SECA COMMISSION SIMPLE AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the recommendation to engage the Exploratory Task Force for the purpose of developing strategic steps to grow the Community Arts Program
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DEPARTMENT: Community Services
SUBMITTED BY: Dawn Portner, Special Events Coordinator
In 2021, staff partnered with members of the SECA Commission to create a group of interested parties and subject matter experts to evaluate processes related to public art in Naperville and explore opportunities for improvement.
The group, named the Exploratory Task Force (ETF), met for over one year and in April 2022 directed staff to present the recommendation to establish a Community Arts Program through the expansion of the SECA Commission to the City Council for approval.
On May 17, 2022, the City Council unanimously approved the recommendation as well as the updated SECA Grant Fund Program applicant manual which outlined the new Community Arts component.
Throughout the development of the Community Arts Program, the ETF discussed goals and a long-term vision for community arts in Naperville but designed conservative policies to address what was known at that time.
The second year of the Community Arts Program will begin in 2024. While it has seen much success in just one year, especially in the area of student art, staff would like to discuss appropriate and manageable next steps to grow the Program.
Staff is recommending that the SECA Commission engage with members of the ETF to review the current program, discuss projects and lessons learned since its approval in 2022, and investigate municipal art program best practices.