[0:05] Well, we'll go ahead and uh start the
meeting now then officially and the
[0:10] first thing here is on the can open
meeting that confirmation have we met
[0:14] the can open?
>> Yes.
[0:16] » And it is is confirmed and the other
thing is have you taken attendance and
[0:22] that we do have a quorum here?
>> Yes. So since we have taken tenants
[0:26] another quorum here uh we'll go ahead
and begin the meeting and the first item
[0:32] on the agenda is the approval of the
minutes which you do have uh enclosed or
[0:38] attached with information that you
brought to the meeting. Is there any
[0:41] questions or concerns
uh or comments of any sort with the
[0:46] minutes from the last meeting?
[0:51] Hearing none. Would somebody like to
make a motion to approve the minutes of
[0:54] the last meeting?
>> I'll make that motion to approve the
[0:57] minutes of the last meeting.
>> It's been moved and seconded.
[0:59] » I'll second that.
>> Any more discussion of any sort? Hearing
[1:04] none. Everybody in favor say I. Oppose.
Same sign.
[1:10] Unanimous.
Next would be the staff reports and
[1:13] closed staff reports. If you had a
chance to brief over those. Um, I have
[1:19] one or a couple questions actually.
I'm skimming it down.
[1:27] Uh,
get to the right point.
[1:32] The museum numbers is changed greatly.
>> What's
[1:38] » Well, summer uh summertime we just get a
lot more visitors coming in. Um
[1:45] and our Facebook uh we've been uh
>> we have a couple of um
[1:53] regular posts we do collections uh
Wednesdays and then a new uh section in
[2:01] uh mixing up history where we uh take a
history or a historic
[2:08] recipe and make it and then the staff
tastes and evaluates and post that. So,
[2:14] we have those running. Um, also uh done
some paid um as well.
[2:23] » Well, definitely working because it's
it's
[2:25] » Yeah,
>> it's working.
[2:28] » You know, it's very impressive. It's
very impressive. So, there's been some
[2:31] hard effort.
>> Yes,
[2:32] » I would think put into that.
>> For sure.
[2:36] And then the next thing is at the YMCA
uh just with the kids trying to keep
[2:43] them focused and all that. Can we hear
more about that?
[2:46] » I'd love to. I'd love to show you some
photos.
[2:49] » Yeah.
>> Yeah. I've got some photos from that
[2:53] week. Let me
[3:10] So, it was a pretty wild week of clay.
Um, we had anticipated the full week at
[3:18] the YMCA Monday through Friday. We had
our K through 7th graders. About 75 kids
[3:26] were enrolled in that program. Um,
Ann is, you know, she's the clay genius
[3:32] out of all of us adults that were in the
room, but there were four of us. And so
[3:38] for the first three sessions, they were
broke up into four sessions throughout
[3:41] the day, mixed age groups. Um, so we
started with the kindergarten and first
[3:46] graders. And they started with 2 by two
tiles. So the first three days of the
[3:53] camp, we're working on those big images.
So, there's 16 of those in the whole
[3:59] composition. Um, and then on Wednesday,
they finished out with single 4x4 tiles.
[4:05] So, kindergarteners and first graders,
you can see in this photo, um, those
[4:09] blocks were put into a big wooden frame.
That way, the kids weren't smooshing it
[4:13] out because, if you can imagine, that's
exactly what they wanted to do was smash
[4:17] the clay. They wanted to take it out of
there. Um, I think they really enjoyed
[4:21] the tactile sort of um, engagement with
the clay. So those littles, they would
[4:26] cut out shapes that were already
established, the designs, the drawings
[4:30] or compositions um Ann and Chip already
had uh worked up. So the sort of insiz
[4:37] line, those were drawn on. So the
littles could cut out simple shapes.
[4:40] Then the next older group would come in
um and they would attach the clay. So
[4:45] sort of the technical uh task sort of
increased sort of in difficulty
[4:50] throughout the day. So by the time we
got till the older kids, they were doing
[4:53] that fine carving and sculpting of the
pieces. So Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
[4:59] uh we had four of those 2 by two blocks
and they built up those compositions
[5:04] through the day and that for the first
three. And then in the Tuesday night,
[5:09] the family the family workshop um we had
the fire station staff, some uh other
[5:15] city staff and and their families. Um
and that energy was very different on
[5:20] that evening and they also worked on
some of the big blocks but then in that
[5:23] same evening had a chance to all do um
their 4x4 tiles. So the smaller tiles
[5:29] each individual kid had a chance to do
those. We asked to do some design um
[5:34] that pertain to fire. I think by day
four they were all a little burned out
[5:38] and just in that smooshing and uh just
poking things with clay. But for the
[5:43] most part they got their names on them,
their ages or the year. So, we kind of
[5:47] gave them an option, but that was their
way to really like put their signature
[5:51] to the project. Um, so these are just
some of the photos throughout the week.
[5:56] Uh, they did really great. Wednesday, we
did bring in we came in with the camera
[6:00] to get some filming done and um doing
some interviews. So, by the end of this
[6:04] project, we'll have a nice uh marketing
piece and to share. I think once we get
[6:09] to the install, we can I think it'll be
timely to put that video out to talk
[6:13] about the whole process. We've still got
a lot of steps to go. AM and Chip have
[6:17] the clay tiles at their studio drying
currently. So that may take four to six
[6:22] weeks for the drying time and extra
tooling and preparing that stuff to make
[6:27] sure they survive that first firing um
and then go on to to the glaze. So yeah,
[6:32] we had a great mix. I think you know
some of the kids it was the end of
[6:36] summer uh the last week of that camp. So
we definitely felt that energy building
[6:41] throughout the week. When the cameras
came in on Wednesday, the energy
[6:44] definitely uh shifted a little bit. Um
and they were all asking if they were
[6:49] going to be YouTube famous, which is
probably about where it's gonna go. Um
[6:53] so, a lot more clay on their faces that
day, but we just had a range of kids and
[6:58] I think, you know, sometimes you see it,
they they kind of they lose their
[7:02] interest, but there's a few that really
stick with it and focus. And um I'm
[7:06] really excited to see all the clay tiles
together. So, we're probably looking at
[7:12] um really early spring for the final
installation of this. Well, probably
[7:16] more like March or April. I think
weather's going to be dependent. Um like
[7:21] I said, there'll be that first initial
firing and then a glaze firing for all
[7:25] the tiles and then they're going to
build the, you know, the pieces that
[7:30] have to actually like hold everything
together. So, there's still quite a bit
[7:33] of production that has to happen. Um,
but there are still some clay tiles to
[7:39] be decorated. So, um, I've put out the
invitation for CAD and that is also
[7:45] going to be extended to all of you for
next month. Um, we're going to try and
[7:49] wrap up this meeting. Um, I don't know
what time we can finish up, but anybody
[7:54] on this commission who is interested,
Ann and Chip will bring 4x4 inch tiles.
[8:00] So, you guys, you've been a part of the
process along the way. Um, no worries if
[8:04] you have no clay experience. Ann and
Chip are really good. If we can do it
[8:08] with kindergarteners through seventh
graders, I think we can [laughter]
[8:11] handle this group. So, I don't know.
>> I don't know. Am I
[8:15] » If you made it If you made it up here on
time, you have all the requisite skills
[8:19] you need.
>> Yeah.
[8:20] » To make a clay top.
