HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-03-2020 Agenda
AGENDA
CITY OF AUBURN ARTS COMMISSION
Online Virtual Meeting
4:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 3, 2020
I. Virtual Participation Link
The Auburn Arts Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 4:30
p.m. will be held virtually and telephonically. To attend the meeting virtually please click the
link or enter the meeting ID into the Zoom app or call into the meeting at the phone number
listed below.
Per the Governor's Emergency Proclamation 20-28, the City of Auburn is prohibited from
holding an in-person meeting at this time.
City of Auburn Resolution No. 5533, designates City of Auburn meeting locations for all
Council, Board and Commission meetings as virtual. All meetings will be held virtually and
telephonically until King County enters into Phase 3 of Governor Inslee’s Safe Start —
Washington’s Phased Reopening plan.
The link to the Virtual Meeting or phone number to listen to the Auburn Arts Commission
Meeting is:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/93388215839
Meeting ID: 933 8821 5839
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II. Call to Order Eydie Leighty
a. Call to Order
b. Approve October 2020 Minutes
III. 2021 – 2023 Auburn Poet Laureate Nominees Allison Hyde & Julie Krueger
a. Presentation and discussion of candidates
b. Interview with Julie Courey at 5 PM
c. Interview with James Rodgers at 5:30 PM
d. Discussion
IV. Arts Commission Positions for 2021 Julie Krueger
V. Updates and News Allison Hyde
VI. Adjourn Eydie Leighty
If you are unable to attend this meeting please call 253-804-5043 or ahyde@auburnwa.gov
City of Auburn Arts Commission
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 Meeting Minutes
Present: Tammy Dwight, John Harris, Pat Judd, Eydie Leighty, Anne Marie Natali, Pam Smith, Kent
Sprague
Staff: Arts & Events Manager, Julie Krueger; Arts Coordinator, Allison Hyde
Excused: Kelly Gordon, Sirichanh Sisavatdy
Not Excused: Ana R. Kear, Dinah Rau, Kenneth Greg Watson
I. Call to Order
a. Call to Order – Chair Leighty called the online zoom meeting to order at 4:34 PM.
b. Introduction and welcome by Chair Leighty once a quorum was reached in the online meeting.
c. Approval of minutes – Chair Leighty asked Commissioners to review the minutes.
Commissioner Smith moved that the minutes for August 4, 2020 be accepted as written.
Commissioner Sprague seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
II. 2021 Project Support Grants
a. Arts Coordinator Allison Hyde presented the applications from arts organizations and artists
for the 2021 Project Support Grants, with requests ranging from $500-$2,000. Hyde noted
that there were less applications than usual, and even at full funding for all projects there
would be remaining funds available for possible future use, to be determined. After thorough
discussion of the merits of all projects, the Commissioners discussed awarding full funding
to all applicants as follows:
Auburn International Farmer’s Market: $1,500
Auburn Symphony Orchestra: $2,000
Evergreen City Ballet: $2,000
Interurban Center for the Arts: $2,000
Pacific Ballroom Dance: $2,000
Christina Caravaglio - Artist project - "Four Geese, Four Directions”: $960
b. Commissioner Smith motioned to approve the 2021 Project Support Grant applications with
full requested funding Applications were received from: Commissioner Sprague seconded
the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
III. Arts & Culture Center Presentation
a. Arts & Events Manager Julie Krueger and Arts Coordinator Allison Hyde shared a presentation
about the Arts & Culture Center that was recently presented to the Auburn City Council. The
presentation showcased the most recent floorplan details, finishes, and interior renderings
created by Johnston Architects. The presentation was met with enthusiasm and interest from
the Arts Commission.
