Silver City MainStreet & Arts and Cultural District Community Collaboration Meeting Minutes August 4, 2021
Attendees: Ted Presler, Bryan Hyde, Tasha Cooper, Karen Beckenbach, Marcus Hanson, Joe Kennedy, Marcia Tinker, Kristen Warnack, Bernadette Smith, Kitty Clemens, Eric Ockerhaussen, Allyson Siwik, Faye McCalmont, Lee Gruber, Brenda Tozier, Patrick Hoskins, and Charmeine Wait.
Guest Presenter: Eric Ockerhaussen Grant County Art Guild – We will be hosting the meeting as a way to show our new space, the Grant County Art Guild Annex at 106 East Market Street. It is a venue that we are making available to the community for rental. It has fresh paint, new lighting, better carpet, and is at street level with its own bathroom. The meeting/classroom/pop-up space is 544 square feet.
The first event for the Annex will be the Creatures of the Gila show. The show will run from September 4 to the 19th and is part of the Gila River Festival events. We have 2-D and 3-D categories with $250 for best of show and $50 for each category as well as a People's Choice award. The show will be open on weekends from 10 to 5 and on weekdays from 12 to 5. We will have extended hours (10 to 5) on Labor Day and during the Gila River Festival. This is an art and education event and should be interesting and fun for the entire community. Details are posted on the Grant County Art Guild website and our social media pages as well as in the Gallery. We are also holding a Plein Air painting workshop as part of the Gila River Festival.
We are currently running our Gallery Monsoon show. Our participating Guild artists have art with the theme of the Monsoon season.
We will be doing a Make and Take event at the Makers Market. We are doing a wood stenciling event on Saturday, October 23. I think we are also doing another event at the Makers Market during the Gila River Festival weekend.
The Grant County Art Guild is excited and a little nervous about our jump into the Annex but we see great potential for the space and it helps us to serve our mission as a non-profit in this area.
MainStreet Report: Charmeine – Three projects using the Clean & Beautiful. The projects include new landscaping at the Murray Ryan Visitor Center that will include a bee, butterfly and bird garden, a streetscape improvement on Bullard Street, and a mural that will face the Main Street Plaza.
Taste of Downtown tickets now available. We have twelve locations and advertising has commenced in El Paso, Las Cruces, and Tucson. This is our annual fundraiser! We will also start the Downtown Passport that weekend that will run through to the end of the year. Kids 12 and under will go to downtown locations to receive a stamp and hand in the cards to the Visitor Center to receive a $5 MainStreet Gift Certificate.Make and Take at the Maker’s Market really taking off and it helps the community to understand that art is important as well as get them into our galleries.
Brenda – Taste of Downtown Gift Baskets from Morning Star, two from the Museum (one kid-friendly), and a basket from Single Socks – thanks so much for your donation! Brochure rack doing very well. The racks are almost full but still openings for long-term use or for information on events.
Visitor Center Report: Patrick – 60% of visitors compared to pre-pandemic and 80% of them from our driving markets (El Paso, Las Cruces, and Tucson area). Receiving lots of calls about our event so please make sure to submit to calendar@visitsilvercity.org or visitsilvercity.org/calendar. This gets it on the billboard and onto the TV screens in-house. The billboard will hold about 3-4 lines but the event space online is unlimited.
Discussion:
Allyson Siwik Director of Gila Conservation Coalition – Gila River Festival Hybrid event. Zoom presentations plus 30 field trips/workshops. Registration is now open at www.gilariverfestival.org. A few convoys but mostly meeting at trailheads to keep things safe. Will have a headquarters tent at the Visitor Center. Sunny505 has already started marketing this event.
Watershed monthly cleanup on the 3rd Saturday of the month at 9AM. Meetup at the Visitor Center to join. This month it is Aug. 21. Received NM Clean and Beautiful funding
to help market the monthly cleanup. Looking for ways to connect with other parties to clean up the highways as well. August 28 adopt a waterway program to begin in conjunction with the Toss no Mas program. Re-usable garbage containers for your car available at the Visitor Center. A web-based system will be unveiled as well. You can take a picture of graffiti etc. and upload to the website. The website will track your coordinates and send information that a cleanup is required. Lastly, they are working to build a rain garden to help with corrosion at the big ditch park.
