Arts & Culture Commission Meeting Date: May 12, 2025
To: Commission Members
From: Natalie Draper, Library Director
Title
Approve Percent for the Arts Funds for 2025 Downtown Murals.
Body
Action Requested:
The Arts & Culture Commission is being asked to Approve Percent for the Arts Funds for 2025 Downtown Murals.
Summary Report:
The Friends of Downtown Northfield (FODN) did not receive the State Arts Board grant they applied for to continue Artists on Main Street. The Arts and Culture Commission has previously approved matching the anticipated grant funds ($25,000) to support the initiative. If the ACC decides to move forward on the downtown murals without grant funding, the anticipated funding required for this year’s intended program to complete two large-scale downtown murals is $55,000.
The theme for this year’s anticipated Artists on Main Street program was Uplifting Local History and we had planned to narrow the scope of the project to two murals to be more mindful of staff capacity. The proposed locations are: The former Northfield News Building, now Loon Liquors’ future location and the pedestrian bridge underpass on the river walk, behind the Contented Cow. The latter location has been a recent target of increasing graffiti over the winter and staff are hopeful that a mural and improved lighting will discourage more. Loon Liquors is interested in having a historic-themed mural on their building and a similar partnership with Domino’s worked well in the past.
Alternative Options:
N/A
Financial Impacts:
N/A
Tentative Timelines:
Issue call to artists: May 2025
PARC meets to review responses to call: June/ July 2025
Work begins: July/August 2025