City of Columbia, Missouri  
Meeting Minutes  
Commission on Cultural Affairs  
City Hall  
Monday, November 10, 2025  
4:15 PM  
Regular  
Council Chambers  
701 E. Broadway  
Columbia, MO  
I. CALL TO ORDER  
Chair Moxon called the meeting to order at 4:14 p.m.  
Staff present: Sarah Dresser and Kristin Gadsden  
9 -  
Present:  
Excused:  
Molly Froidl, Diana Moxon, Stacey Thompson, Kate Nolte, Ryan Hobart, Jennifer  
Jennings, Spencer Thompson, Greg Aker and Sarah Howard  
2 - Linda Helmick and Kathleen Murphy  
II. INTRODUCTIONS  
Staff and Commissioners introduced themselves and welcomed new Commissioners  
Sarah Howard and Greg Aker.  
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA  
Motion to approve made by Jennings, seconded by Nolte; motion carried.  
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES  
Motion to approve minutes made by Nolte, seconded by Hobbart; motion carried.  
Minutes from Sept. 8, 2025  
Attachments: 9.8.25 Draft Minutes  
V. SPECIAL ITEMS  
OCA Staff Update  
Dresser welcomed Gadsden as new OCA Program Specialist.  
VI. OLD BUSINESS  
VII. NEW BUSINESS  
None to report  
Nominees for Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary  
Dresser provided a handout with listing of officers along with other committees. The  
current members for the officers are: Diana Moxon (Chair), Stacey Thompson (Vice  
Chair), and Molly Froidl (Secretary). In FY25, the three officers began their first, one-year  
term. All three can serve an additional one-year term. Commission discussed present  
officers remaining in their current positions for the next term.  
Motion to approve current officers for another term made by Moxon, seconded by  
Nolte; motion carried.  
Standing Committee on Public Art Representatives  
This group works with the Commission on Cultural Affairs and assists the City Council in  
any consideration of public art. Makes recommendations on type of art to be  
commissioned, location of the art, and aspects of calls for artists (reviewing applications,  
selecting finalists, artist recommendation and design review). Three members are  
appointed by City Council. Two members are of the Commission on Cultural Affairs, one  
of which serves as the Chair. Meets on an as-needed basis, depending on active public  
art projects.  
Current Commission members: 2 vacancies due to Kristin Gadsden and Cameron Dorth  
cycling off the Commission.  
We need two new representatives for the Standing Committee on Public Art, one of which  
to serve as the Chair.  
Funding Process Sub-Committee Membership  
Reviews the annual arts funding process including topics related to funding levels or tiers,  
allocation and formula, application and evaluation, timeline for changes, and other topics  
as needed. Meets two to three times between November and February. There are three  
Commission members on the committee with two designated alternate members.  
Quorum to meet is three.  
Current members: Diana Moxon, Molly Froidl, Linda Helmick, Stacey Thompson, Kate  
Nolte (alternate)  
These members are welcome to stay on the committee, unless changes proposed. Staff  
needs clarification on who is the second alternate (in addition to Kate Nolte).  
Motion was made by Spencer Thompson to appoint Sarah Howard and Spencer  
Thompson to the Funding Process Sub-Committee (with Froidl and Thompson  
leaving the subcommittee), and Stacey Thompson and Molly Froidl, the latter as  
Chair, to the Standing Committee on Public Art. Seconded by Hobart; motion  
carried.  
Columbia Arts Fund Advisory Committee  
Meets as needed to direct the fund’s investments, make recommendations for  
distributions from the fund, generate ideas to promote the CAF and participate in  
fundraising activities.  
Current Members: Diana Moxon (Chair of the Commission), Jenn Jennings, Kathy  
Murphy, Kate Nolte, and Sarah Dresser (Manager of Office of Cultural Affairs).  
These members are welcome to stay on the committee. Only update if there is a new  
Chair for the Commission. No updates. The Committee will remain the same.  
