Dane County  
Minutes - Final Unless Amended by  
Committee  
Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission  
Consider:  
Who benefits? Who is burdened?  
Who does not have a voice at the table?  
How can policymakers mitigate unintended consequences?  
Monday, November 10, 2025  
4:30 PM  
Hybrid Meeting: Attend in person at the City County  
Building in Room 209; attend virtually via Zoom.  
A. Call To Order  
Present: Chair Ritcherson, Vice Chair Puleo Moyer, Klehr, McKinney, Yudice,  
Garrett  
Excused: Miquelon, Rose, Curet, Parks Snider  
Staff: Mark Fraire, Augusta Brulla  
Call to order at 4:31 p.m.  
6 -  
Present  
Chair RODERICK RITCHERSON, MARY KLEHR, Vice Chair FRAN PULEO  
MOYER, JENNIFER GARRETT, KELSEY YUDICE, and DESHAWN MCKINNEY  
4 -  
Excused  
AMNERIS CURET, MARCIA MIQUELON, KELLY PARKS-SNIDER, and RICK  
ROSE  
B. Consideration of Minutes  
[MINUTES FROM THE 10/16/2025 ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS  
COMMISSION MEETING]  
2025  
MIN-366  
Attachments: 2025 MIN-366  
A motion was made by Ritcherson to approve the minutes from the 10/16/25  
commission meeting.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote.  
C. Executive Committee 2026 Extension (action item)  
As a sub-committee of the Commission, the Dane Arts Executive Committee  
must be renewed annually.  
Chair Ritcherson made a motion to renew the Dane Arts Executive Committee  
through December 2026.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote.  
D. Approve 2026 commission meeting calendar (action item)  
- Dane Arts staff proposed that in 2026 the commission meet every third  
Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. with the exception of April and October during which the  
commission will meet the second Tuesday.  
- No commission meetings will be held in July or December.  
A motion was made by Garrett to approve the 2026 commission meeting dates as  
outlined above.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote.  
E. 2025 cycle 2 wrap up  
Funds are being distributed as grant awardees return required paperwork.  
F. 2026 Dane Arts/County budget, future projections  
- The Dane County 2026 budget has been approved.  
- The Dane Arts grant program anticipates a $14,000 budget cut planned in  
2026.  
G. Alternative grant award allocation discussion  
Consensus was that Dane Arts staff will make a recommendation for several  
grant allocation model options, directed by feedback collected through focus  
group sessions led by Commissioner McKinney.  
H. Areas of Focus end of the year reports  
Marketing & Branding Area of Focus:  
- Puleo Moyer discussed several areas of focus for Dane Arts marketing and  
branding established by Puleo Moyer, McKinney, Curet and Dane Arts staff.  
- Consensus was to consistently use the name “Dane County Arts and Cultural  
Affairs Commission (Dane Arts).”  
- Upcoming meetings will address the following topics: defining target  
audiences, addressing the mission and vision, discussing the logo, and website  
updates.  
Community Grant Focus Groups:  
- McKinney is leading a series of 11 grant feedback focus groups from October  
27 - November 20.  
- Preliminary findings identify Dane Arts as a positive force in the community,  
while the grant application was cited as a work-in-progress.  
- Positive references were made to the Wisconsin Arts Board Legacy Grant.  
- There was an interest in possibility of segmentation based on operating budget  
or other criteria, while there is less interest in models that could potentially limit  
creative freedom.  
- Dane Arts grants are seen as a piece of a larger budget puzzle for local arts  
organizations.  
- Survey responses have plateaued at about 100, and McKinney encourages  
commissioners to push out the survey to their networks for wider engagement.  
- McKinney is mindful of soliciting representation from across Dane County  
(beyond Madison).  
Dane Arts Events:  
- Commissioner Klehr continues to keep the Dane Arts event calendar updated  
to facilitate Commissioner attendance at events.  
Dane Arts Handbook:  
- Klehr and Puleo Moyer will work together to update the Commissioner  
Handbook.  
Friends of Dane Arts:  
- The Friends of Dane Arts held their first meeting in April, 2025. Financial  
policies, code of ethics, statement of values, and conflict of interest statement  
will be approved during the November meeting.  
- A goal of Friends of Dane Arts is to build an endowment. $50,000 is required to  
initiate an endowment.  
- Ritcherson continues to build a list of potential funding partners.  
- Administrative procedures will be in place prior to accepting funds.  
Other:  
- Yudice expressed interest in developing a base of volunteers for Dane Arts.  
I. Executive Director's Report  
- Reference Director Fraire’s notes  
- Upcoming events include Ho-Chunk Land Acknowledgement on November  
20th, and Dane Arts Holiday Pop-up Market at Aubergine gallery December 5th -  
6th.  
- The next Business of Art Conference is set for April 24th - 25th.  
- Director Fraire met with mayors from Middleton, Verona, Sun Prairie,  
Fitchburg, and Monona to discuss collaborating with Dane Arts to increase  
impact of community arts in each municipality.  
J. Future Meeting Items and Dates  
The next Dane Arts Commission meeting is set for Tuesday, January 20th at  
8:30 a.m.  
1. Dane Arts Calendar of Events  
Klehr continues to update the Dane Arts event spreadsheet.  
K. Public Comment on Items not on the Agenda  
None.  
L. Such Other Business as Allowed by Law  
None.  
M. Adjourn  
A motion was made by Ritcherson to adjourn.  
Meeting adjourned at 5:24 p.m.  
Minutes respectfully submitted by Augusta Brulla pending commission approval.