- Thank you all for being here. Commissioners, members of the public, thank you for being here. I'm going to go ahead and call this meeting to order. So moving on to agenda item number two, approval of the minutes. The minutes from the July meeting have been distributed and read. Are there any noted corrections to the July minutes? No, I second that we can approve it.
- Okay, so I motion to approve the minutes. Can I get a second? Thank you, Rob. All in favor of approving the minutes, say aye. Aye. Okay, any opposed, say nay. All right, the minutes are approved. Thank you. Again, Betsy, bad in a thousand.
- OK, staying on agenda item number two, a quick look at the Bloomington Arts Commission financials. Hello, everyone. So guess what? We got the Arts Project grant money out the door. Woo, we're so excited. So in total, between our BUEA funds, our Bloomington Urban Enterprise Zone funds, and our BAC general funds for grants, we spent a total of $62,983 on our Arts Project grant cycle. That leaves us with a grand total of $104,550.
- dollars left for our remaining two cycles which include the artistic advancement grant which we actually we've already done those reviews and we're going to ask for approval for those later in tonight's meeting and then we'll also have our operations grant cycle which opened on Monday so again overall for those remaining two cycles we have a hundred and four thousand
- $554 to spend. We've got a couple other buckets of money. We have $5,000 in our Emerging Artist Professional Development Fund. So again, as you know, like we've already done some professional development workshops this year, but we funded those with funds encumbered from last year. So we've still got $5,000 to spend on those. I know Natalie, or I'm sorry, Christina and Chaz have some great programs that they're gonna be doing in the fall where we'll start spending this money. We still have that $16,500
- to spend on public art projects and the conversation about how we will strategically spend those funds will happen in the public art subcommittee meeting. Happy to answer any questions. Okay great, thank you Holly.
- Okay, moving on to agenda item number three city updates. Okay, so this part of the meeting is going to look a little bit different than it normally does. First, we're going to hear from Natalie Almanza. And then we're going to hear from Jane Cooper Smith, Director of the Department of Economic and Sustainable Development at the city. After Jane speaks we'll open things up for questions from the commissioners.
- It's great to see so many members of the public here. We do ask that comments or questions be shared at the public comment section toward the end of the meeting. And we encourage you to stick around and ask questions and comments then. And then we will end this agenda item with remarks from Holly. So with that, Natalie.
- I want to note two things. I also want to note that we have someone from legal team, awesome, Audrey Brightenham, who will help us discuss municipal code just so we make sure that we're not confused anymore. And I also just got a note from the chat that they can't hear us online. So.
- It might be the audio. I think that's probably what it is. That's generally what it is. Yeah, sure. Audio settings. Hello? Oh, yeah, that is. Maybe try switching to the other input. I know it's technically the same thing.
- I think you should just switch it under microphone though, right? Yeah. Tell me, say that one more time. Sorry, under microphone. Yeah. Under microphone. Oh. Great. Oh. OK. Can you hear us now? Try testing this one, because I don't think you tried testing. Yeah. Hello? Hello? Hello? I don't think it is.
- Yeah, OK. Sorry about that, you all. I'm going to go knock on tech store. I'll be right back. Should we proceed or is now we're going to pause? We're going to pause? Cool. No, that works. That makes sense. Glad you're here. Thanks. Thanks for having me. Yes.
- the weather like.
- I can either turn audio on on my laptop, or we can figure out how to restart the owl. I think restarting the owl is a good idea. If anybody has ever done that before. If there's a button, I've never done it, and I'm the least tech savvy person.
- Do we need to move the tables?
- Yeah. Does that do something? But it doesn't change the... I'm sorry. There's the power. Okay. We got this. There's going to be something on their end.
- It's multiple people who can't hear. Can you hear us now?
- great angle of view on the screen. Can you shut the video off, Holly? I'm so sorry, yeah. No, you're fine. I just don't want the public to know. Audrey, can you go and see if anybody's in ESD right now? Yeah. Also, do you have Rick's phone number? Because his light looks like it's on. Oh, OK, great. His door is locked. OK, thank you for your patience. Thanks for having me.
- Yeah, I'm writing it. I know. It always works. You're art at work. Thank you. Thank you. Did you get a look to that one? Yeah, man.
- Is that a microphone? That's me as co-host. Yeah. Very, very nice. James Macomba? I don't know his name.
- We could also, I mean, yeah, I think a couple other options. I can just restart the meeting. Yeah.
- That's true. Yeah, we could also, yeah. When Audrey comes back, we can ask her what she can do. Yeah, because I think, yeah, because I mean, we could just run audio through my laptop. Like, it wouldn't, we could see that. And I can turn on, I know it's not going to be perfect, but I can turn on captions as well. Some stuff with wax, that's pretty cool.
- But I think I am going to go ahead and restart the meeting. Yeah, see if it works. Yeah. I don't have anything that Anna D said that Kelly came looking for you, Jane, like 10 minutes ago. I don't know if you have Kelly's phone number. Katz, is it better for us to leave the tables where they are?
- If someone is going to be up there, then we can just leave them. OK. I'm going to run the gauntlet. You're very versatile.
- Hello. Hello. Testing. Hello, hello, hello. Can we join, how would we? Don't join by phone.