II. Auburn Arts Alley Presentation
a. Arts & Events Manager Julie Krueger and Arts Coordinator Hyde shared a presentation about
the Auburn Arts Alley project that was recently presented to the Auburn City Council. The
presentation highlighted recent artistic developments including: the seating wall with inlaid
mosaics and inset text by artist Kathleen Fruge Brown with the help of 4Culture’s Creative
Consultancy funding; a large-scale mural by artist Will Schlough on the side of the Auburn
Avenue Theater, and the simultaneous painting of the theater; and the future hand-carved
cedar Welcome Figure, which will be created by Muckleshoot Indian Tribe artists Keith
Stevenson and Tyson Simmons, through the support of another 4Culture Creative Consultancy
grant award and collaboration with Kathleen Fruge Brown. Staff noted that additional elements
of the alleyway project will include removal of an electrical pole, a new asphalt overlay,
finishing elements of Schlough’s mural, overhead lighting by Fruge Brown, and a ramp and
stage connected to the case concrete sitting wall. The presentation was also met by
enthusiasm and excitement by the Arts Commission.
III. Updates and News
a. Arts Coordinator Hyde informed the Arts Commission that the deadline had been extended to
October 14th for the Auburn Poet Laureate nominations, with the review of candidates and
possible interviews to take place at the November 2020 Arts Commission meeting.
IV. Adjourn
There being no further business, Commissioner Harris moved to adjourn the meeting,
Commissioner Dwight seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned
at 5:45 PM.
Respectfully submitted, Allison Hyde
Approved the _____ day of _________, _______.
____________________________________ ___________________________________
(Chair) (Staff)
October 13, 2020
RE: Julia Courey, Poet Laureate Nomination 2021-2023
Please accept this nomination for Poet Laureate for Julia Courey (Julie). Julie is a true
ambassador of poetry.
From the very start her love to share and promote poetry were the first things I noticed the first
time I met Julie at an open mic we were both attending in Maple Valley in 2013. She is
dedicated to sharing and inspiring others to learn about and share their own poetry.
It was from Julie, I realized there was a whole community of poets and open mics in the region.
She invited me to the Striped Water Poets and Northwest Renaissance Poets open mic which
are held the first Monday’s in Auburn, WA (pre-covid).
I have personally admired and been with Julie while she has interacted with people at various
events where she spreads the word about poetry in our area to whomever will listen and she is
positively received. She has also been a fantastic event greeter at the door for the Poets at the
Ave event at the Auburn Avenue Theater. .
Julie is a member of the Northwest Renaissance Poets Board and a member of the Striped
Water Poets. She has assisted the Northwest Renaissance Poets with the planning of poetry
events such as Poets on the Ave and Poets on the Farm and has been a featured reader at the
Monday Open mics in Auburn, WA and Poets on the Farm.
Julie is also strong in following through in planning and organizing gathering of people for a
common purpose. For example, in 2016, she single handedly successfully organized her high
school class reunion. It took logistical planning, food and entertainment coordination,
communicating and coordinating with others, and her patience and dedication brought people
together for a common shared purpose.
Julie also participates in the “Fun Committee”, “Safety Committee”, and on the “Influencer and
Diversity Committee” at her workplace.
Julie has self published some of her works in a collection titled “Outside the Box, Collective
Poems of Life, Love, Nature, of Random Things.” She is also published in some collective works
(examples will be attached).
Her poetry is heartfelt, and her enthusiasm to promote poetry to anyone and everyone she
meets make her a great candidate for Poet Laureate. Thank you for your consideration and
time,
Christina Weinzierl, Auburn Resident
2911 C Street, SE, Auburn, WA 98002
Julie Courey
20113 128th Avenue SE
Kent, WA 98031
206-375-8086
jcourey92014 @gmail.com
October 11, 2020
To whom this may concern @ Auburn City Arts & Entertainment,
I have been involved in the Auburn Striped Water Poets for 10 years and all the events they have been
involved in. I look forward to many more years to be involved in events when they are no longer
cancelled due to the pandemic. Thank you for the opportunity to be considered for this position in a
community which has meant so much to me .
