General Information

Government Type

County

Entity

Salt Lake County

Public Body

Arts and Culture

Notice Information

Add Notice to Calendar

Notice Title

Arts & Culture Advisory Board Meeting Meeting Minutes

Notice Type(s)

Meeting

Event Start Date & Time

September 25, 2025 11:30 AM

Event End Date & Time

September 25, 2025 01:00 PM

Description/Agenda

ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES Arts & Culture Advisory Board Meeting Thursday, Sept. 25,2025 11:30 am Abravanel Hall, First Tier Room or Cisco WebEx Meeting Board Members: Bing Fang (Vice Chair), Essie Soul, Megan West, Amanda Mulia (Chair), Jorge Rodriguez, Dustin Lewis, Jesus Jimenez-Vivanco, James Cooper, Carrier Mercer, Brian Van Ausdal, Sharah Meservy, Janell Payne, Jana Thomas, A. Christine Angulo Attendees: Bing Fang, Jorge Rodriguez, Brian Van Ausdal, Janell Payne, Carrier Mercer, Essie Soul, Sharah Meservy, Christine Angulo Staff Members and Guests: Matt Castillo, Melinda Cavallaro, Jeff Gwilliam, Jacque Jones, Nancy Holman, Kate Ithurralde, Angela Vanderwell, Andrew Sylvia, Craig Wangsgard, Ryan Riches, Sarah Dibble 1. Welcome - Mr. Fang welcomed everyone; the meeting was called to order at 11:32am. 2. Review of Public Comments - No public comments. 3. Action Item: Approve of July 10,2025 meeting minutes. Ms. Soul moved the request to approve the minutes. Ms. Meservy moved to second. Unanimously approved 4. Fairwell to Outgoing Board Member, Ryan Riches - Matt Castillo, Bing Fang Mr. Castillo expressed appreciation to Mr. Riches for his service on the Board. Board members joined in thanking him for his valuable contributions and insights over the past several years and extended their best wishes for his future endeavors. In turn, Mr. Riches commended the Arts & Culture staff for the professionalism and conduct of the meetings. 5. Annual Open & Public Meetings Act Training - Craig Wangsgard Mr. Wangsgard presented the Board with their annual training. He explained County Policy on the Open & Public Meetings, from the information listed below. 1) Public policy statement: the Advisory Board exists to aid in the conduct of the people's business. The Board should a) take its actions openly, and b) conduct its deliberations openly. 2) Meeting: convening of the Board, with a quorum present, whether in person or electronically, for the purpose of conducting public business within its jurisdiction. 3) General rule: Board meetings are open to the public unless there is a legal basis for closing. 4) Public notice: must contain meeting agenda, date, time, and place, and be published in written form at the Board office and on the Utah Public Notice Website not less than 24 hours before the meeting. Agenda topics must be provided with reasonable specificity. 5) Minutes: written minutes and a complete recording must be kept of Board meetings, including a record of votes. Approved minutes must be provided to the public within 3 business days of the meeting. The public and media may also record Board meetings. 6) Closed meetings: may only be held for specified reasons listed in the Act. Meetings may only be closed if a quorum is present and 2/3 of the Board votes to approve closing the meeting. Ordinances, resolutions, rules, regulations, contracts, and appointments cannot be approved in a closed meeting. State Reason on the record prior to closing. Minutes and recording of the closed meeting generally must be kept. 7) Allowable Reasons to Close: See Utah Code Ann. 52-4-205. 8) Electronic meetings: allowable subject to notice requirements and establishment of a physical anchor location that is open to the public and where the Board normally meets. Electronic meetings may be held without a physical anchor location upon written findings of the Chair. Good for 30 days 9) Chance or social meetings: the Act does not apply to chance or social meetings of Board members, but such meetings may not be used to circumvent the Act. 10) E-mails and texts: the Act does not restrict Board members from transmitting electronic messages to each other when the Board is not convened in an open meeting. (Recommend not communicating via email or test during meetings) 11) Penalties: the remedy for violations of the Act is a suit to void any nonpublic final action taken by the Board. The Attorney General, District Attorney, and private plaintiffs may bring action to enforce or compel compliance. Courts may also review the legality of closed meetings. Attorney fees may be awarded. Knowing or intentional violations of the Act are also publishable by a Class B misdemeanor. 12) May cure defect through remedial action in a later meeting. The purpose of this document is to provide Board members annual training on the requirements of the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act, as required by Utah Code Ann. § 52-4-104. This document provides a general overview of the Act's requirements and should not be considered exhaustive. Questions on specific legal issues related to the Act should be directed the District Attorney's Office. During the presentation, no questions were presented. 