There is hereby established an advisory commission in Windham
known as the "Windham Music, Arts and Cultural Commission (WMACC)."
This Commission shall be formed to foster, promote, encourage and
celebrate the excellence, enjoyment, and abundance of music, arts
and culture in Windham.
The Commission is intended to promote and sustain a supportive
climate for cultural endeavors that will attract artists of all ages,
backgrounds, and areas of interest. The Commission will sponsor innovative
programming that will appeal to a wide audience, thus increasing the
visibility of the Town and our community. Through its endeavors, the
WMACC will serve an educational function, promoting appreciation of
artistic diversity and building cultural awareness, while helping
to market the many artistic and cultural events the Town hosts.
The duties and responsibilities of the Commission shall be to:
(a) Conduct an initial inventory of the musical, cultural, and artistic
resources of the Town of Windham, including local and regional artists/performers,
arts organizations, artists' collectives and co-ops, galleries, theater
companies, music groups, dance studios, performance and exhibition
venues, civic organizations, public and private sources of arts education,
and related entities.
(b) Seek ways to leverage existing resources and activities and create
synergies among them, thus assisting the Town in realizing a return
on the investments it has made, e.g., in the Shaboo Stage.
(c) Coordinate with the Town's other efforts to promote Windham as an
arts and entertainment destination, to produce an ongoing arts and
cultural events calendar that will be posted on the Town of Windham
website and other appropriate social media.
(d) Stimulate, encourage and promote community involvement in arts and
cultural events in Windham.
(e) Advise and make recommendations to the Town Council on matters relating
to WMACC to the Town of Windham on at least an annual basis.
(f) Recognize annually a local artist or artists.
(g) Make recommendations on a quarterly basis to the Town Council and
Town Manager on matters cultural, business, and economic development
entities.
(h) Pursue federal, state, municipal, and private monies for the purpose
of fostering the arts and broadening regional participation in the
cultural activities. All funds so received will be held and expended
in accordance with requirements of the governmental granting body
and the Town of Windham Charter and Code of Ordinances.
(i) Recommend that the Town enter into contracts, within the limit of
available funds, with individuals and organizations for services and
programs that meet the objectives of the Commission. All such contracts
will require approval of the Town Council and Town Manager.
The Commission shall prepare a proposed estimate of receipts
and expenditures and may submit a proposed budget to the Town Manager.
The facilities and services of the various agencies and departments
of the Town shall be available to the Commission as it may reasonably
require.