- So you tested it, and it didn't? Yeah, it didn't register it. So try switching to computer. So try to select another mic. Hello, hello, hello. Nope. And it doesn't give you the? No, it doesn't. Sorry, guys.
- Thank you again for your patience.
- How many people sit on the board, on the commission? Like even the vacant seats? There are 11. 11, including all the vacant seats. Yes. And is everyone, how many people are here? Currently, we have eight people here. In the room? Yes. Eight commissioners in the room. I'm going to double check with Margie, but I think we can move forward. OK. Anyways, if we have quorum in the room. OK. Yeah, we definitely have quorum in the room. Yeah.
- Yeah, the folks joining online are members of the public. Margie agreed with me we can move forward with the meeting. But would you like for us, she said, do you want me to try to get ITS for us? I would love for that to happen.
- And I also wonder, is there an option for me to play audio through? Because I'm also logged in as the BAC. I'm a co-host. So I could potentially turn the audio on on my laptop so they can hear that way. We can try that. I mean, it's fine. And I understand it might be better than nothing. But it's going to be difficult for them to hear and for us to hear them.
- Everybody don't look at my passwords. Can you do that again, please? I'm going to have to. Oh my goodness. I'm not doing so great tonight. OK. You're doing great now. Yeah, you're doing great.
- I'm sorry. I was trying to be helpful. OK. Whatever. OK, thank you. OK. Do you all have a beret yet? OK. It's gorgeous. It's at least cute, right? OK. It's at least cute.
- OK, I want to ask one more question because I do want to communicate to the folks who are trying to communicate publicly. I do anticipate that folks that are joining virtually are going to want to share public feedback during the comments section. Would it be best to ask them to type their notes now in the chat, or should we ask them to follow up by email? I just want to make sure that they have an ability to share their opinions. If they want to ask their question via chat, I think that's entirely reasonable. It's easier.
- Given the technological situation, this doesn't work. That's probably the easiest. If we have problems with that still, I think we can ask a question in the email. OK, great. Thank you.
- OK. Oh, let me get these folks in. All right. Hi, everyone. Can you hear us now? OK. No. OK. I'm just going to try to unmute my speaker on my laptop. Yeah.
- Yes. Okay.
- So if you actually join in by phone, it won't do that. Say that one more time. If you join in by phone, it won't do that. OK. So the sound will come out of the speakers, and you talking will just go to the phone. OK. OK. OK.
- See, I look forward to this right up in the minute. Yeah. I was like, how? Anyone? Oh, I have to. Right. No. No. So by doing my phone, when you go to the audio settings, there's an option to turn my phone. OK. But Devon, doesn't the echo mean there's double audio? And so it means the L is functional in some way. And there's a red light on the L now. Right.
- Watch the button. Oh, it's red. Oh, it's new. Yeah. Oh. I think it's muted. It does. I see she took the audio out.
- How about now? Hello? Woo! Alright. Everyone, thank you so much for your patience.
- We know where Holly needs professional development. Again, for everyone in the room, I'm going to record the meeting. So I'm going to do that now. I'll also note to the folks who are online listening in. Recording in progress. Thank you for being here. If you have any questions or comments that you want to make, there is going to be a public comment section that falls toward the end of the meeting. And we would love to hear your question or comment during that time.
- Thank you. I feel like that was a really big build up. And so now I feel an immense amount of pressure to live up to that. I'm just going to go for it. I just want to give a brief overview to everybody here of just the events that led to my removal from the Arts Commission. And I really thank you all for being here and for taking the time and commissioners included in that.
- So last Tuesday I was asked to resign from the Bloomington Arts Commission just due to an anonymous E-Report filing stating that quote, the chair of the Arts Commission did not live within quote city limits, which is a violation of city ordinance section CH20C. I'm probably gonna, the amount of times I say that is, I'm hoping that I'm just saying that correctly. But the E-Report states,
- quote, there are many good applicants for other commissions who are denied because they are not claiming voter registration and alternate family member address in city limits, which I believe assumes malice when unfortunately administrative error is far likelier.
- Um, I served as the mayoral appointment to the BAC. Um, and I was appointed twice once by a former mayor, John Hamilton in 2021, and then again in 2024 by mayor Carrie Thompson. Uh, and during my time on the commission, I served as secretary and then later chair of public arts subcommittee, but not chair of the Bloomington arts commission as stated in the U report filing. It's a small, but I think important distinction. Um, and after I was asked to resign, I submitted a response to this request where in
- where I just explained and disclosed, explained that I disclosed my address several times to the city. I did my due diligence and I operated in good faith. When I was appointed in 2021, I disclosed my address and was told I was eligible to participate in the commission via a pre-appointment phone interview. And then in April of 2021, I purchased a home in Bloomington where I currently reside. And while I love this house, it was the one that I could afford. That was probably the main reason that I chose it.
- Uh, and once my move was finalized, I updated the city of Bloomington with my new address and confirmed again that I would be able to participate in the commission. Um, in December of 2024, I filled out my commissioner application form to be reappointed, uh, on the city of Bloomington website, where I reported my current address and affirmed that I lived within city limits because I was told multiple times by city staff that my residents met the eligibility requirements to serve on a commission.
