Times may be tough economically, but that doesn't mean Hailey will be skimping on public art.
Two years ago Hailey became the sixth city in Idaho to pass a "percentage for art" ordinance, requiring that 1.25 percent of capital improvements in the city be spent on murals, sculptures, music or other public art projects. The Hailey Arts Commission was formed, in part, to implement that ordinance.
Last week the arts commission received $10,000 from the City Council to paint a portable mural on a wall of the council chambers. The seven-member commission board hopes to match that money with an additional $10,000 Idaho Commission for the Arts grant, and complete the mural next summer.
The commission will know by April if it has the additional $10,000. At that time it will send out a call for artists to paint the mural.
"It makes a big difference for kids to grow up in a city with public art," said Arts Commissioner Mark Johnstone. "This is a strong statement by the City Council on the importance of art in the fabric of the community."
Before moving to Hailey and helping to form the Hailey Arts Commission, Johnstone ran the Los Angeles public art program for 10 years. He is joined on the commission by Pat Robinson Webb, Joe Castle, Melissa Graves Brown, Tracy Anderson, Jim Spinelli, Elizabeth Zellers and Andy Lewis.
Many of the Hailey arts commissioners are artists themselves, but few make a living at it.
"It's pretty cool to be able to go into a business in this town and see local art on display," said Commissioner Melissa Graves Brown, who has a painting studio and gallery on Main Street. Graves worked with the rest of the commission to get local art into local businesses in July during the Month of Art celebration, which culminated in a Night of Music that brought song and dance across town well into the night.
"It's great to see Blaine County and Hailey in particular incorporating arts into the growth of the city," said sculptor Joe Castle, who also sits on the commission.
Castle displayed some of his bronze sculptures outside Hailey businesses during the Month of Art. He will work with the commission this winter to create an artist registry for the Wood River Valley, develop public arts guidelines for Hailey and eventually find an artist to paint the council chamber mural.
The commission will hold two workshops this spring on the process of submitting proposals for public art. The artist, or artists, chosen for the council chambers mural will be picked by a selection committee made up of an arts commissioner, an outside artist, a City Council member and a city resident.
"This is an eight-month process," said Johnstone, who emphasized that the arts commission is not authorized to spend money without explicit approval from the City Council.
The $10,000 for the council chamber mural came from $150,000 set aside for renovation of city offices. In addition to those funds, the arts commission has gathered $5,142 since January from capital improvement projects, including street, sidewalk, parking lot and traffic light improvements in the city.
In keeping with city ordinance requirements, that money can be spent incorporating art into actual building projects, or pooled for a future art project.
"We are hoping to provide some opportunities for artists," said Commissioner Pat Robinson.
Arts Commissioner Tracy Anderson works at the clerk's office at Hailey City Hall. She will also be project manager for the council chamber mural project. She does her part raising funds for art each Monday when she sells baked goods to city staff.
"The proceeds go to the Hailey Public Art Fund," Anderson said.
The arts commission is seeking public and private funding for arts projects, including the acquisition of artwork for a permanent Hailey art collection.
Hailey Arts Commissioners gathered in Hailey city council chambers on Monday to discuss their role in bringing creativity and artistic opportunities to the citizens of Hailey. From left are Melissa Graves Brown, Pat Robinson Webb, Mark Johnstone, Joe Castle and Tracy Anderson. Not pictured: Jim Spinelli, Elizabeth Zellers and Andy Lewis.