>> Yeah. Um,
[8:23] » so, um, let me know if you can if you're
interested in doing that. If you can
[8:28] commit today, let me know and I'll put
everybody's name on a list. Um, Ann and
[8:31] Chip will prepare. tiles and and show up
with all the tools and uh necessary
[8:36] teaching for you guys and that'll add to
those those border pieces. So, there's
[8:42] about 200. So, our 75 to 100 kids and
family members who already did that,
[8:48] there's still plenty of tiles. And then,
um I think at the end they'll have some
[8:53] that are blank, but with all the texture
and all the design work, it'll be nice
[8:56] to have a few sort of like rusting spots
around that border. But um yeah, I'm
[9:02] really excited. It was really fun to see
um this part of this project come to
[9:07] fruition
in it. It felt like it was never going
[9:11] to end with all that little kid energy.
Um but then it was pretty quickly over
[9:16] and the YMC staff was really fantastic
to I mean I saw the look on the
[9:22] custodians faces when they walked in
about midday. Um, but they cleaned up
[9:27] the room and really took care of things
and um, yeah, I got to see one of the
[9:32] kiddos on Friday when I went in just
just to go to the Y and his eyes got
[9:36] real big and he kind of lit up. So, um,
these kind of projects and I've said
[9:40] this to so many people, we really can't
calculate the impact that that's going
[9:45] to have on the end. And those of you who
will, you know, if you carve a clay
[9:48] tile, you'll get to go back and see that
tile forever and ever. Um, so it's fun
[9:54] to think about the impact that that will
have and how many people will come see
[9:58] it, but um, we just don't know. So, I'm
really hoping we can stay connected well
[10:02] to those families. That was a lot of
kids for that camp um to be able to get
[10:07] those communications back and and really
look forward to maybe a a dedication in
[10:13] the spring. So, yeah, I'll keep you guys
posted. Um, I plan on getting to the
[10:17] studio to see sort of the next steps and
just kind of keep you guys in the loop
[10:22] of like what that process looks like.
So,
[10:25] » good.
>> Yep.
[10:26] » Thank you.
>> You're welcome.
[10:28] » It's obviously enjoyable and at times
trying.
[10:32] » Oh, you know, I I I know why I didn't
fully go into early uh education. Um,
[10:39] [laughter]
so
[10:41] » I can take it in bouts. So, they were
great. Other questions of staff with any
[10:46] of the staff reports or would any of the
staff like to make a comment in this
[10:50] area?
>> We we do have a couple of staff with um
[10:55] or items that are in your uh staff
report that we're going to expand on. Uh
[11:00] Sarah, do you want to talk about music
ecosystems?
[11:04] » So, um and you should have gotten the
music
[11:11] do a little
uh the Salena music census. So, we had
[11:16] brought this to you earlier in the
spring um talking about this statewide
[11:21] project. Uh there are
nine different sections of the state
[11:27] participating but 13 different
communities. We've got Lawrence, Tika,
[11:31] Manhattan, Emporia, Witchaw, Hutchson,
Garden City, Hayes, Russell, Belleville,
[11:36] Norton, and then they uh group together
Johnson County, and then they group
[11:40] together Wand County. And what they're
doing is um Sound Music Cities is
[11:47] collecting all of this data that is
applying specifically to the music
[11:51] ecosystem or people that are
participating or working in the music
[11:55] ecosystem. And if you look on the front
of that on the bottom, um, you know,
[12:01] people may ask, I'm a music fan. Is this
for me? Um, it's not necessarily for the
[12:06] fans. You, we're asking them to share it
to people that are working in within the
[12:10] industry. So, we've got musicians,
whether they're paid or non-paid. Uh,
[12:15] venue owners, venues could be like, uh,
Red Fern Book Sellers on First Fridays,
[12:20] Ad Astra has some live music. Uh same
with the Stifl Paramount, all those live
[12:25] venues. Um some studios, uh educators,
music store vendors, which includes like
[12:32] Golden Griffin Records here in town or
uh Hansen Music Store. Those are what we
[12:37] we mean by music vendors. uh sound
engineers or techs um and any community
[12:43] me community members that are doing
music related activities such as uh
[12:47] church choirs or community band uh
people that are participating in that
[12:52] way. Um and what we want to hear is
everything the good the bad where
[12:57] supports needed um what the current
perception is. Um this is probably the
[13:02] first music specific study at least in a
very long time
[13:06] » ever. ever. Okay. So, this is a pretty
big deal
[13:09] » statewide. I mean, or with this many uh
uh cities represented.
[13:14] » It's it's a big deal that this is going
um as far across the state as it is, but
[13:19] especially for us um this information is
going to become really crucial uh within
[13:25] the cultural plan as well. So, it's
really good timing just to spur Salina's
[13:29] aspect. But, um, we are hoping to at
least get hundred folks, but if you guys
[13:34] could just share as much as you possibly
can. Um, our primary deadline is going
[13:39] to be at the end of August. Um, where we
get the most success is if people make
[13:45] direct asks. Like, I know that you're in
church choir. Could you please share
[13:49] this with with one or two people? It's
really important that that they
[13:53] participate in that because we need a
little bit of everybody. So, but yeah,
[13:58] that's the music census.
>> Would would this be something that I
[14:01] should share with other production
companies in Kansas? Okay.
[14:04] » Well,
just so this one is just talking about
[14:08] our local community. Um I'm forgetting
which counties we included. Selen County
[14:14] and
>> um
[14:18] » Dickinson,
>> Ottawa,
[14:22] » Ellsworth.
>> There's um some selections that on the
[14:25] census of what counties were included in
this kind of area. So um some of that I
[14:32] think gets close to Manhattan's regional
area or Wah's regional area. So, um,
[14:38] just kind of within this general area is
our responsibility.
[14:41] » But if it's someone that does business
regularly in Salena or Selen County,
[14:45] then then yes, if they provide a service
to the area. Um, Sarah mentioned the the
[14:51] goal of a hundred. I
>> if each one of you uh, you know, made 10
[14:58] connections, we'd hit that. I I think I
think we have three to 800 musicians in
[15:07] town who are eligible to answer those
questions
[15:11] » and this number is everything like
>> we anything more than 300 is going to
[15:15] put us above anybody else in the state
including Witchah. So it it'd be great
[15:20] to get a lot of participation and I
think we're capable of that. This will
[15:24] include anybody from like a symphony
artist to maybe they're in a church
[15:30] choir or maybe they sing at Trudies on
Saturdays. Um this includes all genres.
[15:37] Um all types of music work. So whether
you're paid or unpaid, that's the the
[15:41] big thing to share is some people feel
like they don't want to have the label
[15:45] of musician or artist, but they're
participating in music related work. So
[15:50] thank you. And Katie, for your benefit,
the reason that students uh aren't
[15:54] included or those under the age of 18 is
as a music ecosystem, they're looking at
[16:00] the machine and the activity that people
are doing to rely on it either for an
[16:05] income or to thrive as a creator, not
someone who's just engaged in an
[16:10] activity. So I I think there's multiple
reasons for doing that, but but that's
[16:15] we're following the same standards as as
anyone across or all the other cities
[16:20] across the state. And then um you didn't
mention well we'll have another meeting
[16:25] in September, but uh you want to
>> already it's been um a very like
[16:32] welcoming and very needed process across
the state. Um, for the past couple of
[16:36] months, we've been doing uh monthly
meetings where we'll meet over Zoom and
[16:40] each community just kind of shares um
some of the things they're
[16:44] [clears throat] working on or um who's
really good at this. I want to have a
[16:48] conversation with you. Let's set up a
meeting to do this another time. Um and
[16:52] you're just kind of getting to hear from
different perspectives or different
[16:55] resources that are available that some
of us didn't know about. So, um, we've
[17:00] already been having really great
conversations as a part of the process
[17:03] and we haven't even finished the census
yet. So, um, I'm very excited to see
[17:08] where this comes from us because like
Brad said, we haven't had something like
[17:11] this specifically for music.