- And in the past three years, I've also received official city communications to these addresses. And upon reviewing the Bloomington Municipal Code, Section 2823, I just believe that dismissal based on living outside of the Bloomington city limits was invalid due to ill-defined and insufficiently documented protocol throughout the boards and commission appointment process and within the municipal code.
- Bloomington Municipal Code states for the executive branch and the city's boards, commissions, and councils, the following general provisions apply unless otherwise specified. And section three of that is residential requirement. All appointments to city boards, commissions, and councils shall be made from residents of the city except those positions that are directed otherwise. And in the Bloomington Municipal Code, city is defined kind of vaguely
- um in my opinion the city as defined by the code uh means the city of bloomington indiana or the area within the territorial city limits of the city of bloomington and such territory outside of the city over which the city has jurisdiction or control by virtue of any constitutional provisions or any law that's i'm done reading wait yeah i'm done reading code according to the above definition i
- think that I'm a resident of the city. And until an anonymous e-report filing prompted investigation, the city of Bloomington consistently validated that and validated my residency in relation to commission service eligibility. And as of last week, city limits and resident of the city are not defined on the boards and commissions information pages, the boards and commission application form in the Bloomington Municipal Code in relation to commissions.
- in the onboard Bloomington Arts Commission eligibility requirements. In fact there's no clear indication of the city limits impact on an applicant's eligibility anywhere in this process. So after requesting this issue be reconsidered I was removed from the Bloomington Arts Commission via email and for my and as I know for my peers at this table this is
- much more than a simple volunteer position for me. I'm really passionate about uplifting my fellow community members through the arts, and it really has been an honor serving alongside you guys. And while it doesn't feel like it at the moment, I do know that I'm undoubtedly part of the Bloomington arts community and the Bloomington community at large because my passion for creating accessible pathways to the arts for all Bloomington residents defies boundaries.
- But with that said, I'm not asking to be reinstated, as I've been told that that is near impossible. But I am asking for the city to be transparent in this process and to display residency requirements throughout the process for prospective applicants. So this does not upend any future commission work. And I have no doubt that you all will continue to do great work, whether I'm at the table or not. And I'm happy to help make this process as easy as I can. But yeah, that's all I've got.
- Thanks. Thanks. I just think I just want to come in Natalie, not just for your service, which I will do at length in a bit. But I just want to thank you for upholding your role as a commissioner, even when you're not as a commissioner, you're asking
- questions you're asking for transparency and I think these are values that everyone here at the city wants to embody so we really appreciate these recommendations. But we also invited Jane Cooper Smith who is our great director of economic and sustainable development, and Audrey Brighton him who is our legal representative who's also amazing, just to
- just help outline some of the questions about the municipal code. So I'm wondering if one of you would be comfortable just sharing overall your interpretation of the municipal code. And then we'd like just to answer, open it up to- Natalie, I'll jump in. Yeah, okay, thank you. I just wanna take space here to thank Natalie and say, you know, we're, we, we being like me personally, Jane, and then also the administration has really
- disappointed in this outcome as well because we know the mayor knows the deputy mayor knows who you are and what you have brought to the table and that you've been part of the team that has really helped advance artistic excellence in Bloomington and it's really changed I mean you all as a group have changed the shape of what has been happening in our community and it's evident through the quality of what's happening in our public art spaces and in our gatherings for artists so
- You know, there's really nothing but gratitude. There is certainly no question of ethics or obfuscation or I mean there's just that's that's not what's at play here. It, it simply wasn't
- I think when the administration came in in 2024, they were excited to extend an offer. And I think that it was not evident to your point that there were some administrative, I think you said administrative error. Yeah, an administrative error and an adequate process. Since the time that you were appointed in 2024, there have been substantial changes to the way that boards and commission appointments are handled internally.
- I would say that there's a lot more attention being paid to that. So I also heard some requests for greater transparency in our communications about that. And so I think that's very reasonable. And I don't think there's a lot more to say about that. The legal interpretation is that an address is
- in city limits or not, it can be looked up in our, my Bloomington page, which you can look address by address, there are maps, and it's just very cut and dry for this administration. The previous administration may have approached it with a more liberal interpretation. And so that change would be difficult, I think, to deal with. So I don't really wanna spend time on that. I'd rather focus on just kind of acknowledging
- the time that you've put in and the great benefits that we've experienced as a community for it. So thank you for that. And I'm happy to take questions, but again, I feel like this is actually quite unfortunately cut and dry and just a great disappointment to all of us at City Hall.
- I just want to know what other commissions have been impacted by this? Are there others? I don't know. I'm not. I mean, I'm involved only in the commissions that ESD supports, but I'm not really sure who else. I mean, the information that I've received, I guess, secondhand is that the person who filed the reports says that other people were removed from their commissions for the same reason.
- That's probably accurate that if an address was Revealed to be outside of city limits then that they would be removed this there's there are no exceptions to this rule for this current administration So that would make sense to me What was your with this with the interpretation being what it is do we are we open to having
- county representatives on some of these boards to have a voice, because they are a big part. There are certain boards and commissions that have county representation, like the Economic Development Commission, for example. That's called for by a state statute. So I don't know, Audrey, that would have to be something that the bylaws require. And that would be something that I think you'd want to think about as a commission. Part of what you're doing is deploying city tax dollars.