Sincerly,
Julie Courey
Editor's Choice Awatd,
Presented to
Julia Courey
December 2001
For Outstanding Achievement in Poetry
Presented by
poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry
'poefryffiAn
Nancy F. Colson
1214 O Street NE
Auburn WA 98002-3515
October 2, 2020
Mayor Nancy Backus
Auburn Arts Commission
25 West Main Street
Auburn WA 98001
Greetings to you all,
It gives me great pleasure to nominate James Rodgers to be Auburn’s next
Poet Laureate. I have known James for several years, primarily through seeing and
hearing him at Auburn’s monthly Monday Poetry Nights.
James is a prolific poet. He brings humor and a critical voice to current events and
cultural phenomena. Thoughtful analysis and edgy perspective in his poetry bring both
awareness and comic relief to his readers and listeners.
As you can see from his bio, James is active in the local poetry world, publishing and
participating in poetry events. His book release party for They Were Called Records,
Kids drew an enthusiastic audience from around the region. Recently he has been a
regular participant in the Zoom version of Monday Night Poetry during the COVID 19
restrictions on public gatherings.
James is a great voice for poetry in the community and poetry in general. I am delighted
to offer his name for your consideration as Poet Laureate.
Yours truly,
Nancy Colson
James Rodgers is a prolific poet living in Pacific, WA for more than two decades, and has been in
the Pacific Northwest his entire life. He lives with his very patient wife and two very psychotic
cats. While James prefers humor, he writes all kinds of poet ry, with a focus on music, humor,
kids, travel, and so much more, along with many song lyrics waiting to have music attached to
them. He also created his own humorous style of haiku that he calls haikooky, and you can see
his blog at jamesrodgershaikooky.blogspot.com.
James has three self-published chapbooks, and has had poems published by Prism Magazine,
Ha!, Poets of the Kent Canterbury Faire, Fly By Night Press, WPA Members Anthology, Wrist,
Raven Chronicles, Washington English Journal, and over 30 more. James’ first full book of
poetry, They Were Called Records, Kids was released by MoonPath Press in 2018. He was also
the winner of the WPA Charles Proctor Award for Humor in 2005 , and honorable mention on
two other occasions.
James is a member of the Auburn Poetry Group, Striped Water Poets, and is a regular reader at
the Rainbow Readings held on the first Monday of each month at the Rainbow Café in Auburn,
and has been a featured reader there multiple times. He was also featured at the Auburn
Theater for April Poetry Month, curated by Marjorie Rommel.
Along with poetry, James is an award-winning photographer, having won multiple prizes in
Auburn’s annual photo contest. He has had multiple art shows of his work , including at Auburn
City Hall, provided the black and white images used in Cindy M. Hutchings book Tree Talk, and
the tulip portion of the collage cover for Brendan McBreen’s book Cosmic Egg, both also
published by MoonPath Press.
Dedication
For the last week,
I have been struggling,
wanting to write a poem
in honor of
George Floyd,
Ahmaud Arbery,
and Breonna Taylor,
but while my skin tone
gives me plenty
of privileges,
that is not one of them.
I don’t know
what they went through
that day
or on a regular basis
due to the color
of their skin.
I don’t know
their struggles.
I don’t know
the fear of not knowing
if an interaction
with a stranger,
an officer,
a friend
could end my life.
I don’t know
their lives,
and now
never will.
But, I do know
violence
will not solve this.
Looting
and the destruction of property
will not solve this.
We
need to solve this.
I do know
love,
sympathy,
empathy,
the willingness to listen
to learn
will get us further
than we’ve come so far.
I know
we have a long,
long,
long way to go.
So, I did not
write a poem
for George,
Ahmaud,
and Breonna.
I wrote this poem
for all of us
who need to rise
another day.
May we all
keep rising
together.
James Rodgers 06/02/20
How Many Times?
“I can’t breathe.”
In the last eight minutes
of George Floyd’s life,
he repeated that phrase,
“I can’t breathe”
more than twenty times,
officer Derek Chauvin’s knee
firmly pressed
on George’s neck,
all for possibly passing
a counterfeit twenty.
“I can’t breathe.”
