|
CULTURAL ADVISORY BOARD ANSWERS FOR APPLICANTS BEING INTERVIEWED
<br />Board.
<br />towards arts and culture in Louisville? other arts and cultural organizations in Louisville. Please describe your would be beneficial for this position?
<br />involvement with other community groups.
<br />society at large? What practices do you believe would promote cultural equity
<br />in Louisville?
<br />Julien Denat
<br />Louisville attracts people from all over the place during the
<br />summer months with its street fair and other cultural activities. I
<br />would love to be part of the team that helps bring even more
<br />cultural interest and activities within our community and
<br />beyond.
<br />I love arts and especially languages and painting and I have been coaching soccer with the Rec Center and bringing my
<br />photography. I would like to bring better awareness European cultural background into this game for kids. We could do more
<br />and interest in different cultures, languages and forms and tell kids about international cities, countries, people, and cultures
<br />of art. related to sports teams.
<br />I am a strategic thinker and an excellent project manager at the same time. Also, Art connects people across social, cultural and political divisions. But they have to
<br />my strong background in supply chain can prove to be valuable. And I truly care discuss about it and share common interests and likes. Thus, I would promote
<br />about my kids and my community to get the best recreation services. exhibitions, book author readings, etc. that engage people and foster oral
<br />exchanges.
<br />Lauren Fagnani
<br />I am interested in serving on the Cultural Advisory Board because Volunteer in events and activities. Help plan events for We are actively involved in the Jewish and Israeli community. Our children
<br />I am a stay at home mom of a 1.5 and 3.5 year old, and I am all, and something specifically for Jewish and Israeli attend the Jewish Community Center (JCC) Jay and Rose Phillips Early
<br />passionate about encouraging more activities and involvement families in the community. Childhood Center three times a week and we have participated in Israeli
<br />for young families. Louisville is an excellent place to build a American Council (IAC) activities in the past.
<br />family and I am excited to contribute to the community by
<br />serving on this board.
<br />I have my Bachelors degree in Biology and graduated with 3.8 GPA. I have a
<br />strong skill set in customer service. I worked in a very demanding setting for
<br />those expecting the highest of standards at the Four Seasons Private Residences
<br />in Denver. In this position I was in charge of organizing small events, creating a
<br />monthly newsletter, and reaching out to local businesses for special deals and
<br />accommodations for the Four Seasons residents. My most recent position was
<br />at Boulder Medical Center where I worked as a Medical Assistant in Internal
<br />Medicine. In this role I honed my organizational skills, attention to detail,
<br />problem solving, time management, and effective communication.
<br />Art can help the community understand and empathize with others by
<br />introducing them to new perspectives and life experiences, and educate about
<br />different backgrounds, cultures, and identities.
<br />One way to promote cultural equity in Louisville is to advocate for initiatives that
<br />welcome people from all backgrounds and actively work to create an inclusive
<br />environment.
<br />Jason Adam McHugh
<br />I was approached by Mayor Leh about the possibility of joining
<br />the board after he came to my door to talk to me about my
<br />fence. If you haven't seen it, it has large rock icon portraits all
<br />over it. After reading what the board does for the community, it
<br />highly peaked my interest as I feel like I could add my art
<br />background as another perspective.
<br />I would like to use my personal life experience with
<br />tattooing, street art and graffiti. As well as currently
<br />being commissioned for various projects. My passion
<br />for music could offer an alternative perspective in the
<br />decision making process of local events.
<br />The only involvement I could add in this space is my fence. I recently
<br />posted in the "oh oh anything goes" group on Facebook, a poll of sorts
<br />asking the community which music icons they would like to see up there. I
<br />expected maybe 20-50 replies. There was close to 400! That blew my mind
<br />but simultaneously made the people who replied come together over a
<br />common interest. Fox local news just recently did a profile piece on me
<br />that this is heavily included in.
<br />I've been a professional artist my entire adult life. Skill sets may be that I've
<br />never met a stranger so to speak. I have the ability to talk to and, more often
<br />than not, get along with anyone. I just started a new career as a mental health
<br />professional. All of the training as well as natural skills and abilities it takes to do
<br />that could also be carried over into this.
<br />Art is subjective. Depending on which style of art you are referring to, whether it
<br />be paintings, music, dance, poetry, photography... synchronized swimming?
<br />Everything is art. Everyone has a favorite song. A favorite band, painting, picture,
<br />book, etc. Anyone who doesn't is a psychopath. Art brings people together.