VIII. REPORTS  
Commission  
Secretary's Report  
None to report.  
Standing Committee on Public Art  
The Pollinator Art Poles have been installed on N. Providence Rd. There will be a small  
dedication this Thursday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m.  
Other projects are being discussed at the City, with meetings possible upcoming early  
2026. North Village Park will be one of the projects coming up. Dresser also updated  
Commission on a damaged sculpture on East Campus.  
Commission Vacancy  
With Kristin starting work with OCA, there is another vacancy on the Commission.  
Appointment to be made at this next Council meeting on Nov. 17.  
Staff  
Columbia Arts Fund Update  
The current balance is 402,430.12  
CoMoGives  
We are participating again in the CoMoGives campaign next month raising funds for the  
Columbia Arts Fund. If Commissioners are so inclined, there are various ways to help  
spread the word about the campaign. Peer-to-peer fundraising - CoMoGives allows  
individuals to create their own fundraising pages to raise funds for specific cause. You  
could also share social media posts created by OCA or make your own post. OCA will  
be doing some targeted fundraising to past supporters of CAF and Celebration of the  
Arts. Dresser addressed questions and reviewed the purpose of the Fund as a means of  
distribution and long-term financial stability of arts funding.  
Columbia Values Diversity Celebration  
OCA is coordinating the annual City event, scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026 at  
the Wyndham Expo Center. This year’s theme is “Our Beloved Community: Why We  
Stand Together.” Tickets will be open to the public starting next week, and staff is  
currently soliciting sponsorships. This Friday, Nov. 14 is the deadline for both the Student  
Writings Program and the Diversity Award nominations. In addition, we are working on a  
community video featuring individuals who can share a sentence or two about what they  
love about Columbia. Dresser asked if any members of the Commission are interested in  
being filmed for the video.  
Artist Laureate Program  
OCA has launched the new Artist Laureate Program! This was brought to the  
Commission for consideration earlier in 2025 and OCA is receiving grant funding from our  
Missouri Arts Council grant to administer the program. Handouts with full guidelines are  
provided. Deadline for applicants is December 19, 2025.  
We will plan to involve the Commission in the selection, with applications provided to the  
group for discussion at the January meeting. Finalists will be chosen to invite to interview  
at the February Commission meeting.  
Please share this opportunity with your artist networks. OCA will also be promoting the  
opportunity through our artist networks and social media later this week. Moxon  
suggested hosting an event for our funded agencies to introduce them to the new  
program.  
Poetry Out Loud  
This annual program is a national competition funded by the National Endowment of the  
Arts. This year is a special America 250 edition. The Missouri Arts Council oversees 10  
regions for the state competition. Individual schools will hold their own competitions by  
Jan. 30, 2026. The OCA will host the Central Region Competition Feb. 11, 2026 at 10  
a.m. at the Daniel Boone Regional Library. So far there are 2 schools registered.  
Agency Assistance  
Nothing to report  
Status of FY25 & FY26 Funding  
The following organizations have final reports due for FY25 funding: “We Always Swing”  
Jazz Series, Columbia Art League, Choral Arts Alliance of Missouri, and Compass, Inc.  
FY26: All grant agreements have been approved by City Council, no final reports due until  
June 2026.  
Also sharing that the North Village Arts District contacted us about their small request  
project for the installation project, to have occurred in early October 2025. They were  
unable to complete the installation within the contract time frame (term was through Oct.  
31, 2025). The organization is looking into returning the funds to the City since the project  
was not completed.  
IX. GENERAL COMMENTS BY PUBLIC, MEMBERS AND STAFF  
Froidl inquired about the plans to celebrate Nick Cave. Moxon shared that plans are  
paused in light of the uncertainty caused by decreased national funding for the arts.  
X. NEXT MEETING DATE  
Dec. 8, 2025 at 4:15 p.m.  
XI. ADJOURNMENT  
Motion to adjourn the meeting at 5:10 p.m. made by Spencer Thompson,  
seconded by Jennings; motion carried.