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?  
Wednesday, October 9, 2024  
8:30 AM  
Hybrid Meeting: Attend in person at the City County  
Building in Room 209; attend virtually via Zoom.  
A. Call To Order  
- Present: Chair Ritcherson, Commissioner McKinney, Vice Chair Puleo Moyer,  
Commissioner Klehr, Commissioner Handy, Supervisor Rose, Commissioner Yudice  
- Quorum was established.  
- Staff: Mark Fraire, Augusta Brulla  
Call to order at 8:34 a.m.  
7 -  
Present  
Chair RODERICK RITCHERSON, MARY KLEHR, Vice Chair FRAN PULEO  
MOYER, JAY HANDY, KELSEY YUDICE, DESHAWN MCKINNEY, and RICK  
ROSE  
4 -  
Excused  
AMNERIS CURET, MARCIA MIQUELON, KELLY PARKS-SNIDER, and JENNIFER  
GARRETT  
B. Consideration of Minutes  
[MINUTES FROM THE 09/18/2024 ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS  
COMMISSION MEETING]  
2024  
MIN-247  
Attachments: 2024 MIN-247  
A motion was made by Commissioner Klehr to approve the September 18th,  
2024, Commission meeting minutes, seconded by Commissioner Handy.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote.  
C. Review Short Order Grant Awards  
- The four short order grant applications received during 2024 Cycle 2 were discussed  
during the October 1st Executive Committee meeting.  
- The Executive Committee recommends the following awards for approval by the  
commission:  
- Kristine Gallagher, KIDS' STANDUP/KIDS, STAND UP!: Bringing Standup Comedy as  
an art form and empowerment tool to middle schoolers in Madison schools.  
Recommended Award: $490  
- Oregon Straw Hat Players, Oregon Straw Hat Players production of Disney's Finding  
Nemo, Jr.: Recommended Award: $500  
- Stoughton High School Band Boosters, Rock Musician Workshop: Recommended  
Award: $1,000  
- Suzuki Strings of Madison, Suzuki Strings of Madison Barn Dance: $800  
- Total recommended awards: Recommended Award: $2,790  
A motion was made by Vice Chair Puleo Moyer to approve the total allocation of  
$2,790 divided among the four short order applications as outlined above,  
seconded by Commissioner McKinney.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote.  
D. Review/Approve Cycle Two Grants Formula Allocations/Awards  
Overview of the Dane Arts grant allocation process:  
- Dane Arts recruits citizens who are knowledgeable in local arts and culture to serve on  
grant application review panels. Typically, five panels are scheduled with five reviewers  
per panel.  
- Reviewers read and score applications. Reviewer scores serve as a recommendation for  
the total amount of funding each applicant receives.  
- Applicants’ final scores are entered into the Dane Arts grant allocation formula which  
calculates the applicant’s recommended award based on their total score, request  
amount, and percentage of available Dane Arts funds available.  
- Project applications that are eligible and have been approved by the commission to  
receive funding will receive a minimum of $500.  
2024 Cycle 2 Available Funds:  
- A $100,000 budget was approved for short order and project grants during 2024 Cycle 2.  
No capital grant applications were received this cycle.  
- Panelist honoraria are deducted from the $100,000 budget. $100 per panelist x 25  
panelists = $2,5000.  
- Remaining funds for short order and project grants = $97,500  
- Approved short order grant awards: $2,790  
- Remaining available funds for project grants: $94,710  
2024 Cycle 2 project grant recommended awards:  
- 42 eligible applications were received.  
- The quality of all applications is relatively high in 2024 Cycle 2, ranging from 76.5 to  
97.6 out of 100 total possible points.  
- The breakdown of requests by discipline is similar to past cycles and is as follows:  
Music (35%), Multidisciplinary Arts/Culture (20%), Arts in Education (18%), Dance (16%),  
Visual Arts (9%).  
- 64% of applicants claimed to offer equitable opportunities for youth to participate in  
their projects.  
- 13% of applicants (two short order, four project) were first-time applicants.  
- 20% of applications received were from organizations outside of Madison.  
A motion was made by Commissioner Handy to approve 42 project grant awards  
as outlined by the grant allocation formula, seconded by Commissioner Klehr.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote.  
E. Review November agenda items  
1. --approve 2025 meeting calendar, Area of Focus end of  
year update reports, discussion on philosophy of how Dane Arts allocates grant pool dollars (part 1)  
November meeting items include:  
- Approval of the 2025 Dane Arts Commission schedule considering all county holidays  
and religious holidays.  
- Confirm default 2025 commission meeting day and time. Commissioner Puleo Moyer is  
conducting a poll to determine a day and time that works for all commissioners in 2025.  
- Commissioner recap of 2024 Areas of Focus  
- Dane Arts grant allocation philosophy: Commissioner McKinney will lead a discussion  
about the Dane Arts grant distribution philosophy with a focus on how to define impact,  
and how to make the most impact going forward. The discussion will begin with a history  
of the current philosophy, commissioner thoughts, Questions will be established to more  
deeply explore the current process. The discussion will also include considerations about  
how to assess the multitude of organizations that apply.  
F. Executive Director’s Report  
- Dane Arts continues the projects outlined in Director Fraire’s September notes.  
- Dane Arts presents a 2025 Poster & Calendar reception on Friday, November 15th, 5:30  
– 7:30 p.m. at Aubergine in Madison.  
- Dane Arts will host a DABL holiday pop-up market on December 6th and possibly 7th at  
Aubergine.  
- The 2025 Business of Art Conference is set for April 24-25 with two tracks: arts &  
wellness and arts & youth programming.  
- Dane Arts staff continue researching and developing the Dane County Artist Directory.  
- Two UW Madison Service Learning in Art students are working with Dane Arts during  
the fall semester on a data visualization project and assistance with the December  
pop-up market.  
G. Dane Arts Supported Events  
- Commissioner Klehr and Cultural Affairs Specialist Brulla will continue updating the  
Dane Arts events spreadsheet. Commissioners are encouraged to attend events this fall.  
- Vice Chair Puleo Moyer continues to update a shared Google drive with resources for  
Dane Arts commissioners to utilize when attending Dane Arts supported events.  
H. Future Meeting Items and Dates  
The next Dane Arts Commission meeting is on Wednesday, November 20th at 8:30 a.m.  
I. Public Comment on Items not on the Agenda  
None.  
J. Such Other Business as Allowed by Law  
None.  
K. Adjourn  
A motion was made by Commissioner McKinney to adjourn.  
Meeting adjourned at 9:27 a.m.  
Minutes respectfully submitted by Augusta Brulla pending commission approval.