Monica Buckle

This 2027-2031 Strategic Plan serves as a five-year roadmap for strengthening Arizona through arts and culture, designed with and for the community. The plan is guided by six strategic priorities: ensuring statewide arts access and cultural participation, supporting Arizona's creative workforce and economy, fostering youth and arts education, advancing health and wellbeing through the arts, investing in partnerships and business engagement, and stewarding Arizona's art and cultural ecosystem. The overarching goal is to leverage public investment to enhance community strength through the arts, particularly in underserved areas, ensuring that creative expression continues to enrich communities, drive economic growth, and improve the quality of life for all Arizonans.

The Arts Commission Working Group discussed the process for evaluating the Executive Director. Key topics included aligning the evaluation timeline from September to September to better coincide with the agency's budget and goal-setting cycles, utilizing a narrative or memo format for the review, and incorporating the state's official performance appraisal tool. The group also established the need for semi-annual informal check-ins and defined a structured process for commissioners to provide input during the annual evaluation cycle.

This document is the Fiscal Year 2025 summary report for the Arizona Commission on the Arts, detailing the agency's activities, funding, and the initiation of a strategic planning process. It highlights the awarding of nearly $2.8 million in grants to support arts organizations, festivals, and learning programs. The report also outlines the launch of AZArts GPS, a public engagement initiative designed to inform the agency's strategic direction for the next five years, emphasizing the arts and culture sector's role in strengthening communities, driving economic growth, and enhancing well-being across Arizona.

The 5-Year Strategic Plan for the Arizona Commission on the Arts, covering Fiscal Years 2015-2019, outlines a roadmap to ensure all Arizonans can participate in and experience the arts. It addresses five key strategic issues: enhancing capacity for arts delivery agents, valuing arts and culture sector workers, strengthening statewide investment in arts learning, fostering community-focused arts and cultural partnerships, and increasing private investment in arts and culture. The plan leverages leadership, partnerships, comprehensive programs and services, and strategic funding to achieve its goals.

The meeting was convened for an Executive Session, followed by a public discussion regarding complaints against Anne L'Ecuyer. Concerns were raised about interactions with L'Ecuyer and her approach to information requests. L'Ecuyer addressed the board, questioning the meeting's format and requesting the identification of those who complained. A motion was made and carried to terminate the Commission's contract with Anne L'Ecuyer, effective immediately.