Trustees put end to Public Arts Board

The Village of Grafton Public Arts Board, which hasn’t met in two years, is now defunct.

The Grafton Village Board on Monday agreed to disband the board due to a lack of membership participation.

“The Public Arts Board has not met since September 2016. There was a lot of vacancies due to a lack of quorum. There’s been no interest and no applications brought forward for citizens to join the Public Arts Board,” Village Administrator Jesse Thyes said.

The board was formed in July 2010 consisting of seven voting members, who included three village residents, three members of cultural institutions and one village trustee.

Former Village Trustee Dean Proefrock was assigned to the board but resigned last month because he moved to the Town of Grafton.

The primary focus of the board was to promote public-owned art and supporting private art in the community by seeking grant opportunities, coordinating art fairs at festivals, adding public art in parks and finding opportunities for performing arts.

Past projects included the illumination of the Bridge Street Dam, painting rain barrels, poetry paths, guitar art in the Paramount Plaza, incorporating the sculpture in the Meijer’s outlot and streetlight banners.

“There was a need and an interest at a time. A lot of those needs have been fulfilled,” Village President Jim Brunnquell said.  

Trustee Lisa Uribe Harbeck asked if disbanding the board would impact future opportunities for public art to be included with new developments, which is part of the village’s zoning code.

Village Director of Planning and Development Jessica Wolff said any large-scale developments more than 52,000-square feet are required to have a public amenity like a sculpture, which would be evaluated and considered by the Architectural Review Board and Plan Commission.

Brunnquell said the Community Development Authority could also be involved with public art projects in the downtown business district.

Any public art projects can be considered by the Public Works or Parks and Recreation boards, Thyes said.

Thyes also said there were no remaining funds in the board’s budget that needed to be reallocated.

“Obviously, things run their course and if there is a need or demand, that can always change,” Brunnquell said.