Establish a volunteer committee to support the arts in your city and seek grant opportunities
The creation of an Arts Council provides a voice and platform through the arts to enrich lives and build vibrant, creative communities, and to ensure that the arts are recognized, celebrated, and supported in the community. The Council can provide financial assistance (through grant opportunities) to artists, arts organizations, schools, and other entities engaged in cultural programming to strengthen the community culturally, educationally, and economically.
Use these materials to advance this solution in your city:
Advisory Policy Memo: Creating an Arts Council
The creation of an Arts Council—which can consist of local artists and representatives of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations— would help facilitate, support and encourage local arts development in the community. Research has shown that experiences in the arts is an essential aspect of every city, and it serves to highlight the historical, cultural, and creative aspects of a city. Therefore, an Arts Council would be instrumental in helping formulate, review and recommend programs and methods to encourage creative activities to the highest standards, and increases public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of cultural activities and all forms of art.
The Arts Council can also act in a collaborative manner to bring together Arts Council stakeholders and to classify and support small and new arts organizations. In addition, the Arts Council can maintain an arts database and act as an information clearinghouse, promote the city’s Arts organizations events, and promote the city as a destination for the arts. The Arts Council can provide financial assistance (through grant opportunities) to artists, arts organizations, schools, and other entities engaged in cultural programming to strengthen the community culturally, educationally, and economically.
AN ORDINANCE CREATING AN ARTS COUNCIL
WHEREAS, the Council of the City of ___________ has determined that it is advisable and in the best interest of the City to have an Arts Council
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF _____________ that:
SECTION 2. MEMBERSHIP a. The Arts Council shall consist of (9) members appointed by the City Council as provided for herein. The Council shall also appoint first and second alternate members, who may attend all meetings, but shall be entitled to vote only when serving in the place of an absent regular member.
b. Public candidates for appointment to the Arts Council shall be selected in accordance with the Citizen Service Position Notification procedures of the City Code (Chapter XXI). By formal vote, the Arts Council may forward to the City Council its recommendations for appointments or reappointments from among the list of candidates. In the event of a vacancy, a person appointed serves for the balance of the unexpired terms, at which point he or she may be appointed to a full term.
c. Each member of the Arts Council shall have one (1) vote in decisions of the Arts Council.
SECTION 3. CONDITIONS AND TERMS OF APPOINTMENT The following provisions shall apply to members appointed to serve on the Arts Council:
a. At least seven (7) members of the Arts Council must reside or own property within the City or, alternatively, work or own a business within the City’s municipal boundaries.
b. The City Council will endeavor to include among the members of the Arts Council:
1. Artists or residents interested in the arts;
2. One (1) City Council representative, mandatory;
3. One (1) interested high school student representative volunteer who resides within the City’s municipal boundaries;
4. One (1) interested volunteer representative from the Board of Education, Administration or faculty;
5. One (1) interested volunteer representative from the City Department of Recreation.
c. Any City Council member may express his or her interest in serving as the Council representative and request appointment by the City Council to a two (2) year term. In the absence of a volunteer, the Council President shall appoint a Council member to the two-(2) year term.
d. Any volunteer applicant who is selected from high school and from the City Recreation Department shall be appointed to a seat with a term of one (1) year. In the absence of a volunteer, the City Council shall appoint to each of those two seats suitable at-large applicants for a term of one (1) year.
e. Any volunteer applicant who is selected from the School Board, Administration or faculty shall be appointed to a seat with a term of two (2) years. In the absence of a volunteer, the City Council shall appoint an at-large applicant for term of two (2) years.
f. Members of the Arts Council shall serve staggered terms. To achieve this result, the initial appointments of the five (5) at-large members shall be for the following durations. Two (2) members: two (2) year terms Three 3) members: three (3) year terms. Thereafter, all at-large members appointed shall serve staggered three (3) year terms or the unexpired balance of the term for which appointed, whichever is the lesser period, with the following exceptions: 1. The youth representative shall be appointed to a one (1) year term; 2. The City Council representative shall be appointed to a two (2) year term; 3. The Board of Education, Administration or faculty representative shall be appointed to a two (2) year term. d. Members may serve up to two (2) consecutive full terms, or six (6) consecutive years, whichever is longer.
REPEAL OF PREVIOUS ORDINANCE. All Ordinances or part of ordinances inconsistent with or in conflict with this Ordinance are hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.
SEVERABILITY. The provisions of this ordinance are declared to be severable, and if any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase hereof shall, for any reason, be held to be invalid or unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases of this Ordinance, but they shall remain in effect, it being the legislative intent that this Ordinance shall stand notwithstanding the invalidity of any part.
EFFECTIVE DATE. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon passage, publication and approval according to law.