McHenry County arts council plans cut

Public art may still have a place in McHenry County, but publicly funded art took a hit Tuesday when a county board committee opted against establishing a McHenry County Arts Council and setting its bylaws.

The board's management services committee indefinitely tabled a vote on the proposed council, saying it might not be the best use of taxpayer money and citing concerns it would take away funding opportunities for existing arts groups.

"Part of me wonders whether this public entity would come into competition with those private organizations," committee member Barbara Wheeler said. "I just don't know whether this is the place for government."

The proposal surfaced late last year as an offshoot of the county board's artwork subcommittee, a panel founded to develop an art collection for display in county buildings. Using proceeds from county vending machines, the committee has installed about 100 pieces of art in public buildings, a collection highlighted by a 16-by-20-foot mural in the county courthouse.

The council plan called for a volunteer board that would oversee art displays in and around county buildings and direct an annual public art project.

Backers said such programs would enhance the county's culture, quality of life and tourism potential.

"There is a segment of our county who this is highly important to," county board member Yvonne Barnes said. "I'm in favor of expanding this."

Other board members, however, said they were not ready to commit county money when supporters of the arts could seek funding elsewhere.

"If they could get donations and do fundraisers, that would be better," board member Mary Lou Zierer said.

Management services chairman Tina Hill, a proponent of the arts council, said the proposal could return to the committee at a later date. Hill's committee will continue to oversee efforts to display art in county-owned buildings.