- what happens when there's county representation in that. For the Economic Development Commission, the reason they have county representation is because there are county impacts to the decisions that they make on that commission. I agree completely with Jane. I don't think anyone wanted this. And that's what I've heard and received even in the legal department. And so I am really sorry about this. I will say that
- Several of us have looked at this since, and we don't think there is even really room for interpretation, and I truly can't speak to the prior administration as to what their process was. I can tell you internally, I can tell you internally one of the things that this and other things have affected is that myself, another attorney, and the clerk's office are trying to work on
- a more thorough process for all boards and commissions, which includes things like required trainings and more information for people with onboarding. But it would include, I think, capturing some of this. But I also know that changes have already been made to try to make sure that this hasn't happened and isn't continuing to happen. For new appointees. For new appointees, yeah. I can also tell you, in general,
- the under the legal code I know you brought up the definition of city which I thank you for because I've literally never seen that and I had to go talk to other people in the department about it because I'm reading it and I'm like I have no idea what
- area outside of the city we would have constitutional or legal jurisdiction over. I've never heard that and I found out Margie told me that until 1997 we had what was called a two mile buffer and it was essentially a proposed annexation period two miles outside of the drawn city limits.
- And there was an interlocal agreement with the county regarding how things operated in that buffer. I don't know the details more than that. But that code provision hasn't been updated since the 70s. It's probably ripe for updating. And my understanding is that that was meant to address the buffer that went away in 1997, I believe. Yeah.
- are reading, even with the definition of city that you pointed out, the code is very clear. And I don't think there's much space for interpretation, which means there's no space really for exceptions if our code reads pretty strictly that you have to be a resident of the city and within city limits. And I think that could be easily
- added to the application form like if there was just a link to the map that the city uses where folks could just type in their address and then and just also stating there what that because it doesn't say like if you do not live in city I mean you have to kind of dig for that but if the form just said like by the way if you don't live here here something that is obvious to those of us who are maybe in this room sitting at this table but I'll just say it so that it's
- clear for the record, it isn't by a map, it isn't, or like by your lived life, your lived day-to-day life, it's not always obvious what is in and outside of city limits. We have donut holes in the city that are not annexed areas, and then we have very jagged boundaries. And so this question seems like it should be very straightforward, but this is why I think it comes up. It does.
- I agree, and I'm happy to send an email to, I don't run those pages, but to the people who run those pages to see if there's something we can put up, at least on the landing page where you apply. Yeah. Yeah, because I'll add, Bloomington's a pretty transient community. I mean, people move. Some people move every year. So if it's going to be enforced, then.
- it is and it should be enforced but I agree I think that that's something it is difficult it's we have so many boards and commissions and so many members it's hard for people to track internally but I think that's what it's one of the things that we hope to include in essentially required annual training the codes written such that the onus is actually on the member to recuse themselves if they move outside of city limits and
- Remove themselves from the Commission But again, that's something that I'm we're hoping that annual required training will help address Any other
- Thank you. I am sorry. I want to thank you both for being here, because I do think there was just, I feel like, both amongst the commissioners, but also amongst the public, when folks found out about this, of why. So I think this is just really helpful in helping them understand that. So thank you. And I am very optimistic that we'll find many other ways to engage in arts.
- OK, thanks. Now I'm going to say nice things about you. OK, so I just, since we hope you continue to join us as a member of the public and on many public stakeholder selection committees going forward, both with our grants and our public art processes, I just want to acknowledge everything you've accomplished thus far. You've accomplished multiple.
- tubular public art projects, including Fleeting and the Upcoming Anjuli by John Resick. You were a beacon of hospitality when Stefan Reiss was here without T987. You strengthened our relationship with amazing regional arts partners, including people like Could Be Design, who now have an unbreakable bond with this city because of you, Basie Bloomington, as
- a beacon of progress when it comes to public art design. Thank you for that. You've strengthened our relationship with Exhibit Columbus, and you've served as a powerful advocate as an early career artist who is committing to staying here and making things better for your peers. I will never forget your remarks at our 2024 public art panel about what we need. You had such amazing things to say. Beyond this,
- Girls Rock. You're president of Gallery Rock, an amazing administrator at IU Arts and Humanities. You went to me with Brown County this morning and advocated for why Bloomington needs to be included in cultural planning for this entire district, all while getting an arts administration degree. I don't think you sleep. Please tell me your secrets. So I just want to say, Natalie,
- Regardless of if you are a member of a public or a member of our commission, you are a powerhouse in public art, not just in this community, but for this region. And you're going to go on to do amazing things. Thank you. Sorry for being choked up. No, it's OK. Thank you so much for your service. Thanks, Holly. Thanks, everyone, for bearing with me being all choked up. Thank you, Holly.
- Thank you, Ollie. Thank you, Natalie. I'll let that be the last word, because she said it better than we could, but we all feel the same way. Thanks. Absolutely. I'll come back and sit in my little public seat. I love seeing the big tables. Would you like to walk through them? No.