>> And you have some kind of steering
[17:15] committee members locally. Yes, we're
going to start getting the local co
[17:20] cohort, which we're just trying to get
um some community leaders together at
[17:25] the table um to kind of break down some
of the silos that currently exist in the
[17:31] music community, uh kind of come up with
a group that can help share information,
[17:36] um get more ideas where we're we're
bringing the music community together.
[17:40] Um and we're going to start meeting in
September. There's a statewide meeting
[17:45] in September happening at uh oh is it
Somewhere Fest? Okay, there's a few
[17:50] names that that happen, but uh Somewhere
Fest, they have a conference that's
[17:54] going to be going on that we'll be
meeting at too. So, um and this did not
[18:00] cost anything for us to participate in.
Uh there is an opportunity at the end to
[18:06] get a $5,000 match for a pilot program
or pilot project. Um so, we might be
[18:11] able to get other sources of funing. So,
it's very nice that um that's very
[18:16] budget friendly. So,
>> this is a project of the Kansas Arts
[18:19] Commission and so they've contracted
with the gentleman who is overseeing
[18:24] each of the cities and helping us roll
it out. So,
[18:34] » um also from a staff perspective, u Anna
and I have been working with um Oh,
[18:40] these go around that way. This site's
got them. Um I can't remember whether
[18:46] we've talked about collective our
stories of cancer uh theater salina and
[18:52] uh arts and humanities uh and some
citizens from Salena who've been our
[18:58] cancer survivors or advocates for uh uh
arts and healing. um along with Salena
[19:05] Regional Health Foundation, the Tammy
Walker Cancer Center, and Salena
[19:10] Regional Health Center are all
collaborating on a two-day residency and
[19:15] performance uh in October. These are the
palm cards. We've got extras if there
[19:21] are people that you'd like to share
these with. um coming up in October. Uh
[19:27] this again is a project that uh that uh
is entirely funded through uh grants and
[19:35] foundations and earned revenue. Uh it's
not a project of saline arts and
[19:40] humanities but we are partnering with
theater salina uh and the other
[19:44] entities. So um we're offering
administrative support uh and and inind
[19:50] support as an organization as we should.
Um but um one of the uh just for a
[19:59] clarification for your point at the
bottom of the front it says Arts and
[20:02] Healing Collective. Um,
one of the intents of this program is
[20:09] that it generates enough revenue to
create some seed money to have for for
[20:15] us to administrate through the arts and
humanities foundation. uh but for the
[20:20] benefit of the community that looks for
intentional ways that the arts can aid
[20:26] in mental health uh emotional health uh
physical health uh programs and events
[20:32] uh whether it's uh for a group that's
exploring a hands-on activity for those
[20:37] with PTSD or someone in addictions
recovery or someone who is suffering uh
[20:44] from depression because of an illness uh
and and and finding comfort in being
[20:49] able to be creative in music or or
visual arts or dance or poetry. Um,
[20:57] Salina has done that intermittently.
This is a first step for what I think is
[21:02] going to become a a large and signature
program down the road uh that we're
[21:09] going to ask ourselves why weren't we
doing this sooner? you know, there's
[21:13] such a tremendous benefit from
integrating arts in our overall health
[21:17] as a as a community. And so, um, and
there's some other things that are in
[21:22] the works for additional private funding
in support of this down the road. So, so
[21:28] this kind of puts it on the radar. Uh,
please share this information, share the
[21:33] QR code, um, tickets. Um if if there is
someone you're talking to that would
[21:40] like to see it and can't afford it,
there are scholarship or underwriting
[21:44] opportunities uh to help those get
there. With two nights at the theater
[21:50] salina stage, that's a total of about
500 people, but maybe a little more
[21:56] depending on the overflow seating. Um
and half of the Friday night house is
[22:01] already purchased uh through Salena
Regional. So there's not a lot of seats
[22:06] and so um let folks know this is the
weigh in. The last thing that I tell you
[22:13] is on the back it says a 90minute
performance. That's a typo. It's 60
[22:17] minutes. And uh if any of you are
curious about this, if you go to YouTube
[22:24] and type in Owen Cox, our shared stories
of cancer, they filmed the inaugural
[22:31] production last year uh when they
presented it in Kansas City. Um and it's
[22:37] a beautiful film. Uh it it's it's a it's
powerful work. Uh we're going to be
[22:44] working with Salena Regional and um and
other resources. The American Cancer
[22:50] Society has expressed interest in in
helping how they can uh sending uh the
[22:56] cancer action network. Uh uh there's a
couple of women from Kansas City and
[23:02] Lawrence that are very interested in
supporting as we can. So, we're looking
[23:05] for resource materials for people to
take home, links and and uh connections
[23:12] to be able to say, "Hey, if you had a
good time here, if you'd like to try
[23:15] creative creative expression, here are
places in town you can do that and and
[23:20] where those resources are and how to
access them. So, um it's not it's not
[23:26] just a program. It's it's a it's larger
than that. So
[23:33] » that sounds really neat. I mean,
seriously.
[23:35] » Yeah.
>> I I'm very very neat. Yeah. Yeah.
[23:41] Anyone else?
[23:46] And then we go to our infusion.
[23:52] » Yeah. If you uh are unfamiliar with what
artusion is, you got
[23:57] to change it.
[24:03] Um, if you are unfamiliar with what Arts
Infusion is, um, it is a preK through 12
[24:11] program that involves arts integration.
Um, it runs throughout the school year
[24:16] and, um, we serve both public and
private schools in Selen County. Um,
[24:21] what we are hoping is to have the
digital version out by the end of the
[24:25] week. Um what happens is teachers go
through a form and they request and then
[24:30] we have uh local and regional artists as
well as some uh artists sometimes from
[24:35] around the country that come in that we
help schedule and that way um we hope
[24:40] it's very convenient because the artists
will come in directly to their classroom
[24:44] during their class times uh to do
something that um is involved within
[24:49] their curriculum. So uh an example is a
lot of science classes will study the
[24:55] life cycle. So that beach has a whole
presentation on the life cycle and uses
[25:00] uh arts education as the vehicle in
which to do that. Um so we have a lot of
[25:06] those different programs going on. Again
it goes out both digitally and a
[25:10] physical copy to all teachers in the
community uh that we can possibly get
[25:14] to. In the past, we had been focusing um
just last year on building our prek and
[25:21] kindergarten specific options and saw a
really great result from that. Um and
[25:25] this year we are looking at increasing
our middle school options. We're very
[25:30] excited to see how many requests that
we've had for career development or just
[25:35] talking about different types of
careers, different options. Um, a lot of
[25:39] the talks are also a mix between like
basic here's your basic life skills that
[25:44] happen in arts uh arts careers that can
be applied to so many different uh
[25:51] avenues. So, we've had some really great
responses to that at both the middle and
[25:55] high school level. Um, so those are some
of the things that we're looking forward
[26:00] to there, including some steam projects.
Um, let's see.