I’ve written it
just three times,
which feels like
two times too many
for anyone with compassion
to even possibly ignore,
each time I write it
my own lungs getting tight,
forcing the air
into my lungs,
trying to make sense
of the tragedy.
“I can’t breathe.”
Over twenty times.
He begged.
He pleaded.
He repeatedly
called for his Mama,
and once the pressure
was too much,
too long,
he passed out,
passed away
on that street,
Chauvin’s knee
still on George’s neck
for another minute,
Derek asked
his fellow officers
if they were okay.
One responded,
“My knee
might be a little scratched,
but I’ll survive.”
James Rodgers 09/01/20
Don’t Stop Disbelievin’
Excuse me a moment
for being
a bit obtuse,
but I don’t understand
the concept.
Our Commander-in-Thief,
the lightning rod of controversy,
the wholesale fabricator of the truth,
the juggler of facts,
snubs the Speaker of the House,
turns his back
on the other party in the room,
and then boasts
for over eighty minutes
how he has brought
our country together,
united our States,
overcame all adversity,
made America great again,
and we’re supposed
to just believe it?
Forget about
the atrocities
of global warming,
his impeachment
over shady dealings
with Ukraine,
blocking aid
until they help
interfere with our elections,
his chumminess
with dictators,
spending most of his weekends
in a Trump Hotel,
playing golf
more than running our country.
This is all
somehow okay?
We’re supposed
to now believe?
Pardon me
if I continue to doubt
his speeches,
his tweets,
his actions,
and I apologize
in advance
if I decide to hesitate
when the chamber fills
with chlorine gas,
and our president
tells me
it’s okay
to breath.
James Rodgers 02/05/20
Almost Over
Based on the news,
the stories I’m hearing,
it sounds like this illness,
this virus,
this scourge
that has been ravaging our country,
keeping us sick,
keeping us scared,
making us concerned
over strangers,
even our neighbors,
causing financial turmoil,
we might have finally
rounded a corner,
peaked,
be almost over,
folks able to go outside,
celebrate,
party with friends,
but we need to be patient
just a little bit longer,
stay strong,
and hopefully,
if we all continue
to do our part,
this will all be over
after Election Day.
James Rodgers 04/08/20
Diagnosis
Cancer
is defined as
a disease,
an uncontrolled division
of abnormal cells,
a malignant growth,
a tumor,
an action
perceived to be evil,
destructive,
hard to contain,
metastasizing,
spreading,
destroying each area
it invades,
sometimes fatal.
I do believe
our planet
has cancer,
and
it
is
us.
James Rodgers 08/27/19
Quarantine
Another day
unable to escape
trapped inside
only my mind
able to get out,
staring casually out this window,
or as casual as a man
starving for the meals
of nature and fresh air can be,
wishing I could lie
among the grass and mosses,
look up at the clouds,
find the shapes and fairies
hidden in the white
dancing on the blue,
let my imagination loose
headlong towards the horizon
no walls
no barriers,
but no sooner than the moment
I can almost feel
the lush green
beneath my feet,
feast on loaves of bread
baking in some far off oven,
my soul’s pulled back
on some invisible tether,
flips through the air
from the velocity
somersaults back through the glass
to return to my body
still in this chair
Lou Reed talk-singing
“European Son (To Delmore Schwartz)”
from the Velvet Underground and Nico album,
wishing I could keep down
more than soda water,
tea,
and a little bit of juice,
my stomach queasy
knowing I’m confined here
inside
until at least Easter,
likely longer,
not wanting to feel
like a victim,
understanding there are those
much worse off than I,
but jealous of the songbirds
flitting about
on the other side of this pane
while I remain
unable to fly.
