Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Noelia Corzo, District 2
Subject: Appointments to the Arts Commission
RECOMMENDATION:
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Recommendation for the appointments of Aileen Cassinetto and Deepa Nair to the San Mateo County Arts Commission, representing District 2, each for an initial term ending December 31, 2026.
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BACKGROUND:
The Arts Commission was created to promote and encourage the arts, to serve in an advisory capacity to the Board of Supervisors, to prepare and update the County’s strategic and cultural plan, and act as a liaison with arts organizations in order to ensure collaboration and coordination related to culture and art activities in San Mateo County.
DISCUSSION:
Aileen Cassinetto and Deepa Nair are being recommended to represent District 2 on the Arts Commission for an initial term ending December 31, 2026 to coincide with District 2 Supervisor’s term in office. The seats were formerly held by Kimberly Gordon and Elizabeth Stone who no longer serve on the commission.
Aileen Cassinetto is a poet, publisher, arts practitioner, community organizer and mentor, and lifelong arts advocate. She served as San Mateo County Poet Laureate from 2019 to 2022 and was named an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow in 2021. Her poem, “Wide American Earth,” premiered at Carnegie Hall in June 2023. Previously, Aileen also served on the Commission on the Status of Women.
Deepa Nair is a college professor, multidisciplinary artist, and a documentary/non-narrative filmmaker based in Belmont. She started making short documentaries a few years ago and quickly realized the dearth of support, grant opportunities, and screening avenues in San Mateo County for filmmakers and video visual artists. She applied to the Arts Commission to see more representation of diverse visual and performing artists in San Mateo County.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.