Tasha Cooper MainStreet Design Committee – Working on designing MainStreet Events. She also has a framing shop in the Lois Lane Plaza called Enclave.
Bryan Hyde MainStreet Design Committee – Graphic design field. Working on a poster for the Lighted Christmas Parade.
Lee Gruber SWNMACT – Clay Festival was a huge success with a hybrid approach that worked very well. They had 30 to 50 people gathered for the event. Co-starters doing really well – Kitty to provide more details.
Waterworks has the Historic Corps out helping today. They are crafts people from all over the state that will help restore the inside of the Rock House.
Kitty Clemens SW NM Council of Governments – Co-starters has cohort graduating today from Catron County and one from Grant County next week. A Bayard cohort is starting in September and we are looking to add one from Hidalgo County. Looking at grants for economic support.
There is a new full-time administrative assistant and possibly a community development person to come in and help with vacant buildings.
Kristen Warnack Virus Theatre and Toad Creek Brewery – Toad Creek has lots of music coming up including some Blues, DJ’s, Baratanga, Famous Ramous, Little Tulips, and the Senators so check out their Facebook page to keep up with what is playing when. Starting the 24th, closed on Tuesdays as well as closed on the 15th/16th for an employee party.
Virus Theatre – Has a Play Festival this Friday and Saturday along with two-recorded screenings at El Sol Theatre at 5:30 PM. For more information look on their website at:
https://www.virustheater.com/ September 7 they will have auditions for Romeo and Juliet for high school kids in grades 9 through 12. The performance will be in November.
Marcia Tinker Volunteer Manager Silver City Museum – We are in need of volunteers if you know anyone. Masks are back in place and we have had a few out of country visitors. Sales have been improving with the increase in visitors.
Joe Kennedy Living Earth Art Design – Will be part of the Silver City Arts Association Studio Tour Labor Day Weekend. Enjoyed working the Make and Take and is looking to implement Turquoise into his art. Enjoys place making and is a former architect.
Faye McCalmont WNMU Cultural Affairs – Has many great performances, exhibits, and public arts programs. August 27 4:30-6PM reception at the Miller Library to unveil a historic painting and youth mural project. Along with the Gila River Festival will be the Fely Tchaco in the gardens at Light Hall. The 20th and 21st of August is the Back Together Bash where they will have food trucks and a beer garden in the new space at Regents Square with a beautiful new fountain. For more information go to www.edu/culture
Bernadette Smith Grant County Community Foundation – Working on sending out information for three new grants that are for non-profits to be used to help individuals in need. Give Grandly was a great success. We will have Girl Scout cookies available to pick up. Looking at an ED roundtable to discuss challenges and to see what grants are available. Work together with others on grant writing.
Marcus Hanson KURU 89.1 – Took over in January and working on getting more information out to help fund music festivals and events. Community radio is so helpful and necessary. Looking for volunteers and support from underwriters as well as locals. Antenna on the hill went out but now has a copper outlet so it should not happen again.
Ted Presler Southwest Word Fiesta – October 22-24 is the Southwest Word Fiesta with 40 acclaimed writers in a hybrid session of in-person/virtual. October 19 there is a documentary, Words from a Bear, with Scott Mombary at WNMU Light Hall at 6:30 PM. October 20, Tony Hillerman and daughter Ann along with James MCGraph biographer will speak virtually. October 22, environmentalist, Rick Bass, will be speaking virtually. Registration on the website: swwordfiesta.org and is Free!
Karen Beckenback Grant County Concert Association – October 12 is the first concert, Taylor Red, a Country musician. There are six concerts in total and will only be charging $50, which is the normal Early Bird special. The last minute ticket cost will not be done this year. Working with schools to advise of the education outreach program. To view the full line-up, buy tickets, and support the education outreach program go to www.gcconcerts.org
Next meeting will be Thursday, September 2, 2021
Meeting adjourned