James Rodgers 03/25/20
Things I’ve Learned in Quarantine
1. I am not essential, no matter what my Mom thinks.
2. My job can be performed remotely.
3. I eat more chocolate when I work remotely.
4. Two of the laws of motion I learned in Physics class make more sense now: An object at rest stays at rest
unless changed by an external force; and For every action in Nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
5. Sitting at my dining room table with my laptop is the equal and opposite reaction.
6. Lounge pants are proper work attire.
7. Zoom is fine. Microsoft Teams is fine, but I miss my co-workers.
8. I’m funnier remotely.
9. I miss hugs.
10. Spending all this time in quarantine in a small house with my wife tells me retirement will be a piece of
cake.
11. I didn’t realize how important toilet paper is for people’s state of minds.
12. Everything gets slightly better after chocolate, beer, or a nap.
13. I miss hiking in the woods.
14. I drink more beer in quarantine.
15. I wear more t-shirts in quarantine.
16. Most of my clothes seem to have shrunk while I’m in quarantine.
17. People’s tolerance for inconvenience is incredibly low.
18. Besides a very small group, I don’t really miss interacting with people too much.
19. I look less cool with long hair than I did when I was twenty.
20. I look less cool than I did when I was twenty.
21. I write more poems about being in quarantine when I am in quarantine.
22. Food delivery services don’t deliver food hot or fast. It shows up when it shows up, and you better have a
microwave to reheat it.
23. Small acts of kindness are worth more in quarantine.
24. As a society, we complain too much. Inconvenience is not oppression.
25. Nurses, doctors, teachers, delivery folk and anyone in the service industry are underpaid, and most of us
don’t deserve the sacrifice they are making.
26. I miss hugs. Yeah, I know I already said it. I’m just surprised by tha t fact, so I’m repeating it.
27. Something we can’t see can change our life in a heartbeat.
28. As restrictions lessen, I thought humanity would be more grateful. It isn’t.
29. Birthdays during quarantine suck.
30. All those times I said I’d do something when I had more time, I lied.
James Rodgers 05/13/20
One Message, On A Loop
Death
is calling out to me.
I hear it
without listening,
a low hum
on the highest frequency,
an open channel,
bleeding through
whatever else
I may be listening to
at the time,
music,
an audiobook,
a lover’s voice.
Death
calls out
to all of us,
most ignoring it
as long as they can.
It starts
as merely a whisper,
so quiet
as to almost be
nonexistent,
but it is there
rising slowly,
steadily
as your end gets nearer,
becoming a roar,
thunder in your ears,
the decibel level
louder than a jet engine,
or a Who concert,
a sound
even Pete Townsend could hear,
a message
to help guide you through,
like instructions,
yet simpler,
just a few steps.
Death
is calling out to me.
I hear it
without listening,
can almost
make out all the words,
trying harder
every day
to not understand
what is being broadcast,
though the volume
keeps increasing,
and while I try
not to hear it,
I’m almost certain
the first step is,
“Keep breathing”.
James Rodgers 03/18/20
The Devil Took The 10:13 to Sacramento
Satan bought a train ticket
in Seattle,
heading South
to California,
as South
is the only direction
that ever feels right,
and California
feels like home,
full of tortured souls,
no rain in sight.
Satan loves
to ride the train,
gets up here
at least twice a year,
rides the rails
somewhere in the U.S.,
never crossing borders
as he doesn’t have a passport,
the last one expiring
forty years ago.
Satan doesn’t have
any hobbies,
any skills
besides eternal damnation,
no fiddle playing
as Charlie
would leave you to believe,
doesn’t waste his time
in Washington D.C.
whispering in politician’s ears
as they don’t need the push.
No,
Satan is a working man,
just a couple vacations a year,
so he spends them on a train,
a long ride,
the rhythm of the tracks
better than any Rock and Roll,
the view
from the windows
of mountains and valleys,
forests and fields,
eyes peeled
for deer, elk and grizzly,
because Satan believes,
though he hates to admit it,
the landscape
when seen from a train,
does tend to be
almost heavenly.
James Rodgers 07/21/20
Bedtime Prayer (Updated Edition)
Now I lay me down to sleep
While the Coronavirus closer creeps
If I die before the dawn
I caught this from my cousin Ron!
James Rodgers 03/06/20