6. Action Item: Visual Art Collection Acquisition Proposal - Nancy Holman, Kate Ithurralde Ms. Ithurralde introduced Nancy Holman, Chair of the Subcommittee. She will also be the chair next year. The committee spends a lot of time evaluating art works. Ms. Ithurralde gave an overview of the process, said we have approximately 800 pieces of art displayed at 52 different county locations for the public to view. The committee follows policy 1003 on how subcommittee selects the artwork. Ms. Holman and Ms. Ithurralde presented a slide presentation. The total acquisition budget was $25,000, while the nominated artworks were collectively valued at $103,300. The Subcommittee's recommendations totaled $24,950. The remaining $50 was divided evenly among the 10 nominated artists, with each receiving an additional $5 honorarium. This adjustment is reflected in the final budget. Ms. Holman and Ms. Ithurralde then presented the acquisition recommendations to the Board, providing a brief explanation of each artwork and the biography of its respective artist: - Alise Anderson: I'd Love You Even If You Loved a Horse - Amanda Smith: Dark Money - Antra Sinah: Wave - Jamie A. Kyle: Hold Please Where Did I Leave My Horse? - Jared Steffensen: Leftover 41 - Kelly Tapia Chuning: Self Portrait as Serape: A Study of Halves - Laura Sharp Wilson: Burrow - Luis Rosado: Isthmus Nostalgia (Nostalgia Istmena) - Mary Toscano and Andrew Shaw: Sequencer/Sampler - Vincente Martinez: Hummingbird 2 They emailed prior to the meeting the Board the artworks that were nominated but not recommended for acquisition. During the presentation, Board members posed questions which Ms. Holman and Ms. Ithurralde addressed. Ms. Soul moved the request to approve the Visual Art Collection Acquisition Proposal. Ms. Angulo moved to second. Unanimously approved 7. 2026 Operating Budget Proposal Overview - Matt Castillo, Sarah Dibble Ms. Dibble and Mr. Castillo reviewed the proposed 2026 operating budget. Mr. Castillo provided an overview of the standard operating budget, which is currently under discussion and will be forwarded to the Mayor's Office. The Mayor will present her full County budget to the Council in October for consideration. This particular budget applies to TRCC; Eccles Theater and ZAP maintain their own separate budgets and are not included. 2026 Initiatives - Inflation Expenditures - An increase in 2026 to account for rising costs of utilities, maintenance, and cleaning. Increase $138,355 - Background Checks - The County has implemented a policy requiring all staff and volunteers to complete a background check. Merit staff have already been processed, and work is underway to extend the process to temporary staff and volunteers. Total request $12,100 - Emerging Artist Incubation Program - Developed from the Community Engagement Study, this initiative provides mentorship, rehearsal, and performance opportunities for community members within a populations who experience the lowest level of access to many artistic and nonprofit resources. Emerging arts/artist collectives are often not able to access community support such as ZAP grants, Art & Culture resident programs, and other nonprofit benefits vital to achieving early success and career development. Cost will be offset by revenue from unused gift certificates $17,900 - New Positions - A Facilities Operations Worker and a Stage Manager are being requested for the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center, with funding for salary and benefits. $77,606 and $100,544 respectively. - Training for Stage Managers/Technical Directors - As technology evolves, ongoing training is needed. Trainers from software providers would be engaged to ensure staff remain current with new systems. Increase $20,000 - Event Management Software - Updating the current system, Momentus, to improve event operations. This will include software showing the addition of room-diagramming capabilities and single-sign on capacity. This will help provide high-level customer services. Increase $18,413 - Community Engagement Manager Extension - this is a one-year extension of the time-limited Community Engagement Activation Manager to provide support to the Emerging Artist Incubation Program and other Community Engagement activities. Extension will be to the end of 2027. Mr. Castillo also presented a detailed slide illustrating revenues and expenditures in relation to the budget. Questions were raised during the presentation and addressed accordingly. 