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, November 20, 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 Klehr, Commissioner Yudice, Commissioner,  
Curet, Commissioner Miquelon, Commissioner McKinney, Vice Chair Puleo Moyer  
- Excused: Commissioner Garrett  
- Quorum was established  
- Staff: Mark Fraire  
Call to order at 8:32 a.m.  
8 -  
Present  
Chair RODERICK RITCHERSON, AMNERIS CURET, MARY KLEHR, MARCIA  
MIQUELON, Vice Chair FRAN PULEO MOYER, JAY HANDY, KELSEY YUDICE,  
and DESHAWN MCKINNEY  
2 - JENNIFER GARRETT, and RICK ROSE  
Excused  
Absent  
1 - KELLY PARKS-SNIDER  
B. Consideration of Minutes  
[MINUTES FROM THE 10/09/2024 ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS  
COMMISSION MEETING]  
2024  
MIN-316  
Attachments: 2024 MIN-316  
A motion was made by Commissioner Klehr to approve the minutes from the  
October 10th commission meeting, seconded by Commissioner Handy.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote.  
C. Approve 2025 meeting schedule  
Vice Chair Puleo Moyer collected commissioner availability and proposed the following  
2025 meeting schedule: 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. on the third Wednesday of the month from  
January through March, and 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. on the second Monday of the month  
from April to November. Exceptions include meeting on June 16th, and Friday, October  
10th to avoid holiday conflicts.  
A motion was made by Commissioner Miquelon to approve the 2025 meeting  
dates and times as outlined above, seconded by Commissioner Curet.  
The motion was carried unanimously by a voice vote.  
D. End of the year Area of Focus Reports  
Chair Ritcherson’s achieved goals for the Executive Committee are as follows:  
- Ensure the commission is at full capacity, which it currently is.  
- Ensure the commission operates in accordance with county procedures.  
- Make sure the commission continues to innovate, with a focus on the Friends of Dane  
Arts 501 (c)3.  
- Make sure the commission is representative of Dane County residents. The  
commission is diverse in its gender, ethnicity, and geographic representation.  
Chair Ritcherson’s achieved goals for the Friends of Dane Arts Area of Focus are as  
follows:  
- The framework for the Friends of Dane Arts 501 (c) 3 entity has been finalized.  
- Bylaws have been written, including the requirement of up to five board members.  
- The articles of incorporation have been filed for the Friends of Dane Arts and will be  
established in 2025.  
The Community Engagement/Publicity area of focus report was given by Commissioner  
Yudice:  
- The goal of this area of focus was to implement ideas to expand Dane Arts outreach of  
Dane Arts around Dane County, increase awareness of org and people it serves, and  
bring awareness of resources to more artists.  
- The Area of focus continues working on this goal through monthly meetings, and  
meeting with Director Fraire periodically to discuss outreach goals and strategies.  
- Chair Ritcherson suggested tracking the amount of publicity from year to year as a  
quantifiable goal.  
The Dane Arts Grant process area of focus report was given by Commissioner Curet:  
- Goals achieved included updating the WebGrants application software and streamlining  
the grant application process.  
- The software has been updated and a streamlined application form is in process for  
implementation in 2025 Cycle 1.  
- Commissioner Curet noted the remarkable engagement from reviewers around the grant  
application process.  
The Fund Development area of focus report was given by Commissioner Handy:  
- A goal in 2025 was to onboard five companies into a Dane Arts employee giving  
program.  
- Two consultants, Robb Hankins and Susan Schmitz, have been hired toward this effort  
and Dane Arts hosted an informational gathering with local businesses.  
- Currently three companies have expressed interest in opting into the employee giving  
program.  
- Next year’s goals include continuing to pursue the above goals.  
- Any incoming funds are set to be received as passthrough funds currently held in the  
Madison Community Foundation account.  
The Commission Handbook area of focus report was given by Vice Chair Puleo Moyer:  
- Vice Chair Puleo Moyer recently took over this area of focus and would will review the  
current handbook for updates.  
Commission Miquelon’s area of focus will be updated to Youth in Arts  
- Commissioners Miquelon, Yudice, Klehr, and Parks Snider will meet to discuss this  
area of focus.  
The Dane Arts Events area of focus report was given by Commissioner Klehr:  
- Commissioner Klehr achieved the goal of managing a clear list of upcoming Dane Arts  
supported and sponsored events with clear roles for commissioner involvement.  
- Vice Chair Puleo Moyer reminded commissioners that supplemental materials for  
attending Dane Arts supported events are saved in a Google drive shared with all  
commissioners.  
E. Discussion Overview of Grant Decision Making Philosophy  
- Commissioner McKinney led a discussion about the Dane Arts grant program,  
beginning with current processes.  
- Commissioner McKinney expressed the importance of telling Dane Arts’ story and  
communicating impact  
- Currently grant awardees are required to submit a final report 30 days after their project  
is completed in which a self-evaluation is completed.  
- Site visits to awarded applicants are used to evaluate and affirm that projects are  
completed accordingly.  
- When advocating within the county for budget increases, Dane Arts provides a final  
report highlighting the impact of annual activities.  
- To direct the conversation about the grant award allocation philosophy, Commissioner  
McKinney invited commissioners to define what “impact” means to Dane Arts.  
- Director Fraire and Chair Ritcherson outlined impact criteria such as economic, cultural,  
creative, community, youth, number of individuals served, and new artists reached.  
- Consensus was that communications around Dane Arts’ mission and values needs to  
be clearly and consistently articulated.  
- Commissioner McKinney asked commissioners to define “pillars of impact” to guide the  
next discussion on the Dane Arts grant philosophy.  
F. Executive Director’s Report  
- Reference Director Fraire’s notes.  
- Dane Arts is cohosting a holiday pop-up art market at Aubergine on Friday, December  
6th, 4 – 8 p.m.  
G. Future Meeting Items and Dates  
1. Dane Arts Produced and Supported Events  
See Commissioner Klehr’s report in item D.  
2. Next Commission Meeting Date  
The next Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission meeting date is set for Wednesday,  
January 15th at 8:30 a.m.  
H. Public Comment on Items not on the Agenda  
None.  
I. Such Other Business as Allowed by Law  
None.  
J. Adjourn  
A motion was made by Commissioner McKinney to adjourn.  
Meeting adjourned at 9:30 a.m  
Minutes respectfully submitted by Augusta Brulla pending commission approval.