Title
Approval for a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant Application
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee, although the Arts Commission has been informed of the grant possibility.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve an application for a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Our Town Grant for the Olympia Art Crossings Public Art Project.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve an application for a NEA Our Town grant for the Olympia Art Crossings Public Art Project. Because this is a matching grant application, with implications for the City budget, staff is requesting Council approval before moving forward. In addition, as part of the application, the highest ranking official of the local government is required to submit a formal statement of support designating the project as the one of the up to two applications being submitted for the local government.
Staff Contact:
Stephanie Johnson, Arts Program Manager, Parks, Arts & Recreation,
Presenter(s):
None - Consent Calendar Item
Background and Analysis:
Olympia’s Art Crossing Public Art Project is comprised of 8 individual projects, each located approximately one mile from the center of town. With a budget of $50,000 for sculpture design and fabrication and $25,000 for installation ($75,000 per project), there are 3 projects funded within the Municipal Art Plan.
The first project is projected to be installed within the next few months, and the second is in the process of artist selection. The funding for the third project at $75,000 can be used as 100% match for the NEA Our Town grant, which will fully fund the fourth project.
Because Olympia’s Art Crossing Project has a well-laid out Master Plan, roots in the City’s Comprehensive Plan, and is very much tied to neighborhood participation and placemaking, staff feels that the project is a good match for the funding opportunity.
Our Town is the NEA’s creative placemaking grants program. Through project-based funding, they support projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities by advancing local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes. Successful Our Town projects ultimately lay the groundwork for systemic changes that sustain the integration of arts, culture, and design into local strategies for strengthening communities. These projects require a partnership between a local government entity and nonprofit organization, one of which must be a cultural organization; and should engage in partnership with other sectors (such as agriculture and food, economic development, education and youth, environment and energy, health, housing, public safety, transportation, and workforce development). Cost share/matching grants range from $25,000 to $150,000, with a minimum cost share/match equal to the grant amount.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
The Master Plan process reached out to neighborhoods across the city, and for the two projects now in process, staff has worked closely with the Westside, Eastside, and Indian Creek Neighborhood Associations as well as the PARC Foundation of Thurston County.
Options:
1. Move to approve application for an NEA Our Town Grant for the Olympia Art Crossings Public Art Project.
2. Move to not approve application for an NEA Our Town Grant for the Olympia Art Crossings Public Art Project.
Financial Impact:
$75,000 from the Municipal Art Fund, as match for the $75,000 grant request.
Attachments:
Resolution
Olympia Crossings Art Plan
2019 Municipal Art Plan