Illinois Valley Times

City of Ottawa Arts Committee met July 7

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

CALL TO ORDER

10:05 am

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Motion to approve: Ryan Searl

Second: Heather Pursley

ATTENDEES

In-person: Amanda Zehr, Ryan Searl, Heather Pursley, Alaina Iverson, Tami Koppen

Call-in: Jocelyn Campbell, Susan Burton

PUBLIC COMMENT

None

AGENDA

Review of completed 2025 Projects

Brief review of completed projects to date.

Paint the Town: En Plein Air Art Festival

The committee reviewed the event planning and promotion. The application has been shared on Cafe and is yielding good results. The committee has a target of 15 registrants and is on track to achieve that goal.

Action Items:

● Amanda Zehr, Heather Pursley, and Jocelyn Campbell to reach out to restaurants to see if they would like to offer an art-inspired special.

● Heather Pursley to work with the Ottawa Downtown Association to ask businesses to offer coupons to participants.

Poet Laureate

The committee approved extending the deadline to attract more applicants.

Action Items

● Ryan Searl to run press release in The Times

● Amanda Zehr will announce at the Open Mic Poetry Night at Open Space Art Gallery and Studios, and in a local art collective.

Grant Opportunity Discussion

The committee discussed a Creative Projects Grant through the IL Arts Council. The group decided to explore pricing for a large-scale mural project as a first step in applying for the grant.

2025 Projects and 2026 Ideas

The committee discussed current and ongoing projects, including a community crochet sunshade for Jackson Street. The group also proposed new projects for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026-2027.

Meeting Adjournment

10:50 AM

Motion to approve: Ryan Searl

Seconded: Heather Pursley

https://cityofottawa.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_07072025-574