you for that. So the timeline is three weeks from, three weeks starting next week, so total of four weeks of community engagement. So we were trying to, which we're trying to finish and install this piece at May, So we wanted to keep everything moving fairly quickly. Yeah. And you have a question?

It was about the color, but I think that was decided a while ago that it would be white. Yes. Is that correct? Yes.

Okay. I'm fine. And I think the white color will very nicely complement the the red break, the the red carpet underneath. And yeah.

And are the lights there's lighting in this too. Is I don't know if that was something that you were providing or the city had was talking about providing. Between the lights and the sunlight, the natural light, is there a way to incorporate into the design some of the moving shadows that you would see on the ground from the artwork?

So we were actually on the site today and the lights were installed on the concrete, on the path. So at nighttime, it can, it will illuminate the sculpture.

But can some of the cutouts, if the light or the sunshine hits it,

the Oh, it's gonna create beautiful shadows. Yeah. Yes. It's, the thing about the sculptures, I think it's almost its own living thing because of the perforation and interaction between the perforation and the sunlight. Different time of the day, it will give you completely different experience. So it would be kind of like a living art for that sense.

Other questions?

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. And I look forward to seeing all of you to do some paper cup with me.

Okay. Thank you, Sija. Next on the agenda is staff comments. Anne, did you have some comments you wanted to make?

Was on. Okay. Sorry. It was on. So my name is Ann Sylvester. I'm the director of cultural affairs and special events for the city of Joliet. I've been here now a little over two months. So lots of exciting things happening. And it was absolutely wonderful to spend time today with Sija and Michael and kind of get some of the excitement from them, but also from people we interacted with today. So very excited for this project.

A couple of things. I am going to be transitioning to be the liaison for the Arts Commission. So I wanted to start, first of all, by really sincerely thanking Ray for helping and keeping this commission moving over the course of the last I'm actually not exactly sure how long you were doing it, Ray, but a year or so?

Almost three years now.

Almost three years. So thank you so much for that. I know we and I hope everybody else really appreciate everything that you've done the last couple years. And I know you've definitely got your hands full with lots of other projects. But appreciate your support in this as well during this kind of transition time too. So thank you.

Yeah, thank you.

I also wanted to introduce Katie Fixen, who is going to be helping to kind of assist me make sure I follow everything and do things the right way since I'm new to this. And if you hadn't had a chance to meet Becky DeGroat, she is over here. And I'm going to pass this over to her to let her introduce herself a little bit.

Hi, everyone. I think I kind run of around the room met most of you but if I didn't I'm Becky DeGroat I am the grants coordinator with the city of Joliet I do come from a background of grants over ten years experience writing implementing reporting auditing all sorts of things fun things with grants, federal and state as well. So I actually just started here not long before and did. I'm coming up on my ninety days and they are still looking to keep me, so it's a great thing. And I really look forward to working on arts grants.

I actually have one in the works now. Hopefully, we'll be able to get that one for murals. We're also looking at grants for City Square as well. An additional arts and humanities grants that Anne and I have been working with quite diligently to get done. So I look forward to providing you with more grants to help fund arts and public art.

Yes. So currently, because so much has been funded by grants, very, very excited to have Becky on board. And we'll continue to kind of incorporate her in some of these meetings and things like that. So I am very much looking forward to meeting each of you individually to kind of find out a little bit about your history with the Arts Commission and your history in Joliet. So that together we can create some strategies and goals for 2026 and beyond. So I thank you for your patience as I kind of get onboarded with everything going on. But please do know that this is a priority for me and for the city moving forward. And I look forward to a very exciting 2026. And that's it from me Ray.