<br />Whether someone disagrees with your tastes or not, doesn't matter. It still gets
<br />people talking and interacting with each other.
<br />Alexander Phillips -
<br />Messner
<br />I am currently pursuing the Denver Botanic Gardens School of
<br />Botanical Art and Illustration certificate program and working
<br />towards a career in botanical illustration. I am also taking writing
<br />classes through Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver and am
<br />in the middle of writing a novel that I intend to publish. These
<br />programs have been hugely beneficial and inspiring for me, and
<br />now I'm looking for more chances to get involved in the local
<br />creative community close to home. As a queer and trans man
<br />with severe hearing loss, I am also especially interested in spaces
<br />that focus on celebrating and uplifting artists and creatives of
<br />marginalized identities, and I would like to dedicate more time to
<br />supporting my community's endeavors.
<br />I would like to help promote (and expand) existing
<br />resources for artists selling their work through small
<br />independent businesses and also through
<br />collaborations with other local businesses, and
<br />generally support opportunities to showcase local
<br />artists' work in public spaces. But I would also like to
<br />listen to members of the community - especially those
<br />of underrepresented identities - to hear what's
<br />important to them and to elevate their voices, and to
<br />make sure that this listening process is embedded in
<br />the advisory board's long term strategies.
<br />I was a facilitator for the Rocky Mountain Equality Center (RMEQ) gender
<br />support group from January 2020 to May 2021, where in addition to
<br />regular facilitating responsibilities, I took the initiative to help acclimate
<br />new facilitators when there was no built-in onboarding procedure. I have
<br />also participated in RMEQ's Speaking Out program and spoken on multiple
<br />panels, as well as speaking on an AMA panel for Trans Awareness Week in
<br />2021. I served on RMEQ's Marshall Fire Direct Aid Program review team in
<br />2022, reviewing applications to help allocate resources to those in our
<br />community impacted by the fire based on need. In addition, I have
<br />participated in many writing and creativity groups hosted by both RMEQ
<br />and Queer Asterisk. I have also recently learned of the Lighthouse Writers
<br />Workshop Hard Times program, which, quoting from their website, aims to
<br />"provide community and a creative outlet for people who have recently
<br />experienced or are currently experiencing poverty, addiction,
<br />homelessness, and other hard situations," and offers workshops at
<br />libraries around Denver and the surrounding areas. As a student taking
<br />classes there, I would love to see the program brought to Louisville.
<br />In addition to the community building experience with RMEQ mentioned above,
<br />I ran an animal advocacy student group for three years in college and went on to
<br />intern at The Humane League (an animal welfare nonprofit organization) after
<br />graduating, accumulating experience in event planning and volunteer
<br />organization. In 2017 I graduated from William & Mary with a BA in Critical
<br />Animal Studies, an interdisciplinary field that spans disability studies, gender
<br />studies, environmental philosophy, art history, and other intersectional fields;
<br />this academic experience greatly expanded my perspective, empathy, and
<br />critical thinking skills. I am also currently deep in the lived experience of
<br />attempting to becoming a professional artist and writer without the supportive
<br />structure of a university setting, which has greatly increased my appreciation for
<br />community artists and writers who are forging their own paths to make a living.
<br />And in everything I do, I bring my experience as a member of the LGBTQ+
<br />community and the disabled community, as well as awareness of other
<br />marginalized identities and socioeconomic situations through my family and
<br />relationships and from continuously striving to be aware of the diverse
<br />experiences of the people around me.
<br />Art can be an important expression of identity, a medium of connection, and an
<br />opportunity for education all at once - being surrounded by art enriches our lives
<br />and opens our minds, and just as importantly, supporting the arts means
<br />supporting artists! Anyone can have creative dreams and talents, but the
<br />opportunity to make a living doing art is not easily accessible to everyone. I think
<br />one of the best things we can do is listen to our diverse community members and
<br />make spaces where they can share their own ideas and promote their own
<br />works. The things I need based on my circumstances might include live
<br />captioning at events, for example, while someone else might need an ASL
<br />interpreter. We can always do our best to anticipate the needs of the
<br />community, but the more opportunities we give to people to tell us what they
<br />need themselves, the higher the chances we can accommodate everyone and
<br />make it a welcoming experience for all. I also think there are a number of ways
<br />we can practice our commitment to inclusion through DEI trainings for board
<br />members, making sure events are free to the public when possible, and
<br />marketing to and providing incentives for people of marginalized groups to share
<br />their work and participate in events.
<br />City Council 9-10 December 2024 Packet
<br />9
<br />
|