The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About08 - Cultural Arts Grants Fiscal Year 2020-2021Q SEW Pp�T CITY OF z NEWPORT BEACH c�<,FORN'P City Council Staff Report March 9, 2021 Agenda Item No. 8 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: Tim Hetherton, Library Services Director - 949-717-3801, thetherton@newportbeachca.gov PREPARED BY: Tim Hetherton, Library Services Director, thetherton@newportbeachca.gov PHONE: 949-717-3810 TITLE: Cultural Arts Grants Fiscal Year 2020-2021 ABSTRACT: The sum of $30,000 (Cultural and Arts, City Grants Account # 01060603-821006) has been provided in Fiscal Year 2020-21 to fund specific cultural or artistic programs as approved by the City Council. The City Arts Commission has the responsibility to review all programs and requests for support from arts groups and make recommendations for funding to the City Council. RECOMMENDATION: a) Determine that the action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because it will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and b) Approve recommended recipients for Fiscal Year 2020-21 Cultural Arts Grants as selected by the City Arts Commission in accordance with City Council Policy 1-10 - Financial Support for Culture and the Arts. FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: The current adopted budget includes sufficient funding for this grant program. The funds will be expensed from the City Grants account in the Cultural and Arts Division, 01060603- 821006. DISCUSSION: City Council Policy 1-10 recognizes the importance of promoting culture and the arts within Newport Beach and establishes a Reserve Fund for Culture and Arts. In Fiscal Year 2020- 21, the sum of $30,000 has been provided for specific cultural or artistic programs as approved by the City Council. The City Arts Commission (Commission) has the responsibility to review all programs and requests for support from arts groups and make funding recommendations to the City Council for its consideration. Policy 1-10 defines arts groups as those involved in visual, musical, theatre, dance, crafts, performing and literary activities. The Commission considers the following in order of preference for granting support: RX Cultural Arts Grants Fiscal Year 2020-2021 March 9, 2021 Page 2 1. Local arts groups located within the City of Newport Beach (City) and offering programs to city residents; and 2. Regional arts groups located in Orange County and offering programs to city residents; and 3. Arts groups located in California and performing or offering programs to city residents. Groups not offering programs or services to local residents are not eligible for support from the City. The Commission received written grant proposals from nine organizations for a combined total of $40,500 in requested grant funding. The Commission considered the nine applications using the guidance as defined in City Council Policy 1-10, Financial Support for Culture and Arts (Attachment A). In addition, each arts organization was evaluated in light of the following additional criteria: Baseline Criteria: • application and report complete and on-time • arts organization (not individual artist) • non-profit organization • Newport Beach geographic focus Selective Criteria I. Service to the Public • promotion and outreach • audience development and participation • safety and accessibility • program diversity • community service 11. Artistic/Programmatic Excellence • ideas and creativity • production III. Managerial/Fiscal Competence • mission and goals • organizational management • financial management The Commission paid particular attention to the fiscal prudence of the applicants. After careful deliberation, the Commission approved grant funding for six local arts organizations, totaling $25,500, at its regular meeting on February 11, 2021. Cultural Arts Grants Fiscal Year 2020-2021 March 9, 2021 Page 3 The following table provides the name of each applicant, the grant amount requested and the Commission's funding recommendations. ORGANIZATION REQUESTED -A Arts & Learning Conservatory $2,500 $2,500 Backhausdance $4,000 $4,000 Baroque Music Festival $4,000 $4,000 Chuck Jones Center for Creativity $8,000 $ 0 Inland Futures $5,000 $ 0 Kontrapunktus $2,500 $ 0 Laguna Playhouse $5,000 $5,000 Pacific Symphony South Coast Repertory SCR TOTAL$40,500 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $25,500 Information about the proposed grantees' programs is provided below. Arts & Learning Conservatory: $2,500 Arts & Learning Conservatory proposes to use these funds to support Ensign Middle School's musical theatre virtual program. These productions serve students of varying cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and are an effective tool to address social - emotional learning. All sessions will be held live virtually. Small breakout groups allow for specific theatrical skill development and instruction. Multiple casts will allow more students to participate, and receive individualized vocal, acting, and dance instruction. Backhausdance: $4,000 Backhausdance proposes to utilize grant funds to stage Dance Expressions. Creativity and Choreography, a new contemporary dance and movement workshop series for high school students. The workshops will be held at two Newport -Mesa Unified School District schools — Corona del Mar Middle/High School (grades 8-10) and Back Bay Continuation High School (grades 11-12). Dance and creative movement instruction are not currently included in K-12 core curricula, so this programming offers a unique amenity to students. Distance learning and the social -emotional impacts on youth during the pandemic were taken into consideration in development of this in-depth dance residency project. Baroque Music Festival: $4,000 Baroque Music Festival proposes to present a prerecorded virtual performance of A