- Okay well agenda item number four is an update on the Public
- postpone any updates. Holly and I will be in touch with the next meeting time to that subcommittee where we will discuss the projects that we're working on and also leadership for the subcommittee. We'll now turn to agenda item number five, an update from the grant subcommittee. Leila? Hi everyone. Yeah, it's really my work being a committee chair.
- It takes a lot of time, a lot of effort. And for someone like me, I get a lot of instant gratification doing three cycles a year. Someone like Natalie has to see projects over multiple years, different political administrations. It's really admirable work and incredibly challenging.
- I am personally very annoyed by the city's officious and pedantic attitude towards these matters. It, I think, will ultimately undercut their ability to serve the public. But that is my personal opinion. As the grants chair, we have a few things to bring up. We're doing this one first? No. Okay. So, we just finished the artistic advancements grants
- Review cycle. Thank you for everyone who committed many many hours to reading those grants reviewing them discussing them the con the conversation was always it was was great as always it was extremely enlightening really rigorous I I just really value those days with everyone who participates This was an especially challenging cycle we had
- As far as I can count, just over 100 valid applications. This is the most applications we've ever received for any grant cycle, historically. And that's coming off of some other pretty hefty cycles. The total amount requested from the artists in this community was $179,704.92.
- So, I mean, that alone would blow our annual budget. So, we were able to, with deliberation, fund $68,000 or proposed to fund $68,500. Do you want to pull that up if you can? Yeah. So, while that's only 38 percent of the amount requested, it is 55, almost 56 percent of the applicants.
- which is really strong, again, given how many applicants we had. Awards ranged from the full cap $2,000 all the way down to some awards of 500 that were just based on the ask and the capacity and merit of the project. So I've pre-circulated this, maybe not that one. There's another tab, maybe.
- I'd rather not have our notes out like that. Thank you. I mean, they're not embarrassing. They're just, you know, and those meetings are public. So these are the awards suggested. And this is, I believe, a committee vote for just the grants committee, right? So that's Gerard, myself, Paul, Betsy, and Noda, right?
- Any questions about this from the whole commission? I realize it's, yeah, it's a lot. General questions about this cycle at all, or comments? Great job, everyone. Yeah. She's it. She's it. I still have a lot of she's it stuff. Yeah, no, thank you. That was a really, really great, high quality, I think really great session.
- All of those who I just mentioned in favor of this. Aye. Raise your hand. Aye. Cool. Great. That's unanimous. Excellent. Thank you all. We will remand those recommendations to the city or however that sounds most official. The other item that has come to our attention in our enduring quest for transparency
- is that the grant cycle previous to this the arts projects grant. One of the proposed awards went to a group called off my productions. They do.
- Holly, what did I do? I don't remember. So this is an all female run early career theater company. And they are called Off Nights because they try to do their productions during the week. So folks who are active in the industry who might be working on other productions on the weekend can participate in these and go see them. Yeah.
- They are doing awesome work in the community. They just wrapped a show at the Waldron Art Center last night. Yeah. So the person who represents that application, and I think the person who applied, is a person named Aubrey Cedar. Cedar. Cedar.
- And they are a city employee. They are a community and family resources office manager slash program assistant. So in the spirit and the code of Indiana 3544.1-1-4, as you can see there, we need to approve this or make it known or something? Yes, we need to have the same grant commission just approve that they are comfortable
- Yes. And so and I know I think we had a conversation about the fact that this person was an employee during the grant review process. But what I was informed of is that we also have to do it in a public full commission meeting for it to be official. And so after we approve it, it will be sent up to the mayor's office who will sign off on it. And then it will just be sent up to the state legislature. So if we ever get audited, we don't get in trouble for this. Great. All right. So anyone all in favor of this?
- Yeah. Well, first of all, I move that we approve it. OK. Thank you. I don't want to second that. I think I know this all from high school debate. I don't remember the first rules at all. This is Rob rules order. It is. Very funny, Rob. Yeah. OK. So all in favor? Yeah. OK. Great. Cool. OK. Thank you. All right.
- So, last thing on grants is operations just opened, the fund never stops. These are grants of up to $5,000 to our local 501C3s who have arts as a core part of their mission. That is a 501C3, not a non-profit. You need to be a 501C3.
- Let's just put it this way. And in the spirit of accountability, we are also asking for IRS determination letters to prove that this time. Saves me from going into the IRS database. So just tell your friends and everyone about it. And if you're on the committee, look forward to more details about organizing around that. That will be my last
- Season my as a branch chair because I have served I will have served my full six years by the end of January So just a reminder about that and that's all unless anyone has questions Cool all right. Thanks. Thank you for your good work. Yes Okay agenda item number six
- notes from the chair. Yeah, I guess I don't think I have a lot to add to what was said in agenda item number three, but I will encourage members of the public if during that section's coming up, if you would like to make comments or ask questions, we encourage that. A reminder that to hold or to keep in your notes
- Commissioners September 12th through 14th is when Suzanne is coming back to town. And we were not able to give her sort of a farewell send off. And so it'd be nice to get together and see her and wish her well as she is now in New York. So yeah, I mean, between Natalie and Suzanne and some other folks, we're going to cycle off. Another reminder that there will be some vacancies. There are currently some vacancies, and there will be more vacancies coming up.
