A purring, drowsy looking Siamese kitten rests belly-up on a jeans-clad lap, arms outstretched, front paws absently paddling in the air. For the briefest moment, the kitten pauses, eyes drooping, and then begins its paddling anew.

Ten seconds later, the video was over, and three bespectacled arts professionals sitting around a conference table in Somerville last Thursday looked away from the large television suspended on the wall and commenced their deliberations.