Bach Keyboard Extravaganza, featuring harpsichordist and organist Matthew Dirst. The video will be viewable online on multiple platforms (free of charge) and in-person (ticketed) on June 24th during the Festival week. Funds will also be used to subsidize $5 student tickets to proposed live concerts during the Festival week at Sherman Gardens and St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. The recording of A Bach Keyboard Extravaganza will take place in May and will be a co -production with Ars Lyrica Houston. FIN Cultural Arts Grants Fiscal Year 2020-2021 March 9, 2021 Page 4 Laguna Playhouse: $5,000 Laguna Playhouse's Theatre for a New Generation program proposes to present The Outsiders, made available for streaming. The presentation will also include a panel discussion on social equity with the cast and director. The target audience is teens and young adults, ages 14-25. Strategic partnerships with community organizations that serve at -risk youth will be leveraged for outreach. Laguna Playhouse will engage Newport Beach high schools, with the goal of reaching 650 students. Pacific Symphony: $5,000 Pacific Symphony proposes to offer the Class Act music education program for students at Anderson and Newport Coast elementary schools during the 2020-2021 academic year. The 2021 program theme will be Symphony at the Movies 11 — Myths and Legends. This musical curriculum is common core -based for K-12. The program has been adapted for virtual learning with online and digital student activities and arts workshops with Symphony musicians. Youth Concerts and Bravo assemblies will take place online. South Coast Repertory (SCR): $5,000 SCR proposes to use grant funds to present the Theatre for Young Audiences Program, comprised of two, family friendly productions presented in different formats for 2021, a free online classroom viewing of Red Riding Hood and a live outdoor production of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown (minimum six ticketed performances at Mission San Juan Capistrano). Both productions strive to provide a meaningful introduction to theatrical arts for young children. Outreach to Orange County school districts will include Newport Beach schools, with the goal of serving at least 700 Newport Beach students, teachers, and families, the same number that was served last year (2019-2020) through two, in- person productions. The City Arts Commission granted the full amounts requested by Arts & Learning Conservatory, Backhausdance, Baroque Music Festival, Laguna Playhouse, Pacific Symphony, and South Coast Repertory and did not recommend grant funding to the three organizations that did not meet criteria for fiscal prudence, demonstrated need, and/or impact on Newport Beach residents. The City Arts Commission recommends granting $25,500 of the available funds, leaving a balance of $4,500. The Commission respectfully requests that the Cultural Arts Division retain the remaining $4,500 from the grants budget to fund virtual arts programming which would be determined and scheduled in the current fiscal year. =1ki1y/1is]kiIJil=1kihrimNAV/IA►JS Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly. Cultural Arts Grants Fiscal Year 2020-2021 March 9, 2021 Page 5 NOTICING: The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item). ATTACHMENT: Attachment A — City Council Policy 1-10, Financial Support for Culture and Arts ATTACHMENT A I-10 FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR CULTURE AND ARTS The City Council hereby recognizes the importance of promoting culture and the arts within the City of Newport Beach. A number of individuals and groups have been organized with the express purpose of developing and promoting culture, theatre and the arts. The City would complement these efforts by establishing a Reserve Fund for Culture and Arts that can be used for a) developing a master plan for the promotion of culture and arts; b) acquiring land and/or the construction of facilities to promote culture and arts and; c) instituting other cultural promotion projects. The sum of $55,000 shall be provided each year for specific cultural or artistic planning, promotion and/or construction projects as approved by the City Council. It is the policy of the City of Newport Beach that expenditures from the reserve fund should be matched equally by the community in the form of contributions and donations. In regard to the City's role in financially sponsoring art and cultural events, the City Arts Commission shall review all programs and requests for support from arts groups. The Commission shall forward its recommendations for funding to the City Council for final approval. Any appropriation shall not exceed 50% of the Arts Commissions' annual budget. For the purpose of this policy, arts groups shall be defined as those involved in visual, musical, theatre, dance, crafts, performing and literary activities. The following priorities shall be considered by the Commission. The order of preference for granting support shall be as follows: A. Local arts groups located within the City and offering programs to City residents; B. Regional arts groups located in Orange County and offering programs to City residents; and C. Arts groups located in California and performing or offering programs to City residents. Groups not offering programs or services to local residents shall not be eligible for support from the City. I-10 History Adopted F-20 - 5-11-1981 ("Reserve Fund for Culture and Arts) Amended F-22 - 6-22-1981 Adopted I-20 - 1-24-1983 ("Co -Sponsorship for Cultural Arts") Amended F-20 - 11-14-1983 Amended F-20 - 1-23-1984 Amended F-20 - 3-28-1988 Amended F-20 - 10-28-1991 Created I-12 -1-24-1994 (incorporating I-20 & F-20, renaming "Financial Support for Culture and Arts") Amended I-12 - 5-8-2001 Amended I-12 - 4-8-2003 (changed to I-10) Amended I-10 - 8-8-2017 RIM