- So, greatly encourage folks to reach out to those who think would be a good fit and encourage them to apply. Those are all the notes that I have. Thank you for organizing a celebration party. Okay, moving on to, yeah, any other questions for me? Comments about that?
- Moving on to agenda item number seven, upcoming events and important dates. Looks like we need to update the dates. Looks like we need to update the dates. We're all going to Los Angeles. I believe, isn't this weekend there's one of the,
- at the Bad Knees store. Isn't there one? Oh, there is. There's one of those markets. I forget what they're called. Events. Community arts events. Yes. Experimental arts fair. Yeah. Yeah. And three weeks in a day, the first Thursdays of the fall semester will be taking place on the Fine Arts Plaza. I guess, yeah.
- Yeah, Bethany Habager's show. She is a two-time artistic advancement award-winning recipient. Her show is up at the Waldron currently. Exhibit Columbus, their kickoff is this weekend. I think a cohort of us are going over to Steal Cool Ideas. Oh, could you say something likely about the
- the review sessions or the feedback sessions that are going on currently? Oh, sure. So one thing that I've been heavily involved with and an awesome cohort of Bloomington artists accompanying me to today is so there is a statewide grant now called Ready 2.0. So Ready 2.0. Ready, the first iteration of Ready was funds for
- indiana communities to recover from covid and that was super successful uh bloomington got some great funds for that to help develop the hopewell district for example um and so uh about 18 months ago i believe that's when they announced ready 2.0 so it was just like the next phase of that but one of the specific sections that they included because they got additional funding from the lily foundation who does a lot of arts in place making funding um was
- arts and culture sticks and bricks so there is a specific fund of money available to all I think. All eleven districts in Indiana. To give out
- awards to basically build out or build new arts facilities. So there was initial application phase that was open for this during the second half of 2024. And they literally was like, oh, holy cow. We need to work with all of these districts who have been empowered to award large amounts of money to make sure that they are doing it in a strategic manner. So they paired each district. We are part of the Uplands district with an arts consulting group.
- to go out through these large districts and just figure out what resources already existed and what resources are still needed. So those consultants are in our county now and they're doing a series of listening sessions. They've kind of broken things into three broad categories. One is fine craft.
- We have questions. One is performing arts and one is music. So they are visiting venues and just taking meetings with groups of stakeholders and getting as much feedback as possible. So that's what we're doing. And I think what that means is
- At the end of the year there will be a plan and then we will all be invited during the first quarter of 2026 to apply for those funds. I've already put in an application before they kind of pause the process to help fund our artist studio space.
- I can't commit to anything officially. We've been strongly encouraged to do this. I think we have a lot of traction. So we will most likely resubmit that application during the first quarter of 26. But as this cultural plan comes together and is shared publicly, I will definitely share it with the BAC because I think we'll all want to look at it together and just make sure that the application the city puts in and applications other arts entity, both in the city of Bloomington, but also the county and then the surrounding counties that are part
- of the Upland districts are just capturing what we truly feel are the needs. We just want to really make sure that we're getting the funds for the correct things for our amazing artist community here. Great. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks for going into that. Yeah. Any other events of note or important dates that folks want to check out? It's a pretty slow time of year.
- Okay, moving on to agenda item number eight, commissioner announcements. Would any commissioners like to make any announcements? Okay, moving on to agenda item number nine, public comment section. Would any members of the public like to make any comments or ask any questions in this, both online and in person?
- Hello, everyone. My name is Katerina Klaue. I'm the executive director of the Lotus Education Arts Foundation. Happy to be here today and see you all. Just a couple of things. There is a market experiment coming up this weekend, but next weekend is Pride Fest. And following that is the 4th Street Art Fair. And then a couple weeks after that is Lotus Fest.
- So Lotus Fest. Which ones are in August? In August is Pridefest. OK. And then starting September is, of course, the end of August. It's the fourth year. Also, so Lotus Fest is coming up in September 25th through 28th. And we need volunteers. So our volunteer application is open. Tickets will go on sale at the end of this week.
- And so we're really looking forward to a great year, a really great lineup coming in. I think in terms of, I also wanted to be here as a representative of public art in Bloomington. And my interactions with Natalie Almanza through public art have been really incredible. She supported Lotus through Gallery Walk and through the IU Public Arts and Humanities.
- and I believe also on this commission. So I'm really grateful to your work on this commission and everything that you've brought to Bloomington. In some of the things that you noted and Holly, you mentioned about your speech in 2024 when we were talking about the arts in Bloomington and this desire for
- young people, but also it's not really about age, it's about brain drain. It's like keeping talented people in this community so that they're not just leaving out toward cities where there's a lot more opportunities, there's a lot more housing opportunities, there's a lot more income opportunities. And there's a lot of big issues in Bloomington and like big issues that affect a lot of people. And the, as,
- while as you said, the pedantics of boundaries is very, it's like unsightly right now. It's like the PR of that, it's really off. And the values that I think that are important to have on this board. So honestly, I think it's a really great opportunity for the commission to consider what Jane Coopersmith mentioned, which was how do you incorporate
- people who are outside of those city boundaries. And when you're using taxpayer dollars, I know there's a little bit of a balance there, but I do think that the arts in Bloomington affect more than just people who are within the city boundaries. And if we're thinking about arts being accessible to more than just people who can afford to live within city boundaries, I think that's really important. So that's all I have to say. Thank you.