[26:07] Oh, the pri priority requests are going
to be happening at the end of August,
[26:11] but uh we take requests throughout the
year. Some people thinks that it stops
[26:15] at the end of August. We'll take them.
It's just usually we get more requests
[26:19] than we can fulfill. So, if we get them
in by the priority time, usually we can
[26:23] fulfill all of those. But yeah, and that
should be up on our website.
[26:29] Any questions?
[26:34] Street Fair.
>> Street Fair coming up very soon. Uh the
[26:40] three things I really want to talk about
today are
[26:44] chili cookoff parade volunteers. We need
all three of those to make the event
[26:49] happen uh and to help make this a
community event. Uh the chili cookoff uh
[26:55] entries are due by August 28th, so next
Friday. Same with the parade entries,
[27:01] and we take volunteers up to the day of.
Uh we'd love to have them much sooner,
[27:06] though, uh so we can plug them in where
we need them. Uh the day uh street fair
[27:13] will be on September 26th
[clears throat]
[27:17] this year. Um always starts with our
parade.
[27:22] [cough]
>> [clears throat]
[27:22] » Sorry.
And we have a great uh schedule put out
[27:27] this year. Our theme is America's 250th
old west style. So uh especially for the
[27:35] parade. Um so how you would think
America would be celebrated
[27:42] old west. So
following that um of course is our chili
[27:48] cookoff. Uh
if you do want to enter or have
[27:53] information about that, it's on our
website. But we do provide meat, onions,
[27:58] and tomatoes. You get to supply the
scrumptious goodness that goes in to
[28:03] make it different from everyone else's.
Uh there are two prize packages, uh
[28:07] people's choice awards, um and a judge's
choice.
[28:13] The people's uh choice is by people who
actually purchase a ticket to taste the
[28:18] chili. It's only 250. Um and there's a
lot of people that uh partake in that.
[28:26] Um and so we'd love to get their vote on
who they think is the best uh for that
[28:31] day. Um
[28:35] then also happening at that time um
after the parade, our music starts up on
[28:42] the main stage. This year we have Jake
Gil. Um
[28:48] who is grew up here in Kansas. Um his
father was a music teacher and his
[28:55] grandfather exposed him to country music
and so that's what he brings uh some raw
[28:59] energy and great charisma to some
country music. Uh we're very excited to
[29:04] have Jake back. He was here a couple
years ago. Um Jiren Bell, another local
[29:08] favorite, um will be on the stage
at noon. Um and then new this year we
[29:16] are bringing in the Witchah War dancer.
So, he is out of, of course, Witchah.
[29:22] Um, he will be doing the fancy dance of
the Panka um at 3 at 1:00 and then he
[29:30] after his performance, he's going to
stay around and roam the crowd because
[29:34] part of what he really loves to do is
let people know more about his culture
[29:40] and answer questions uh that people may
have about um his costume, his culture,
[29:46] uh whatever. So we are really excited to
have him. Um he uh
[29:52] has won the national
no world's fancy war dance championship
[30:00] title. So he is um
going to be great this year.
[30:06] » I and I know Tanner has spoke very
highly of that. That should be a good
[30:11] » Yeah.
>> Tanner has worked with him before.
[30:13] » Yeah. Feedley has uh done a blog with
him or uh
[30:17] » Ask a Cans and there's an episode that
shows him in his full costume and does
[30:22] about an hourong interview that is
really
[30:26] » cool. He's a he's a great guy.
>> Yeah, he'll be he'll be really great. He
[30:30] was fun to talk to when I booked him. Um
Don Wagner and Friends will be back at
[30:36] 2:10. Uh they'll follow the announcement
of the chili cookoff winners and then
[30:40] Jake Gilligan rounds out the crowd at 3.
Uh during that time people can enjoy
[30:48] make and take crafts, historic
demonstrators. We will have the German
[30:52] farmer [clears throat] back again this
year. He usually brings some tools that
[30:56] a German [clears throat] immigrant
farmer would have had in the late 1800s.
[31:02] Um and his wife usually comes along and
does some sewing and hand work. uh items
[31:07] as well. Uh we have a cook off or a
chuck wagon to go along. Uh and they
[31:18] it's we've had them a couple years ago.
Fully outfitted cook wagon except for
[31:23] the actual food which we can't do uh we
can't have a fire on the street. The
[31:29] city would frown on that. Um, but uh
they can talk about what all goes into
[31:35] uh the truck wagon and cattle drives. We
are working on possibly having a
[31:40] blacksmith. Uh we're seeing if we have
room for them. Um and then we also have
[31:44] a slate of activities for kids and
adults to do rope roping uh horseshoe
[31:52] throwing I think a cup toss and
something else. I don't remember
[31:57] exactly. Uh but some Old West style
activities as well. Uh of course we have
[32:03] great food vendors. We actually have six
uh five vendors with six uh trucks or
[32:09] trailers how however they set out. We
have Pops Kettle Cornback. He is always
[32:14] a big uh
seller. Tacos Elora will be here. Ducet
[32:23] Concessions. Uh they are usually at
festivals so we're um but they're also
[32:27] always here. Uh Bear Creek Snow Biz cuz
it will probably be hot that day. And La
[32:33] Nana, I never say their name right. Uh
Lana Nana Ice Cream Shop and Snacks will
[32:38] also be here. So we'll have a couple of
cool options uh for this year. Um
[32:47] we do have caricaturists again this
year. So, if you've gotten caricatures
[32:53] previous years and want another one, uh
just got to stand in line. They're free.
[32:58] Everything except for food vendors and
tasting at the chili cookoff are free.
[33:02] So, we make this a very nice uh
accessible event. And we of course we
[33:07] are open. Um the end this will be the
end of our 250th anniversary exhibit. uh
[33:14] will close October 10th. So, this is a
prime time to get a last chance to see
[33:19] it. Oh, and we will have a demonstrator
in by the dugout uh this year as well.
[33:24] So, fun-filled day packed. Um like I
say, we do encourage volunteers need
[33:32] parade and chili cookoff entries.
And I do have extra of the volunteer
[33:38] slips if you know of anyone you want to
take one to. Uh they're back here on the
[33:43] uh drink table.
>> Impressive report. There's a lot of
[33:48] stuff going on.
>> A lot of stuff going on.
[33:50] » Exactly. [laughter]
>> For everybody.
[33:53] » For everyone. Yes.
>> Yeah.
[33:54] » I I think both Susan and um Sarah maybe
mentioned it, but I want to reiterate
[34:00] how important it is for you to be our
ambassadors and helping secure
[34:05] volunteers. Not just feeling like you
have to sign up, but we can ask all day.
[34:10] We can put social media posts up all
day. That's what we're paid for. But
[34:14] when you look a friend or a peer in the
eye and say, "Boy, they could really use
[34:17] your help and you'd be great." That
makes all the difference. So, please be
[34:22] our arms and legs and voice to try to
encourage others to both participate,
[34:28] but also to come and support. And if you
get questions about what kind of things
[34:34] there are to do to volunteer, we have
you can do three-hour shifts. Uh usually
[34:39] like about 10:30 to 1:30 and 1:30 to 4.
Um for the activities, make and take
[34:46] crafts. We also need volunteers to help
line up the parade, which only takes
[34:50] about an hour or so. The same with some
uh a couple I think we need like six
[34:55] volunteers to help pull barricades for
the parade. Uh, so you get to stand and
[35:00] watch a wonderful parade, then pull the
barricades off. Uh,
[35:04] and um, if you got muscles and like to
get up early, we always can use help
[35:11] with setup. And if you don't like to get
up early, you can come help
[35:14] [clears throat] uh, take Dale.
