Community Arts Council, Inc. of Kankakee County

      Minutes for Jan. 5, 2009 meeting

  The January meeting of the Community Arts Council, Inc., of Kankakee County was held Monday, Jan. 5, 2009 at the Community Foundation on Court St. in Kankakee.

  The meeting was called to order at 6:45p.m. by President Janice Miller. Present were Nita Kloska, Riverview Guest House; Helen DuFour, Kankakee Woman’s Club; Ric Edwards, Janice Miller, Blythe A. Black, Sherry Merry, Jewel Ann Wiltfang and Marc Wakat, individual members; Peter Torchia, Something Special Singers and Spirit of Illinois Barbershop Quartet Singers; Steven Bukowski, Kankakee Art League; Norm Beyer, New Horizons Band; Marjory Corbet, Kankakeeland Needleworkers Guild, Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra and Kankakee Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra;  Carol Veronda, Veronda’s Music; Jim Carter, Kankakee Camera Club; Roberta Renville, Kankakee Quiltmakers; Rosemary Nowicki, Kankakee Garden Club; and Jan Glazar, Gretchen Art Gallery and Art Start Studio. 

The minutes for the November meeting were reviewed. A motion was made by Steven Bukowski to approve them with a clarification that the mentioned price of the two possible building sites for the arts center, $595,000 for the Pope Brace building and $699,000 for Sully’s, was the realtor listed purchase price.  Jim Carter seconded  it. The motion passed.

There was no official Treasurer’s Report due to the lack of a Treasurer, but Janice Miller reported that in December, income was $2,368 and $1,671.03 was spent. The treasury’s balance is $5,500.  There is $334 in the Scholarship Fund.

 Committee reports:   Festival – A grant request is being submitted through the Kankakee County Convention and Tourist Bureau for the Fall Art Stroll. CAC hopes to receive from $500 to $1,000. Before the grant was written, Steven Bukowski said expenses of other such events were researched. The event will be larger this year because it is being held Oct. 11, the same weekend as the NAACP Convention at Hilton Gardens. It is hoped that joint marketing can be done with other scheduled art-related events to keep visitors in town the whole weekend.   A meeting for the Strawberry Jazz Festival and Art Stroll will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Kankakee Public Library.

   Publicity – A newsletter/calendar should be distributed by Feb. 1. It can be picked up by volunteers for manual distribution at the Community Foundation and Veronda’s Music Store. It also will be sent via bulk mail. David Conrad, who is continuing to upgrade the web site, held a training for publicity committee members Dec. 30. He showed them how to post articles and events more easily on the web site.

Membership – Ric Edwards reported that no nominees had been submitted for Volunteer Recognition Awards. After discussion, Blythe Black moved that the board give awards to two local supporters – architect Scott Seaton, who worked on the arts center building plans, and accountant Larry Groskreutz, who helped with the 501C non-profit tax status. Carol Veronda seconded it. The motion carried. Jan Glazar made a motion to ask Rich Ryan for a proposal to create a token of recognition for award winners. Blythe Black seconded it. The motion carried. It was decided that Ric Edwards will contact Rich Ryan.

The board voted to increase individual or student annual dues from $15 to $25, organizations’ dues from $25 to $35 and artist or vender from $55 to $65. Other categories will remain the same.

Sherry Merry made a motion to renew the $50 membership computer software subscription. Ric Edwards seconded it. The motion carried.

Arts Center Building – The Pope Brace Building was chosen as the site for the new Arts Center Building at the December CAC meeting. Steven Bukowski said two state grants to be submitted in conjunction with the Kankakee County Convention and Visitors Bureau and other fund-raisers are being planned to renovate an arts center building. Committee chairs for the Arts Center project will meet at 7 p.m. Jan. 12 at Barnes and Noble to offer input and then proceed with 2009 events. A fund raising committee meeting will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 13 at Higher Grounds.

 Nominating committee – Jan Glazar needs volunteers for her committee. She thanked Blythe Black for suggesting a possible candidate for treasurer.

Public Access Cable TV – Marc Wakat said the Kankakee County Board has contacted Jerry Webber, president of Kankakee Community College, about developing a public access cable channel. Wakat has submitted a list of names of people who might help.

  Old business – Jaclyn Dugan-Roof discussed having an artistic design competition for the Bradley-Bourbonnais Chamber of Commerce membership certificates. Janice Miller suggested that a committee of CAC members could discuss it.

Coming events – An “Evening with Ovid Young and Friends” will be at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at Kresge Center at Olivet Nazarene University. The fund-raiser for KVSO is $20.

Because of time constraints the remainder of  agenda was not covered. The CAC will meet  Feb. 2 at the Gretchen Charlton Art Gallery. Jim Carter made a motion to adjourn and Ric Edwards seconded it. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Sherry Merry

Secretary pro tem 

Approved on ________________________________