Mission Statement:

The Salinas City Arts Council provides the community with leadership and organizational resources that are vital to the development, maintenance and promotion of the arts.  The Council will be responsive to the artistic needs of the community and dedicated to the nurturing of the rich and diverse culture of our city.

Guidelines for Goals & Objectives:

The Salinas's City Arts Council shall promote arts of this community both within the city and throughout the region.

The Salinas City Arts Council shall endeavor to nurture an environment that supports and fosters creativity, innovation and diversity of artistic thought and expression

The Salinas City Arts Council shall endeavor to provide opportunities for individuals and organizations within the city of Salinas to make their art accessible to the people of Salinas as well as to those of the region.

The Salinas City Arts Council shall be a catalyst for artistic endeavors, which enrich the city.

The Salinas City Arts Council shall promote the expansion and elevation of the artistic persona of the city of Salinas. 

The Arts Council's goals and objectives shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

Support, encourage, and facilitate the arts in Salinas by:

Sponsoring arts exhibitions and competitions such as literary competitions, performances, arts, and visual arts exhibits.

Working with commercial art enterprises in the City.

Working with the City to provide permanent spaces including public building and parks for art exhibitions.

Recommending a Public Art Policy for the City of Salinas.

Encourage public access to the arts by integrating art into all community activities by:

Providing an opportunity for local artists to be represented in Salinas events with an emphasis on the cultural diversity of the City.

Coordinating exhibitions in conjunction with community activities.

Supporting art walks and studio gallery tours

Publicizing local arts events through local media and a calendar of diverse culturally diverse art events.

Identify and coordinate the needs and resources of artists and the community by:

Identifying opportunities for individual artists such as possibilities for studio space and rental.

Establishing an artist resource directory of local talent for the Arts Council's purposes.

Preparing a list of gallery, performance, exhibit, and book signing spaces.

Preparing a list of resource persons to sieve as ex-officio consultants and on committee arts panels for the Arts Council, when needed, in specific areas of expertise such and funding, art law, arts panel judges, and so forth.

Support art by and for young people:

Initiating a working relationship with the Salinas Schools to foster the arts.

Fostering programs for children in all the arts with emphasis on education, display and performance.

Working to expose all children in Salinas to the arts by such means as establishing a standing committee toe work with our culturally diverse children, visiting artist programs in the schools, studio field trips for children, and other arts educational activities.

Write a policy statement and a definition of the arts by:

Defining the artistic interest of the Arts Council, to include all visual, performance, and literary arts.

Considering art in its broadcast definition for Arts Council purposes.

Including the professional, amateur, and naïve, encouraging unknown as well as known artists, and supporting the innovative, all with in the Arts Council's purview.

Including a broad and wide-ranging view of art.

Broadening public awareness of the arts.

Number of Members:

The Arts Council shall be composed of a maximum of fifteen members.

Composition Eligibility Requirements:

Members of the Council shall be representative of and of acknowledged accomplishments in one or more the following fields, related disciplines and activities of arts, including architecture, art history or California history, museum administration, crafts, performing arts, theater arts, dance, drama, landscape architecture, literature, music, painting, photography, graphics, sculpture, literary productions or persons who wok outside of professional practice in the arts who demonstrate a deep interest and appreciation of cultural and artistic activities, and work or reside within the Salinas zip codes.

Terms of Office:

Each member on the council will be selected for a term of three years from the time of established selection.  Terms of members may re renewable.

Temporary Vacancies:

Members of the council may be granted a leave of absence and temporary vacancy shall there upon exist for the period of such leave of absence.  Curing the period of such temporary vacancy, the council may fill such vacancy by temporary selection, provided, however, that the period of such temporary vacancy.  At the expiration of a leave of absence, the member shall automatically resume membership on the Arts Council.

Removal from Office:

Any member may be removed for causes upon a majority vote of the Arts Council.

City Representative to the Art Council:

The City shall appoint staff or City Council member to act and serve as the liaison representative to the council.  The functions of such liaison representative are, to attend the meetings of the council, advise the City of the background, attitudes and reasons behind decisions and recommendations of the council, and on request of any member of the Art Council, to advise the council of policies, procedures and decisions of the City of Salinas Council that may bear on matters under discussion by the Arts Council.  The Liaison representative shall have the power to vote and shall receive no additional compensation.

Meetings:

The Arts Council shall meet regularly at least once a month at such time and place, as the Arts Council shall determine.  Written notice of meetings shall be given not less than ten days before the date of the meeting.  The Arts Council shall keep a proper record of its proceedings and may adopt rules and procedures for the orderly and proper conduct of its meeting.  The Arts Council as needed may call special meetings of members.

Quorum:

At all meetings the majority of members of the Art Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Officers:

At the first meeting in January of each year the Arts Council shall elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson for the ensuing year.

Duties of Officers:

The Chairperson will preside over all regular and special Art Council meetings.

The Vice Chairperson shall serve as Chairperson of the Arts Council only upon the absence of the Chairperson.  

Committees:

Standing committees may be created, to include committees of grant writing, membership, exhibit, media and publicity events and school outreach programs.

Reports:

The Arts Council shall prepare and submit to the City of Salinas City Council an annual report of its activities.  Such report shall be made on the fiscal year basis and shall be submitted on or before April 1^st of each year.

Functions and Duties:

The Arts Council shall perform the following functions and duties at the request of the City Council:

  A. Encourage the full artistic life of the City's culturally diverse community and the beautification of the City.

B.       Advise the City Council on al matters affecting the arts and the beauty of the City, including the development, organization and operation of municipal arts programs and facilities.

C.       Establish an effective liaison between the City and arts organizations, assess the needs of arts organizations and recommend to the Council measures to promote the needs of arts organizations and recommend to the Council measures to promote the strength and cultural diversity of arts organizations. 

D.       Advise the City Council on appropriate policies and procedures for the distribution of City funding for the arts and make recommendations to the Council respecting grants and loans to arts organizations that produce exhibit, present or teach the arts.

E.       Advise the City Council in coordination with appropriate boards and commissions, on all matters related to public art, including the acquisition and placement of works of art as well as maintenance, removal, relocation or alteration of existing works of art in the City's possession.

F.        Examine every two years the condition of the City's works of art and report to the City Council with recommendations for their care, maintenance and improvement.

G.       Render advice and assistance in the fields of art, aesthetics and beautification to other City boards and commissions.

H.       Establish an effective liaison and cooperation between the City's arts programs and the programs of adjacent communities, the County, the region, the State and nation.

I.         Organize advisory and resource subcommittees to advise the Art Council concerning the above functions and duties.

Bylaws Amendments:

The bylaws may be amended at any regular or special meeting by approval of the members.