>> Okay.
[35:19] Any questions or comments? In addition,
[35:24] none, we major strategic plan.
>> All right. Uh the museum was due for a
[35:31] new strategic plan. We had uh come to
the end of the last one. So la uh
[35:37] throughout last year we worked with the
community engagement institute out of
[35:41] Witchaw State University uh to develop a
plan. Um it included focus groups. Um we
[35:48] had community
uh friends board members. I can't
[35:52] remember. I Yeah, I think we did have a
A&H commissioner here that day. City
[35:58] management even came um to help identify
areas uh that we should pursue and
[36:06] that's where we ended up with five focus
areas. Um of course we want to increase
[36:12] visibility and community awareness.
That's always a big one for the museum.
[36:15] Um and of course our expansion and
renovation plans. uh we want to work
[36:22] through those and
make sure that comes to fruition.
[36:27] Um another really big area and one that
we've started kind of hit the ground
[36:33] trying to run and get going is develop
accessible high impact and and effective
[36:39] stories, programming and event. We want
to be as accessible as we can uh with
[36:45] the renovation. We want we don't want to
tell the same story we've always told.
[36:50] We want to tell everybody's story. We
want everyone who comes in to at least
[36:54] be able to see a little bit of
themselves somehow um in the museum uh
[37:00] and how they've helped build Salina and
make Salina. So, um we're working hard
[37:06] on doing that and seeing what other
programming ideas we can do to help
[37:11] reach groups that whose story doesn't
always get told. So, uh, we are working
[37:17] hard on that aspect. If you know anyone
that would like to help us make inroads
[37:24] because we sometimes we don't tell
stories because we don't know who to go
[37:27] and ask uh for their story. So, uh we
we're always needing help with that. Um,
[37:36] and then just living our values and
mission and vision of the museum, making
[37:42] sure we're visitor centered. um
cultivating
[37:47] uh a robust donor base uh and just
basically evaluating every through
[37:54] through everything we do through a
mission lens to make sure we're not
[38:00] wasting our time on things that don't
help move the m museum forward. Uh
[38:05] that's what we really want to have our
impact on. So um I'll stop there. if
[38:11] there are any questions on what you
read. Um, we are putting, you'll notice
[38:16] section three or focus area three does
have notes already in it. Those are
[38:20] things that we've started working on.
Um, we're
[38:24] trying to do a much better job of
keeping note of what we do. Um, as
[38:29] opposed to just doing it and then
forgetting.
[38:35] » And you need their approval, correct?
>> Oh, yes. uh your approval uh for
[38:40] accreditation. Uh they do uh require
approval of a governing
[38:47] of the governing body or representative
thereof and being the arts and
[38:51] humanities commission uh they have
approved that as being a a legitimate um
[38:57] approval mechanism. So
>> would someone like to make a motion to
[39:02] approve this presentation as she's
spoke?
[39:06] I will make that motion to approve the
motion as spoken strategic plan
[39:14] » as accepted.
>> Yep.
[39:17] » Hear a second.
>> Second move and seconded. Any
[39:21] discussion?
He none. Everybody in favor say I. I.
[39:25] » Oppose. Same sign. Motion carries.
>> Thank you. Like I said, it's quite the
[39:32] deal there. It's pretty cool. I I think
we may want to talk to, you know, this
[39:36] body and and uh um whoever's chair in
the future, but um I I think making a
[39:44] regular part of the meetings at least on
a quarterly basis to have updates of
[39:50] progress on the plan. Uh I think it'll
be important for us to do that for the
[39:54] cultural plan as well. And so maybe um
at least either I mean there'll be
[39:59] things in staff reports as well, but um
we may want to visit that in the fall
[40:04] and and I can talk to Susan about a
>> you know the best times to do that
[40:10] whether we stagger them or just have
focus meetings once a quarter
[40:14] » approximately once a quarter as it would
fit in.
[40:16] » I think there'll be enough happening on
[clears throat] a regular basis that
[40:20] » be good to keep the commission up to
speed.
[40:23] » Okay. Next was nomination of officers.
I'm going to turn it over to to Brad for
[40:29] this one.
>> Yeah, I'll take uh Bob's heavy hand and
[40:34] authority off the table here for a
minute. Um I think this was discussed
[40:39] last month and and so uh this would be
an opportunity for you to either
[40:44] volunteer or to uh nominate uh someone
to serve uh as an officer uh for next
[40:53] year. Um I think we have uh three three
positions. Do we still do a secretary
[41:00] too? Correct. Yeah, we have um we have a
a chair, a vice chair, and the vice
[41:06] chair handles the meetings when the
chair is absent and uh secretary. U
[41:13] Amanda serves that duty, but the
secretary is the person who kind of
[41:17] reviews the minutes when they go out in
the post and kind of keeps an eye and
[41:20] ear on making sure that those are
accurately done. So, um maybe um
[41:28] um one
I can take your nominations uh for
[41:35] someone. You can also self-nominate.
Um
[41:39] I believe uh Tanner is the vice chair
right now and he has said that's as high
[41:46] as he wants to go.
and so he
[41:49] » happy to uh
>> willing to serve again but he does not
[41:54] want to be elevated to um having an
irregular responsibility of chair in the
[41:58] meeting. So um that's the only person I
think that we've heard from. So um are
[42:05] there
>> means myself I'm very willing to do it
[42:09] again and be chair. I enjoy doing it,
yet there's qualified people here that
[42:15] might have an interest to do that. And I
will not feel offended if somebody else
[42:20] thinks this would be a neat position to
sit up here and bring a new face in the
[42:25] front. So, I'm just saying that.
>> So, Tanner is willing to take the vice
[42:31] chair again next year.
>> Yes, he said he would. Okay. But he like
[42:35] Bob, he said he's open if someone else
expresses interest as well. So does I
[42:40] guess does anyone have interest in those
two positions?
[42:48] Then I will nam nominate Tanner for vice
chair again.
[42:54] Okay.
Do you want to do a slate or do you want
[42:59] to do those one at a time?
>> I was thinking one at a time.
[43:02] » Okay.
>> Does that fine then? That needs a
[43:07] second. Tanner's been nominated as are
there any other nominations for a vice
[43:12] chair?
[43:17] » Okay. Hearing none, then uh we'll have
the nominations closed and uh uh is
[43:23] there a second to the motion?
>> A second.
[43:26] » Okay. Thank you, Doug. Um all those any
other discussion?
[43:33] I I will hope he doesn't see the
broadcast of this first and you can tell
[43:38] him that he was elected since he's gone.
Uh chair, vice chair, and secretary. So
[43:45] [laughter] that's that's what you see
say first if if we [clears throat] don't
[43:49] talk to him. All those in favor of
Tanner continuing in his current
[43:53] capacity say I.
>> I.
[43:56] » Are there any opposed?
Okay, motion carries. Um, how about um
[44:02] nominations for uh chair?
[44:09] » I will go ahead and nominate Bob for
chair again.
[44:13] » Okay. Uh let's see. I'm trying to think
how uh are there any other nominations?
[44:23] Okay. Is there a second for Dean's
nomination of Bob?
[44:27] » Second.
>> Okay. Thank you, Pat. Um, is there any
[44:31] other discussion?
Okay. Uh, all those in favor of Bob
[44:38] serving as chair for next year say I.