- Are there any comments from online? Oh, Reagan, if you're trying to speak, you're unmuted. Oh, you're muted. Sorry. My name's Reagan Sandberg. I'm an attorney. I'm here in my personal capacity, not in the capacity with my job. I was one of the resident assistants for Natalie in the Civic Leaders Center.
- Even from the time that she was a college student, she was doing amazing things for the arts. I'm trying not to get upset, but I'm shaking. I'm so mad right now about what has happened to her. And I think just hearing some of the rhetoric that's been used in this meeting, I'm really disappointed. I've heard people saying that this is difficult to deal with. And I agree, this is very difficult to deal with for Natalie.
- You put her in a position where you have been okay with accepting her volunteer work for years until somebody makes a complaint. And then somebody said, and I think it might have been one of the lawyers, that, you know, Natalie was, you know, Natalie, maybe we just don't know how this administration feels about this. Maybe this administration feels differently. Maybe this administration has done stuff different.
- But this administration reappointed her. This administration reappointed her with this address. They reappointed her with that address, so the argument that this administration feels differently does not hold water. And if you're telling me that attorneys looking at this code, I looked at this code. If you're telling me that attorneys had to look at this code,
- how they had to then go ahead and look at city boundaries to figure out if this was actually a problem? That's a huge problem. Somebody said, I don't know how she sleeps. Yes, because she's doing so much. She's in school. She's volunteering. Look at the list of the places that she volunteers at. It's huge. I don't know how she has the time. So to take that and to say, I don't know how she sleeps,
- because she's doing all this stuff for our community. She's doing all this amazing stuff and then expect her to have the knowledge of an attorney, to have the knowledge of a zoning expert, to be able to take this law or this municipal code and put it against zoning is quite frankly ridiculous to try and put the onus on her when attorneys
- Didn't even originally know if this was a problem. They had to go and figure it out. That's such a huge issue. And the fact that this is one that cannot be easily remedied is disgusting. Natalie said that she bought this house. She likes it, but she bought it because she could afford it. This is not something that somebody can easily change. Somebody cannot just easily change their home dress.
- And the person before me said it perfectly, you are going to miss out on so much talent because you are creating a socioeconomic barrier. Whether you think that you are or you are not, you are creating a socioeconomic barrier. A house is not something that in this day and age, I don't even have a house, I rent. To have a house is something that is amazing. And it's not something that you would give up easily or quickly.
- just as disappointed as I am for Natalie that this has happened to her, I'm even more disappointed for Bloomington. Because the things that Natalie could do with this position are amazing. The funds that she had access to were incredible. That was part of the reason why I'd be willing to go back to Bloomington. That's part of the reason why I would show up and talk to students. Because I know that when I go there, it's not just Bloomington. There's great programs. There's great art. It's great to just walk around Bloomington.
- And to lose out on Natalie, I feel like it's so disheartening. It's disgusting the way that it has happened. And I'm so disappointed. And I feel like people just keep talking about how great Natalie is. And she is. She's a great advocate. She's been a fantastic advocate. And it's disappointing and it's disgusting that she has been a great advocate and has been able to advocate with so many of you. But that when it's time for her to need an advocate,
- that the tone, the rhetoric, and the actions just are not lining up with what I would expect or hope to see. I really hope that in the future that this municipal code is looked at. I hope that the zoning codes are looked at. But at the very least, I expect for there to be more training. I expect for there to be less laziness and not putting the onus on a volunteer
- who is doing so much in her own free time. To sum it up, I'm just extraordinarily disappointed and disgusted. And that's to say it mildly, I really hope that there's a different decision. If not, I have to say that I know Natalie will be fine. I know Natalie will continue to do great things. I'm not worried about Natalie, but I'm very disappointed
- and what this is going to mean for Bloomington and arts in Bloomington. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks. Erin? Thanks, Jordan. I'm disappointed that Jane and our legal rep hustled out so fast after they said what they had to say, because there are two more points in the municipal code that I feel like they didn't address appropriately.
- The one part of the city definition that was talked about that should have been dropped off in 1997, is that really how long it's been since we've done anything with our municipal code? There is a third definition in here that just means the city of Bloomington, Indiana, which to me suggests anyone with a Bloomington address would mean the city of Bloomington, Indiana. Jane also said that this is very cut and dry and there's no way around it. There's also a point in the municipal code
- that allows for a waiving of the city resident requirement if you have a city job, which means that there is a pathway to waive this requirement in specific cases. So we don't believe that it's as cut and dried as they're making it out to be. And we do think that they conveniently ignored the one definition of city that does include Natalie. So thank you.
- director of Girls Rock Linton, and worked with Natalie a lot. She's helped us so much. When I found out about it, I actually emailed the office of the mayor, and I was hoping to just talk to her. And I've never tried to email the mayor, but maybe this will work. Because it just seems so needlessly wasteful to me. So I received an email back saying, we'll set something up that I haven't heard.