Okay I don't have any follow-up comments so next on the agenda is commission member comments? Anyone have any comments

a few things I'd like to say one CJ Michael came to the rock and roll museum today as well we got a chance to talk a little bit beyond just the art project and understanding vision and the potential of what this could mean to tourism and bringing people here. So beyond the art project, I felt like there was a good grasp of what we were trying to do here. And also in trying to get the community engagement and a little pride and ownership here for community there's been some good and bad publicity of course for this mostly good I'd say overwhelmingly good and I think we're headed in the right direction in doing this for our city we've mentioned this before being the formerly third largest city in the state of Illinois and now the fourth sometimes some of our commissioners here we feel like we're lagging severely and hopeful that we're going to be able to get caught up with a lot of this stuff want to say thank you to Ray for all that you've done thank you for keeping us on track and taking all the lumps that we all take together here as well for that welcome of course Anne who I've had several conversations with and very hopeful of moving forward with the new team that's here and I feel that this is a good turning point for our city and moving into a new direction in a positive way.

Those are my comments.

I would also like to say thanks, Ray. I work as hard as anybody else here, but I teach teenagers. So when I get here and I see the tiredness on your face, I think, what have you got to complain about? Ray's been doing that kind of job. You've done a wonderful job keeping us, as you said, Ron, on track, following the directions, pushing us forward. And I'm really grateful for the work that you've done. I really appreciate it.

Thank you. Yeah. I'm just always tired. I hear you. I hear you. It's it's nothing personal. Okay. If there are no other

Ray, can I ask a question? This is Yeah. Sure. Not not about this, but arts related to me.

Yeah. Sure. Can you

tell tell us what in the last pre city council meeting, saw a presentation about I think it's called the story of art in America and how Joliet was one of the you know what that is? I'm guessing trying to wonder.

Oh, yeah. So that's What what is it? I was briefly Who? Brought up to speed on that. I'm trying to think on the fly here. I think that's something that Paulina Martinez our economic development director was working I forget

I could probably share a

little bit of background yeah I was gonna say Donna could probably

yeah I forget the the channel that was producing that but Donna, if you have information, feel free.

It's Legit Productions. It's a docuseries that air airs I think they're starting the fourth season. But because next year is the hundredth year of the Route 66, they've been traveling this year across through Route 66 and stopping and visiting artists along the way. So when they came through this area, they met with six

Right.

I think there were six of

us. Yeah.

And they stopped by either your artwork or your studio, wherever your space was interviewed. And so it will air next year in 2026. And then it's just a short little blurb about your your work and just visiting artists and, you know, you know, celebrating this hundred hundredth year being on this Route 66 and just visiting artists again along the way. So I was selected somehow. I think it just because I've been a part of some other community art projects, my name was on the list.

And so when was when it was presented, I said yes very quickly. And just been honored to be a part of something, you know, groundbreaking, I think, doing small docuseries about artists. You know, sometimes, unless you're self produced, it's hard to kinda put yourself out there. So

Can you agree?

Looking forward to it.

Yeah. Do you have the title? Do you know the title?

The title of

This production.

The story of art in America is the route 66 edition. Yeah. That's what Yeah. So there's a let's see. On my Instagram page, let me see if I can find it. But they made it look like a little a flyer like a newspaper. I wanna say it said Route 66 edition. Okay. But here we go. Oops.

So it's Legitpro NYC, L E G I T P R O D NYC. And the producer's name is Christal. I can't remember her last name, but if you go to it on Instagram, it's under legit legit pro NYC. You can see all of the other artists where they stopped along Route 66 so far. I think they went to Missouri right after leaving Joliet. So

I think we're we're the only one on in Illinois. If I if I remember the presentation, we're the only Joliet was the only one in l in in Illinois. Possibly. Remember here. Anyway. Yes. Possibly.

Thanks, Donna. Okay.

That's it.

Any other public or sorry member comments seeing none we can move on to public comment this section is for anyone wanting to speak regarding non agenda items and are allowed a maximum of four minutes is not a question and answer period and staff and the commission members do not generally respond to public comments so is there anyone in the public who would like to comment on non agenda items Seeing none, the final item on the agenda is adjournment. So a motion to adjourn would be in order.

So moved.

Is there a second?

Second.

Okay. Motion by Steuger, second by All in favor of adjourning signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? Motion carries. Meeting's adjourned. Thanks, everyone.