>> Any opposed?
[44:45] Okay. Congratulations. The uh
I'll let you do the second.
[44:52] » Yeah.
>> Because there are there's nobody running
[44:56] against the person. Will we not do
because we're supposed to be nominating
[44:59] state and voting next month?
But if there's nobody running against,
[45:04] are we just doing it all right now?
>> I think the assumption is it's
[45:07] unapposted and
>> Okay. I just want
[45:10] » Yeah.
>> Just
[45:12] Okay.
>> And who was the official secretary?
[45:15] » I think Amy is. And
>> I am currently the secretary and I am of
[45:19] the same mentality. I am fine to
continue. But if somebody else wants to
[45:23] take on this role, I am also
>> there's a trend to step aside.
[45:27] » I think [laughter]
[45:30] I think the trend is set.
[45:37] » Here we go.
>> Okay. Pat's nominated and Dean is
[45:42] seconded. Um are there any other
nominations?
[45:48] All those in uh keeping uh Amy on as
secretary. Thank you Amy. Say I.
[45:55] » I.
>> Any opposed?
[45:59] » Don't don't oppose or you'll be
secretary. [laughter]
[46:02] » All right Bob, I'll uh turn it back to
you. Thanks everybody.
[46:09] » In all seriousness, we have a very good
commission here. People are involved.
[46:13] People show up and give opinions. And
that's a great group to be with. So,
[46:19] » I appreciate it. Makes my job a lot
easier up here. Let's put it that way.
[46:24] So, next cultural planning update.
>> Um, I was trying to get uh Oh, and it
[46:32] did open. Here we go. Um,
we'll follow this up with an email, but
[46:37] just to let you know, uh, Keen uh is
continuing to do their work. their
[46:43] research phase, their survey phases have
all been completed now. They finished in
[46:48] July and early August with a group of HR
professionals uh from around the
[46:54] community to weigh in on both the
challenges and opportunities that happen
[46:58] through recruiting workforce uh for
Salena uh and how the arts might be able
[47:04] to be a a help for that uh both engaging
and attracting and retaining uh
[47:10] potential workforce as business and
industry continues to grow. Um they also
[47:17] met with representatives uh from USD305
and had a a small group session with
[47:23] them, a focus session, and then they
also did a followup with the HR
[47:27] professionals who couldn't attend a
meeting, uh giving them a chance to
[47:31] answer three open-ended questions. So,
they're taking all of that data, uh,
[47:35] putting it together to start to shape,
um, recommendations,
[47:41] um, and preliminary recommendations for
what that plan might look like. They'll
[47:46] go through some review processes in
September and October
[47:52] um, with um, the community. And uh some
of those that you may want to put down
[48:00] on your um uh because some of them
involve you directly. Um
[48:09] they're um
[48:14] in October
they're key findings. I just lost the
[48:21] file. Their key findings um will be
presented to the Salina City Commission
[48:28] in a state-of-the-arts study session
which will begin at most likely at 2:30
[48:34] p.m. on October the um 26th.
That hour and 15 minute presentation
[48:42] will include um um some of the things
that you've already seen or that that
[48:48] we've seen as a cultural as as as one of
the players and that they've presented
[48:54] to the cultural round table at those
informal meetings each month. Um they've
[48:58] presented some of the just preliminary
highlevel things. This is going
[49:02] [clears throat] to drill down a little
tighter and show some of those um
[49:07] results. um and to share some of the
major directions that the plan is likely
[49:15] to go when it's fully articulated over
the subsequent two months. So, um uh
[49:22] that would be it would be great to have
arts commission representation on that
[49:27] Monday at 2:30 if you're available. Um
then um on
[49:37] January 5th
um they're going to do uh we we haven't
[49:42] scheduled the time but there's going to
be a public uh presentation
[49:49] um via Zoom for anyone for the general
public for the cultural sector for our
[49:56] arts commission for our CAD committee
for any city commissioners that want to
[50:00] sit and listen in on those preliminary
kinds of of findings. And this would be
[50:05] like the final draft of the report and
just giving people an opportunity to say
[50:11] poke holes in it. What did we miss? What
are some major things? Hopefully, there
[50:16] aren't a lot. Uh but but um we we want
it to be an open and transparent
[50:22] process. So doing this via Zoom and then
having one week to submit questions,
[50:29] concerns or clarifications in writing to
their website um uh is is it closes on
[50:37] January uh the 12th. Um then uh the next
time that you'll see this and we'll be
[50:45] asking you to uh adopt or make a
recommendation for acceptance of this
[50:50] plan is at your January 20th meeting. Um
the report uh in its final form will be
[51:00] presented at that time to you first. Uh
it will be large. um it will be out in
[51:08] your packet on the week before. So,
we're trying to hit that u as much there
[51:15] may be some fine-tuning, some some
formatting of a cover sheet or
[51:19] something, but in terms of content,
you're going to get to see that at your
[51:24] meeting in January. Hopefully
recommend its adoption and then it goes
[51:31] in the commission packet the next day.
And then on the um 20th
[51:39] uh sorry on the 25th of um of uh uh
January it would be presented to the
[51:47] city commission for adoption.
[51:53] Uh, Alex and Heather, I think, are both
going to be here in person on that day
[51:59] and um and and do a present a live
presentation to the city commission on
[52:05] the 25th, whether permitting and so on.
But uh if if not, they would zoom in,
[52:10] but we would hold it. And then um that
evening, again, the details of where and
[52:17] how we do this, we'd like to have a
community launch [clears throat] and
[52:21] celebration that takes place that
evening. So, we'll have copies of the
[52:26] report. We'll have, you know, some brief
remarks and and just kind of a
[52:30] celebration of what this means for both
the community and for the the cultural
[52:35] uh partners who all are going to benefit
from this. So um uh it uh it it's coming
[52:44] together. So
>> how did the survey turn out? I never
[52:48] heard with responses.
>> Everything at this point is in a draft
[52:53] form. So I
>> you don't know how many people actually
[52:56] » Oh, we uh yes uh they've reported that
uh we haven't seen the raw data because
[53:02] it's a it's in their possession, not
ours. Um but there were about 780
[53:09] I want to say and then there was another
another 75 or so who were in small
[53:17] groups uh and the community gathering at
the temple the day to provide
[53:23] preliminary feedback that did like the
posters and and the other things and
[53:27] gave their opinions. So altogether right
around 800 folks uh uh participated or
[53:34] fed that and they were pleased with
those numbers. Uh there were um there
[53:41] 60% of the respondents
roughly are not directly engaged in arts
[53:49] activity. you know, so 40% either
identified as an artist or a musician or
[53:56] or or in the music or in a in an arts
industry or role of some kind. Uh having
[54:03] 60% of those respondents reflect the
broader community as patron spectators,
[54:08] enjoyers or and some people by their
answers didn't like anything. But
[54:14] overall the uh general responses were
very positive and and and
[54:20] uh they as they refine some of the other
analysis just in terms of some of the
[54:26] general responses
they um they utilized I think it's out
[54:34] of a university in Texas and now I can't
remember what it's called but they uh
[54:40] utilized an uh arts health index for
communities and comparing us to
[54:48] Midwestern communities of small to
medium size. That is our category based
[54:53] on population. Um we're in the top 25%
or something like that nationwide.
