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?  
Tuesday, March 17, 2026  
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, Vice Chair Puleo Moyer, Klehr, Curet, McKinney,  
Fath, Yudice  
Excused: Miquelon, Rose  
Absent: Garrett  
Quorum was established  
Staff: Mark Fraire, Augusta Brulla  
Call to Order at 8:31 a.m.  
7 -  
Present  
Chair RODERICK RITCHERSON, AMNERIS CURET, MARY KLEHR, Vice Chair  
FRAN PULEO MOYER, KELSEY YUDICE, DESHAWN MCKINNEY, and DOUG  
FATH  
2 - MARCIA MIQUELON, and RICK ROSE  
Excused  
Absent  
1 - JENNIFER GARRETT  
B. Consideration of Minutes  
[MINUTES FROM THE 02/17/2026 ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS  
COMMISSION MEETING]  
2025  
MIN-618  
Attachments: 2025 MIN-618  
A motion was made by Puleo Moyer to approve the minutes from the 2/17/2026  
Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission meeting.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote.  
C. 2026 Cycle One Grants Review  
1. Discuss overall grant requests-number, dollar amount  
103 applications were received in 2026 Cycle 1, with $346,730 in total requests.  
This reflects a 39% increase in number of applications from 2025 Cycle 1, and  
a 26% increase in the total dollar amount of requests.  
2. Discuss overall 2026 grant pool available dollars  
The total 2026 grant pool budget is $212,000.  
3. Approve cycle one grant pool budget (gross) (action item)  
The Executive Committee recommended allocating 55% of the total budget for  
Cycle 1, and 45% for Cycle 2.  
The recommended 2026 cycle 1 budget is $116,000.  
A motion was made by Fath to approve the 2026 cycle 1 grant budget of $116,000.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote.  
4. Discuss/approve capital grant budget (action item)  
The commission determined that the Capital Grant budget is not to exceed 5%  
of total available funds in any given cycle, resulting in a recommendation of  
$5,800 for 2026 cycle 1.  
A motion was made by Klehr to approve the 2026 cycle 1 capital grant budget of  
$5,800.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote  
5. Approve short order grant budget (action item)  
Director Fraire recommended a short order allocation of $5,800 (5% of 2026  
cycle 1 available funds).  
A motion was made by Fath to approve the short order grant budget of $5,800.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote.  
6. Discuss/Approve (net) cycle one grant pool budget  
A motion was made by Yudice to approve the 2026 cycle 1 project grant budget  
of $101,400.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote  
D. Continued Discussion on New Grant Allocation Model(s)  
Dane Arts staff discussed potential grant allocation models including:  
- Artist and Community Collaboration Grant  
- Legacy Grant  
- Awarding a set dollar amount per award  
- Grants divided by operating budgets  
E. Discuss/Approve Updated Mission and Vision Statements  
A discussion took place around proposed updated Dane Arts mission and vision  
statements.  
Proposed Mission Statement: “To enrich the quality of life in Dane County,  
Wisconsin by supporting, promoting and ensuring equitable access to the arts,  
culture, history and creative expression for all residents.”  
Proposed Vision Statement: “The arts as a vital civic force - strengthening  
connection and belonging, fostering growth, and igniting a vibrant, creative  
community.”  
A discussion about the Dane Arts logo will take place after April, commissioners  
who wish to participate are invited to join.  
A motion was made by Vice Chair Puleo Moyer to approve the updated mission  
and vision statements, seconded by Curet.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote.  
F. Commissioner Portal Update  
Use of the Dane Arts Commissioner Portal will be discontinued.  
Legistar is the official record for meeting agendas, minutes, and recordings.  
G. Director's Report  
Reference Director Fraire’s notes.  
H. Future Meeting Items and Dates  
1. Events Calendar  
Commissioners are encouraged to attend Dane Arts-supported events as  
outlined in the provided events calendar.  
2. Next Meeting Date  
The next commission meeting is on Tuesday, April 14th 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 Fath to adjourn.  
Meeting adjourned at 9:32 a.m.  
Minutes respectfully submitted by Augusta Brulla pending commission approval.