- And it seems like the decision is being made. But I'm still sort of hoping not. But I just want to read an excerpt of what I wrote. I know you have so many concerns to tend to. And this probably seems very small. But I truly believe that Natalie represents everything this city should be prioritizing and protecting. She is a Chicago transplant, a woman of color, a young professional who has stuck around after college
- and given an incredible amount of energy, love, time, and talent to Bloomington. Through her work with the BAC, Girl Star Bloomington, the IU Arts and Humanities Council, Gallery Walk, and the Arts Alliance, she is seriously doing the hands-on work that makes Bloomington a place worth living. So, agreed. Yeah. Sorry, it's just so emotional.
- But yeah, I just also want to say I think everyone's handling it really well, especially Natalie. And I also feel like she deserves more than an apology. I think she deserves a celebration, an award, a Natalie day. A new special position made just for her. I think, yeah, something else needs to come out of this. Thank you.
- I'm Sarah Nichols. I'm the gallery manager at the Waldron Arts Center. I'm lucky enough to get to attend a meeting once a month with Natalie. This is my first arts administration position. I don't have a degree in this, which surprises some people. And I will say that when I started, it was intimidating. But Natalie was there, and she worked to include me on things that probably didn't seem that big to her, but made a huge difference for me. And I think that everything has really kind of been said right.
- This is a disservice to all of us, those who have addresses in the city, and those who don't, because Natalie affects all of our lives. And so do all of you, right? But what to say? I am beyond disappointed. And Natalie, thank you so much for what you've done and what you continue to do.
- Hi, my name is Alan Bowley, and I've been a two-time artistic advancement award winner, courtesy of the BAC. I also work with Natalie at Indiana University, the College Arts and Humanities Institute, in the same building, about the same center. But I found this whole thing to be really disheartening and confusing.
- really would like to see clarity of what it means to have a Bloomington, Indiana address, because I realize that I also am not formally a resident of the city. I live in one of those donuts. However, I have a studio address in the city. I work in the city. Everything I do is in the city. If I drive like a minute in any direction of my apartment, which is one of the largest apartment complexes in the city, then I'm within the city. But just my apartment isn't.
- and really confused and would like to receive more clarity on what that means and what city eligibility means. I know I'm not the only person who's received a grant who technically doesn't live in the city. As a matter of fact, I saw my apartment address on the board earlier. So I'm just sitting here with so many question marks. How did this happen? How are so many people who engage in this
- town and community not really part of this community. And I'm also disappointed that the legal rep left and isn't here to answer any of those questions. And I guess the question for the commission is, what's your sense of what the Perry Township means? What is that? Because there is no Perry Township. Who do we talk to? If I call 911, the city comes.
- city of Bloomington services. So, you know, what does that mean? I will just say, I think that what has happened, hopefully will open the door for all of us to get some ideas on county representation on
- boards where you have to live in the city. Maybe they can't be a voting member. Maybe they can still be a member somehow, some other avenue. So hopefully we can all be creative and figure out some ways to have the obvious voice that we need to have. Yeah, I too have written to the mayor and
- There's not enough time yet, I think, for her to have responded back. But there is something about the greater Bloomington community, which is particularly when you pour your heart and soul into the community, you earn money in the community, and this mayor should know more than almost any other mayor in our past about affordable housing, and with your habitat background and so on.
- My hope is that there could be some more compassionate insight into what Bloomington means and where its boundaries are. Any other comments or questions from the public? And is there anything from online?
- Let me just double check, I think. Hold on. I'm not going to lie. I was sort of expecting Lenita to have a song. A song. I think the only question we got is who at the city you could email to just express concern, make suggestions to code change. And I think the best place to start is Jane and Audrey, who are here, and myself.
- I will make sure that it gets into the right hands. And I appreciate everybody's feedback. And I think we're lucky to have an amazing note taker. So we've captured all of your comments. And we'll be able just to compile them and think about next best steps. Because I think just since this has happened,
- last week, I think just questions about what is city, what is not city, who is able to serve, who is taking advantage of these resources. There are just a lot of questions. And I think as members of the public and members of this commission, everybody deserves answers and transparency. That is one of the four tenets of this administration's mission. And I think again, as members of the arts community, it is our job to ask tough questions and just make sure that
- You all, as community members and commissioners, are keeping myself as a city representative and the entire administration just honest. So thank you. Great. Well, if there are no further comments or questions, I want to say again thank you, everyone, for being here, both in person and online. I think, unfortunately, I don't know how everyone else feels. I feel like I'm leaving with more questions.
- than answers. Maybe we're just getting started. Yeah, I agree. It does feel like there's a lot more work to be done. I mean, a lot of the things that I heard today were words like disappointing, unfair, and yeah, that's all true. I feel like there's this and some other things that have come up. I feel like there is, for all the great work that the commission's done, that Holly's
- the holly is done, that the art community are just done with the BAC and with the city. There does seem to be a growing loss of trust in how certain things are being handled. I don't necessarily think that's because of anything that we have explicitly done, but I know that we're going to have to do a lot of the work to help rebuild that. Again, thank you, Natalie, for
- for delivering that today. Thank you, Holly. Thank you, everyone, for being here. I'm going to go ahead and motion to adjourn the meeting. Can I please make a second? Thank you, Paul. Yeah, and meeting over. Thanks, Jared.