BRATTLEBORO — Pleased with a working group's draft of a grant application for local arts projects, the Selectboard authorized the use of $15,000 for a Town Arts Fund.
The new fund offers awards up to $5,000 “to enable the development and presentation of creative projects that contribute positively to the community and to the vibrancy and diversity of Brattleboro's arts and cultural landscape.”
In March, The Selectboard had approved moving the draft application forward.
In response to questions from the working group behind the proposal, the application will undergo a few more tweaks by town staff before it is ready for public use.
Two members of the Town Arts Fund Working Group presented the draft application form and guidelines to the board at its Aug. 20 meeting. The group has met several times since April and has gathered public input as part of drafting the art fund's guidelines.
Chrissy Lee and Sharon Fantl, who both also serve on the board for the Arts Council of Windham County, presented the materials for the board's review.
The materials included an opening statement from the 15-member working group and a few administrative-level questions to help the group tweak the application. The materials also included a draft of application guidelines, an FAQ document, and an application form.
Lee said the working group has already received a positive response and interest in the fund while conducting community outreach.
“We're also seeing the seeds of new ideas and new energy around what collaborative and community arts projects could look like,” she said.
Lee told the board the working group's goals for the night included sharing the status of its work-to-date including the rough draft of the application the group had created.
Also, the group wanted to solicit the board's feedback and answer any questions. She added that the group wanted to initiate “productive partnership” with the board. Lee finished by saying that feedback from the Aug. 20 meeting would be incorporated into the group's materials. The group hoped to return in September with finished materials ready for approval.
What will the fund do?
Fantl highlighted a few key points in the proposed arts fund and the materials provided for review.
The first is that the fund should connect and benefit the community. The working group felt it critical that the fund support projects that dealt with quality of life and social issues affecting the community.
Fantl added that the group is aiming for the fund to support collaboration and community building, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
All mediums, art forms, or creative practice will be considered for the application. First-time applicants and members of marginalized groups are encouraged to apply.
Fantl added that the Town Arts Fund would require a fiscal and administrative entity to oversee it. She and Lee proposed that the Arts Council of Windham County be that agent.
Lee said the working group and ACWC viewed the fund's first year as a “pilot year” and an opportunity to discover what is possible for such a fund.
The proposal and application impressed the Selectboard.
Board Chair Brandie Starr said, “For me personally I say go forth and prosper.”
Based on the way the proposal was written and presented, Starr said, the group had demonstrated that it knows what it's doing and what it means to be accountable for the fund's money.
Starr said she wanted to clone the proposal and give it to every group asking for money. The well-crafted proposal could serve as “a roadmap to success for funding,” she said.
Board members Elizabeth McLoughlin and Tim Wessel agreed.
”I also applaud you,” McLoughlin said. “I think you have a very well-thought-out proposal.”
If the process moves forward as planned, Brattleboro residents and visitors will see the fruits of the Town Arts Fund by next year.
The working group anticipates opening the application period in October. The group will hold informational sessions in October and November. Completed applications will be due in January. Selected artists will have a target completion date of Oct. 31, 2020.
Public mural approved
Also at the Aug. 20 meeting, the Selectboard approved a mural already in progress on the west end of Elliot Street.
The ad hoc neighborhood organization known as the Flat, Elliot, and Elm Triangle, or FEET, has almost completed a mural on an Elliot Street retaining wall.
One of the group's previous public arts projects included painting mini-murals on some telephone poles within the FEET neighborhood triangle.
Members of the group apologized to the board for starting work without proper authorization from the Town Arts Committee or Selectboard.
Town Manager Peter Elwell followed up with his own apology and context.
Elwell said there had been communication between FEET and town staff “over many months” about the project. Elwell said he and staff should have noticed sooner that the work was underway and steered FEET through the proper permitting process.
Instead, staff didn't realize people had started working on the mural until FEET applied for permission to close Elliot Street for a block party planned for Sept. 8, Elwell said.