8. ArtTix Program Overview and Updates- Andrew Sylvia Mr. Castillo introduced Mr. Sylvia, who joined Arts & Culture in May 2025. Mr. Sylvia provided the Board with an overview of ArtTix and recent updates. He explained that ArtTix serves as the official ticketing service for Arts & Culture and operates as the 'front door' to Salt Lake County's cultural life at our five venues: Eccles Theater, Capitol Theater, Abravanel Hall, Rose Wagner, Mid-Valley performing arts center. Core services include ticket sales, patron engagement, customer support. He shared ticket sales data from the past four years and outlined upcoming improvements, including updated software that will add three layers of fraud protection. Queue-IT (virtual waiting room), Kount/Midigator (risk scoring transactions, detect suspicious fraud), True Tickets (secure blockchain-based ticketing, safeguard against counterfeit tickets) He explained how these safeguards will help reduce chargebacks-customer credit card disputes that impact the entire ticketing industry. Mr. Sylvia also addressed current challenges and opportunities for growth and invited the Board to provide feedback on ways ArtTix can continue to improve with his closing dialogue. During the presentation, Board members shared suggestions, personal ticket-purchasing experiences, and asked questions. 9. Director Updates - Matt Castillo Mr. Castillo presented updates on the SECC District improvements, which include significant upgrades to County facilities within the district: the Salt Palace Convention Center, Abravanel Hall, and UMOCA. - The architectural team has been selected and will begin work on Phase I, scheduled for completion by the end of the year. - Phase I will establish the overall vision and design concepts for the project. - Abravanel Hall improvements will be guided by the Abravanel Hall Master Plan, with a focus on back-of-house changes. - UMOCA improvements will align with the UMOCA Master Plan. - The Salt Palace Convention Center renovation is planned to begin in 2027, with projects for Abravanel Hall and UMOCA to follow. 10. Upcoming Important Dates - Matt Castillo Mr. Castillo asked the Board to reserve December 18th for our Arts & Culture Joint Board Holiday Event. 11. Art Event Discussion - no time. 12. Adjourn - Mr. Fang adjourned the meeting at 1:03pm Mission Support arts and culture in Salt Lake County with premiere Spaces, Places, and Services. Values 1. Foster arts and culture county-wide 2. Good stewards of public venues and funds 3. Provide an exceptional patron experience. 4. Support Resident arts groups with a home to create, work, and perform. Arts & Culture Advisory Board Committee Assignments - Executive Committee (Chair & Vice Chair - renews annually) through 2025 o Amanda Mulia - Chair o Bing Fang - Vice Chair - Resident Review Committee (3-5 members - renews every three years) through 2026 o Bing Fang Vice Chair o Amanda Mulia Chair o - Art Selection Committee (1 member - renews annually) through 2025 o Jorge Rodriquez - Nominating Committee (2-3 members - renews annually) through 2025 o Dustin Lewis o Essie Soul - ZAP Tier 1 Review Board (1 member - renews annually) through 2027 o Amanda Mulia - ZAP Tier 2 Review Board (1-2 members - renews annually) through 2025 o Ryan Riches o 2025 Advisory Board Meeting Schedule January 23 March 27 May 22 July 17 September 25 November 20 People with disabilities should make requests for reasonable accommodation at least 48 hours in advance to attend this meeting. Accommodations may include alternate formats, interpreters, and other auxiliary aids. Arts & Culture Advisory Board meetings are held in accessible facilities. For questions, requests, or additional information, please contact Krystal at 385-468-1014. In accordance with Division by-laws, Board Members may attend Board Meetings and give consent to action items electronically. Arts & Culture Advisory Board Member District Term End Date Term Sharah Meservy 1 Feb-2028 1 Essie Soul 1 Jan-2028 2 Jorge Rodriguez 1 Jun-2026 1 Megan West 1 Jan-2026 2 Janell Payne 2 Feb-2028 1 Jana Thomas 2 Feb-2028 1 Alexandra Angulo 3 Feb-2028 1 Jesus R. Jimenez-Vivanco 3 Dec-2026 1 Dustin Lewis 3 Jun-2026 1 Bing Fang 4 Jan-2026 2 James Cooper 4 Feb-2028 1 Ryan Riches 5 Aug-2025 2 Carrie Mercer 5 Feb-2028 1 Brian Van Ausdal 6 Feb-2028 1 Amanda Mulia 6 Jun-2026 1

Notice of Special Accommodations (ADA)

Reasonable accommodations (including auxillary communicative aids and services) for individuals with disabilities may be provided upon receipt of a request with three working days notice. For assistance, please call V/385-468-2351; TDD/385-468-3600

Notice of Electronic or Telephone Participation

Cisco Webex Website Address: https://www.webex.com/ click 'Join' in the top right corner and then enter the meeting number information. Or Call In Phone Numbers +1-213-306-3065 Meeting Number: 2496 661 0605 Password: sJd6cd5KJG3

Meeting Information

Meeting Location

Abravanel Hall - 1st Tier Room
123 West So. Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
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Contact Name

Jacque Jones

Contact Email

jjones@slco.org

Contact Phone

(385)468-1014

Notice Posting Details

Notice Posted On

September 25, 2025 03:07 PM

Notice Last Edited On

November 20, 2025 02:25 PM

Audio File Address

Audio File Location

https://slco.webex.com/slco/ldr.php?RCID=621dfdba927e1e044fca441ac721e891

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