[55:03] Regionally, we're we're and and when you
narrow it down to more specific
[55:09] communities our size and not as wide of
a range, we're in the top we're just
[55:16] below the top 10%. Um we're or arts
vibrancy index is what it was called. Um
[55:24] and this is nationally normed
comparisons of cities all across the
[55:29] country. And so we're we're in a good
place. Um but there's plenty that we can
[55:35] do to continue to improve. So I'm
anxious to see what their
[55:41] recommendations are and and uh how this
moves forward. So
[55:45] » any other questions?
>> I have a question. I'm not really sure
[55:48] thinking how to phrase this. So in our
community right now there's a lot of
[55:52] discourse about what taxpayer funds
should be going towards, wants versus
[55:58] needs, etc.
And my assumption, and it may not be
[56:02] correct, is that the people involved in
that discourse did not take this survey.
[56:08] And so,
is there any way to like include some of
[56:14] that feedback and data in the
conversation as they're developing this
[56:19] report? Because in the long run, I think
it is relevant that we have a community
[56:25] of people here that are not supportive
of taxpayer funds going towards the
[56:31] arts.
the the numbers that were reported in
[56:35] the survey for both local and uh public
funding of arts
[56:41] by the people who took it um were in the
um were in the uh I think the mid 80%
[56:50] range in support of public funding
to answer your question in terms of the
[56:57] kind of toxic environment that we're in
uh And it's not unique to Salina and any
[57:05] community across the country.
The arts or public art are lightning
[57:13] rods for people either not valuing or
not thinking it's important. And all all
[57:22] I can tell you in terms of what we do
with this data [clears throat] is that
[57:31] if
we opened this survey up for two and a
[57:36] half months
and we advertised it on social on all
[57:41] the same places that the people who
currently have an opinion
[57:46] either didn't have three months ago or
chose not to take that opportunity to
[57:51] express their displeasure. So, for
whatever reason,
[57:56] um I I personally I'm going to encourage
you all as commissioners and and our
[58:05] city commissioners, I'll stand firm on
let's go with the opinions and the
[58:11] recommendations that the most engaged
and active participants in our community
[58:17] have said is important to them.
And and [clears throat]
[58:21] can we close a gap of those who are
dissatisfied with some? Yes. I think
[58:27] some of what's led to that toxicity
are
[58:32] are lies are are mischaracterizations of
the work we do or how we're funded or
[58:40] what the cost of the programs is that we
do. So, we will continue to take the
[58:45] high road and and to try to share that
information. uh it's it's a little
[58:52] early, but there are also some things
some of the folks who
[58:57] who have those opinions may be those
that haven't had the opportunity either
[59:04] financially or time to engage with some
of the programs or services that are
[59:09] offered through not just us but all of
the arts agencies in town. I think
[59:15] that's an area that we're going to see
as a need for improvement. How do we
[59:20] build bridges and close those gaps? But
um I'm going to wait for the for the
[59:25] final data to come, but we will not do
any more surveying at this point.
[59:30] » Right. And I think that building bridges
piece is the part that I'm curious
[59:34] about. Uh and and again, not to reveal
too much uh because I' I'd rather that
[59:40] Keane did it, but one of the areas in
the preliminary survey results that they
[59:45] showed us, and again, we haven't gotten
any of the data to really drill down on
[59:50] it, but it did show that um financial
accessibility to programs and services
[59:57] offered through the arts is limited. And
we don't know if that means
[1:00:01] transportation getting to and from an
event, whether that's a cost of
[1:00:05] admission, whether that's um not
knowing, you know, not having it easily
[1:00:11] accessible in their neighborhood. And
and you know, those kinds of things.
[1:00:15] Well, those are things we will do
additional once we once we see the
[1:00:20] report and the recommendations, we'll be
coming back to you all. How do we how do
[1:00:25] we close this gap? How do we make this
better? you know, and and both us and
[1:00:32] the other nonprofits who provide
cultural services. So, um it'll be a
[1:00:36] community effort, but but that is um the
underserved um uh and those who who
[1:00:45] economically struggle to get to the
events or programs is going to be an
[1:00:51] area that will show up.
>> Yeah.
[1:00:54] One of the things I did when I was
because we were challenged to get people
[1:00:58] to take the survey was some of those
that I saw that were very angry on the
[1:01:03] internet and posting and I reached out
to them and said, "Hey, here's a survey.
[1:01:08] It seems like it doesn't matter, but
this is where you guys can give that
[1:01:12] input." Like, we want to hear from
everybody. And I can't tell you that
[1:01:16] they all took me up on it. I hope they
did, but I know that that was one of the
[1:01:20] things when I was out trying to get
people to help take the survey. That was
[1:01:24] one of the things I really was like,
you're very angry about public art and
[1:01:29] those things. Please take this. Give us
your input. Let's make bridge the gap
[1:01:33] and try to be better. So, did they end
up taking the survey? Who knows,
[1:01:38] » right?
>> I hope they did. I hope they took their
[1:01:40] opportunity to have their voice heard.
Yeah, we we put it in media sources that
[1:01:45] are both um pro and and uh regularly
against most anything we do. Um and so
[1:01:53] there there was ample opportunity to
weigh in and and we we will follow the
[1:02:00] recommendations of those who
participated.
[1:02:05] » Other questions? I think one of the
things I'm hoping comes out of this when
[1:02:10] the survey and the plan is out there is
I'll call it education.
[1:02:15] Um I just this morning I had a friend
who once again I'm off on her personal
[1:02:21] tangent but the problem with public
guard and salina is all that money comes
[1:02:26] directly from first responders. It all
comes straight from the firemen and the
[1:02:30] police. And I I've tried to
>> That's very generous of them. Yeah, I
[1:02:35] know that they we miss writing them a
thank you.
[1:02:38] » Well, maybe we need to edit the list.
You know, [laughter]
[1:02:41] » you you just you try, but having
accurate information come from reliable
[1:02:49] sources is going to be so critical to
keeping things moving forward.
[1:02:55] » Yeah, it's it's a difficult time for
staff to function, for city employees
[1:03:01] especially. Um and and uh it's it's um
become a fairly toxic environment. But
[1:03:10] um but I also u uh I I don't spend a lot
of time reading the negative. But I have
[1:03:19] heard regularly as I go through town or
or participate in a civic club or or am
[1:03:26] at church or or somewhere else. I I'll
um have people regularly say, "Thank you
[1:03:33] for what you're doing. Keep up the good
work. We value the work you're doing."
[1:03:38] uh you know they're sharing opinions and
others to encourage us to continue and
[1:03:44] and I uh um I I
uh
[1:03:51] I don't think Salina would have had the
success it has in its economic and
[1:03:57] programming development over the last
decade if we were doing things really
[1:04:02] poorly.
you know this we are the envy of many
[1:04:08] other cities in Kansas wanting to know
how do you do what you do and and um and
[1:04:17] every community our size it doesn't
matter what size are there problems
[1:04:21] certainly they are but are there people
addressing them and working on them in a
[1:04:26] responsible and transparent competent
way yes and And I'm I continue to be
[1:04:36] happy to be a part of that and in a
community that that is striving to get
[1:04:41] better every day. And uh and I think
we'll get there. Um, I some of you have
[1:04:50] been around long enough to remember, but
I told our staff and I I talked to some
[1:04:54] of the executive staff because two only
two of the members of the executive
[1:04:59] staff
that I when I started 16 years ago,
[1:05:04] there's only two of the 12 that were
there. And so they don't remember the
[1:05:11] early 2000s when we launched our public
art program and the ugliness through
[1:05:17] media then and it wasn't social media,
it was print and radio and and public
[1:05:22] opinion and anger and I mean it it went
on for like three years. And when I told
[1:05:29] him this will pass, you know, there's
things that we did in in public
[1:05:33] awareness. I quit using the word
education because people felt like we
[1:05:37] were calling them dumb. That's not what
we were doing. But we were raising
[1:05:40] awareness about how we make decisions,
how money is spent, where it comes from,
[1:05:45] and and we were able to lower that toxic
level in less than three years to to
[1:05:55] when we went intentional about it. Well,
I think if we can do the same thing as a
[1:06:01] community and and start addressing some
of these issues one by one and and and
[1:06:07] holding our ground and being transparent
on what's happening and why and what
[1:06:13] it's going to cost, I think u uh we'll
move that needle and and uh and then
[1:06:22] there there will always be a group of
people no matter what we do that are not
[1:06:26] to be convinced.
and that we'll choose to be unhappy.
