Since 1979, the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville has served as the official regranting and administrative agency for City of Jacksonville funding to arts and cultural organizations. In 1990, the Cultural Service Grant Program was developed. This program was designed to provide public support to arts and cultural organizations that contribute to the quality of life of Jacksonville’s residents. Every year, non-profit organizations in the arts and cultural sector apply to receive City funded grants to help support their missions and create broader access to the arts in Jacksonville. City of Jacksonville funds are administered by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville (CCGJ) through the Cultural Service Grant Program (CSGP), a competitive grant process governed by City ordinance (Chapter 118, Part 6). Last week on Wednesday, September 26th and Thursday, September 27th, the CSGP hearings took place at the Times Union Center for the Performing Arts. The applicants were in attendance to present their programs for recommended approval and funding from the CSGP Committee. The CSGP Committee is comprised of a cross-section of members from Jacksonville’s diverse communities representing racial/ethnic, gender, geographic and age diversity. Committee members, who are confirmed by the Jacksonville City Council, include a chairperson, three Cultural Council board members, seven community members, and ex-officio liaisons from the Mayor’s Office and City Council. The time commitment required of each member consists of approximately four committee meetings (lasting two hours each on average) as well as additional ad hoc trainings/meetings; public grant hearings (three funding levels over two full days); reviewing and scoring applications (25 applications on average); conducting on-site visits of assigned applicants and writing on-site evaluation reports (between two to three on-site visits); and making program visits of CSG-funded organizations throughout the year. While the hearings themselves tend to be quite structured and formal, we were curious about the people behind the committee and what exactly drives them to volunteer their time for the rigorous selection process that takes place over the course of the fiscal year, culminating in two intensive days of public grant hearings. We posed five questions to three of the Committee members to get to know them better on a personal level and learn what motivates them to be part of this annual process. Mauricio GonzalezTell us a little about yourself... My name is Mauricio Gonzalez and I recently retired from UNF where I served for 18 years as Vice President for Student and International Affairs. Altogether I served for 41 years at four institutions of higher learning (University of Texas at San Antonio, University of Toledo, University of Cincinnati and University of North Florida). I’m a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and a Senior Fulbright Research Grant. My wife, Kathy, and I have been married for 46 years and we have two children, Rebecca and Clark, and a beautiful granddaughter named Eleanor. How long have you served on the CSGP Committee? I have served on the CSGP for two years. Before serving on the CSGP I served as the Mayoral Appointee for the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, Ohio and also the Mayoral Appointee for the City of San Antonio’s Arts and Cultural Advisory Board. I have also served as a Field Reviewer for the Institute of Museum Services in Washington, D.C. What have you learned about yourself through your participation on the CSGP Committee? How much I missed working directly with the arts and being part of an organization (Cultural Council) that directly impacts the success of so many arts organizations. What have you learned about the Arts in the city through your participation on the CSGP Committee? I have reaffirmed my belief that a city’s vibrancy is owed to the arts and it happens because of dedication, hard work, and love. We owe so much gratitude to all of these people that have dedicated their lives to assuring that the arts continue to thrive. What advice would you give to someone who is interested in serving on the CSGP Committee? My suggestion is to be willing to listen to the CSGP applicants and be committed to the process. These organizations have much to offer and there is a lot that can be learned if one takes the time to engage. Anne BoccuzziTell us a little about yourself... Anne Boccuzzi - Vice President of Partnership Activations with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Married to Phil [with] two children - Benton (age 3) and Grady (age1). How long have you served on the CSGP Committee? This was my third year. What have you learned about yourself through your participation on the CSGP Committee? I’ve learned how much I value the cultural landscape of our city and what that culture means to the people that live here. What have you learned about the Arts in the city through your participation on the CSGP Committee? The easy answer is that we have some fantastic organizations and leadership in this city (which is true), but what I have loved the most was seeing how much collaboration goes on between all of the organizations which has led to some great programming for our community. What advice would you give to someone who is interested in serving on the CSGP Committee? It’s a lot of time and work but if you embrace it you can really learn a lot about the great cultural service organizations that our city has to offer. Sandra Hull-RichardsonTell us a little about yourself... Sandra Hull-Richardson - Retired Division Chief, City of Jacksonville Florida. Married to James Richardson. How long have you served on the CSGP Committee? This is my second year as a Community Representative. What have you learned about yourself through your participation on the CSGP Committee? I have learned two things about myself. I am willing to explore genres of art other than my traditional favorites, and I have an increased committed as an advocate for the arts in our community. What have you learned about the Arts in the city through your participation on the CSGP Committee? That the statement “arts are transforming” is more than a cliche. The arts in our community truly communicates across barriers and makes a measurable difference in the lives of many people. What advice would you give to someone who is interested in serving on the CSGP Committee? Join us! The process requires commitment, but the benefit to the arts community is tremendous. We also reached out to our own Amy Palmer - Director of Grants Administration at The CCGJ - for a comment on any advice she would give to someone who is interested in serving on the CSGP Committee. Amy's comments are as follows: Serving on the CSGP Committee is a great way to learn about Duval County's nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. Through the years, many committee members have commented to me that they thought they knew the sector before they joined the committee, but found that through their participation they were able to gain a much greater awareness and understanding of the rich cultural offerings provided by these groups. If you are interested in serving, please ask yourself these questions:
If you have answered yes to these questions, then you would likely enjoy being a member of the CSGP Committee. We had the pleasure of speaking further with Mauricio Gonzalez, and his commentary was both insightful and heartfelt. "There's no question that participating in this kind of program which gives money to the arts is extremely important. Mostly because the arts, for some reason, always seem to be struggling. I think that there should be a commitment from our city fathers to make sure that our city is vibrant and there's a responsibility that our city has - just as they do to our streets and infrastructure - to ensure that the arts in the city are well funded. We don't realize it, but we're surrounded by creativity throughout our city. We go around the city and say, 'what a beautiful building that is...' - that was [the work of] an architect, and that's related to art. 'What a beautiful carpet...' - somebody designed the florals. It goes on and on and we take it all for granted. We think that things just appear. But there's a lot of creativity that we have a responsibility to make sure that our artists are well supported. It's a shame that when budgets get cut, the arts are looked at as something that's expendable. But creativity and the artist is an incredible and essential part of daily life. This kind of committee that gives out money to sustain groups such as the Symphony and Children's Choir is extremely important." We couldn't agree more. THANK YOU
We'd like to thank Mauricio, Anne, Sandra and Amy for their participation in this interview. We'd also like to thank you for reading. The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville serves six primary roles in Northeast Florida.
In 2018, we have set the goal of building relationships with 2,018 individual contributors. Whether you make a small gift of $10, make a pledge of a re-occurring sustaining gift, or make a large dollar contribution, your support of the Cultural Council enables the agency to advance its mission of investing in arts and culture to enrich life in Northeast Florida. You can make your contribution as an individual, family, foundation, or business. Your tax deductible donation allows the Cultural Council to support the growth of Greater Jacksonville's arts and cultural sector through initiatives and programs that align with the agency's mission.
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