[1:06:30] But but we we can't fix that.
But we can continue to do our best work
[1:06:40] and try to keep moving forward in a
positive way. So
[1:06:45] » I think also it helps um and you do this
pretty regularly um Brad and that is to
[1:06:51] talk about the economic impact
>> Yeah.
[1:06:53] » of the arts in the community. The how
that has a positive economic impact and
[1:07:01] often times I think the anger that that
we hear um is is broadly about money and
[1:07:11] you're spending money on things that
don't help me
[1:07:14] » kind of attitude and um
you know just to talk about the fact
[1:07:20] that well this this uh we we see this
money coming into Salina we see this
[1:07:25] money benefiting the community as a
whole from the impact of the arts I
[1:07:30] think is an important thing to to just
keep saying
[1:07:36] » well there's there's some generational
shifts that have happened and and uh at
[1:07:40] the as a tail end of the baby boomers
you you always picked a career either
[1:07:46] based on your vocational preparation or
how much it paid
[1:07:50] » that's that's when where when you went
to a new town or to did something it was
[1:07:54] all about the work you know the work was
first
[1:07:57] » and
a generation of workers [clears throat]
[1:08:00] is saying no it's about the quality of
my life the the environment that I have
[1:08:06] the amenities that I have for my own
social and personal enjoyment first then
[1:08:12] how much am I getting paid and what is
the nature of the job is second and
[1:08:19] that's for for
guys
[1:08:23] » old white guys like me and older
trying to get your head around that
[1:08:28] being a value that yes, having murals,
having sculpture, having activity,
[1:08:33] having cool places to shop, a beautiful
environment to work, nice parks and
[1:08:39] trails and and ball fields and all of
this. Those are the decision makers of
[1:08:45] the 2 to 3,000 jobs Selena is trying to
attract in the next few years. Those are
[1:08:51] going to be critical to be able to build
that workforce. to keep people from
[1:08:56] moving away
>> and to keep the ones here,
[1:08:58] » keep people from moving away.
>> Yeah. There's there's national data that
[1:09:02] shows through Americans for the Arts
that if
[1:09:06] if if we didn't have a steifans
[1:09:19] who live here and attend an occasional
show would go somewhere else to get it.
[1:09:26] » You know, that's money lost in the
community. So, not only is it what it
[1:09:31] attracts and brings, it also keeps money
here that otherwise
[1:09:37] wouldn't wouldn't be here. Yeah.
So, um I I I think I think it'll be
[1:09:45] important to move to a time of of both
the economic development but also um how
[1:09:51] we talk about the social, environmental,
and community building benefit because a
[1:09:57] lot of good things happen
>> when you get people together at a stage
[1:10:01] downtown, you know, um and you get to
celebrate music or or have live music at
[1:10:08] a farmers market or or you know
participate in a creative act. Um it
[1:10:15] makes us better and so I I think we have
to do both.
[1:10:19] » Very well said Brad. Seriously. Thanks.
>> Very well said. Yeah.
[1:10:23] » Other comments
or questions of Brad.
[1:10:30] All right. Next is clarifying questions
or other items.
[1:10:36] I forgot to mention that I have a lot of
extra copies of the census flyer. If you
[1:10:41] know somebody that is a director of like
a church group or prescer
[1:10:56] I I'd like for everybody to report next
month on uh how many people you got to
[1:11:03] take the census. We can have a uh
contest. I'll I'll uh I'll bring a
[1:11:08] prize, Bob. [laughter]
If you want to uh if you I'll I'll have
[1:11:13] a mystery surprise.
>> You have a free bottle of water.
[1:11:18] [laughter]
>> It'll be better than that. Um I I should
[1:11:21] I do I've talked a lot today. Sorry. But
um I I do want to mention for those of
[1:11:27] you that haven't seen, there hasn't been
an obituary, a formal notice, but we
[1:11:32] lost a really instrumental artist to the
community last week. U Harley Elliott uh
[1:11:39] was a professor at MRy Mount. He was an
education director at at uh the Selena
[1:11:45] Art Center. He was a poet, a novelist,
a visual artist. um and uh um and did
[1:11:54] some important work for us over the
years uh through the river festival and
[1:11:59] other things. But he was uh um personal
friend of mine and and uh my first
[1:12:06] college professor that really touched me
and in my creative work.
[1:12:10] There will be a memorial service, not a
memorial, but a time for people who
[1:12:15] either knew Harley or want to share
memories sometime in the next four to
[1:12:20] six weeks. Uh, but they haven't selected
the location or the or the time yet. So,
[1:12:27] we watch for an announcement or if you
have an interest in being notified when
[1:12:31] that is, um, let me know.
>> Good. Thanks for sharing. uh had a
[1:12:37] friend come back from out of state who
left shortly after graduation 25 years
[1:12:43] ago and she was wandering Oakdale Park
and found her trash can
[1:12:48] » from high school and she was just
>> photos and was so excited and like oh my
[1:12:53] god it's still here. So [laughter]
when when we do the like the tiles and
[1:12:58] the lasting projects, like it's it's
interesting because I was thinking about
[1:13:01] her being all excited and she'd been
gone for 20ome years and I was like,
[1:13:06] "Wow, it's still here."
>> Oh, pretty cool.
[1:13:11] » Anything else for anyone? Um, just to
put on your calendar, if you haven't
[1:13:15] followed Four Days in June on the
website, um, I just heard today they um
[1:13:21] are going to be in uh, one of the first
festivals they've been invited to. Um,
[1:13:26] and it'll be close. It'll be in Witchah.
It's the Salt City Film Festival or from
[1:13:33] Hutch, but they're doing it in Witchah.
and so uh late September, but check out
[1:13:40] the 4 days in June website and if you're
interested in and going or car
[1:13:44] poolooling or going down to see that um
they uh that that's the first of what
[1:13:50] they hope are many. So cool
and close, you found the remaining uh
[1:13:57] 2026 meeting dates and
guess
[1:14:03] public forum. Nobody's here. No. Yeah,
we don't.
[1:14:06] » So, we're not going to go through that.
Uh, so hearing no other comments,
[1:14:11] someone want to make a motion to
adjurnn.
[1:14:14] » I move we adjourn.
>> A second.
[1:14:18] » Second.
>> Move and second. Any discussion on that?
[1:14:23] Hearing none. Everybody in favor say I.
>> I. Both same sign. Let's
[1:14:26] » talk for 15 minutes on whether or not to
adjourn. [laughter]
[1:14:30] Yeah, exactly.