Urbandale Arts Committee Flush With Cash

Urbandale's Public Art Committee has an unusual problem: too much money.

After three years of funding by the City Council, the committee has nearly $60,000 and no specific plan to acquire more art, committee treasurer Emily Tripp reported Tuesday.

"We need to come up with a more rigorous plan for acquiring art. We need a long-range spending plan" Tripp said. Without one, the committee could have in excess of $90,000 by the next fiscal year. 

The committee, which operates under the direction of the Urbandale Friends of the Parks Committee, annually receives 1 percent of the money the city sets aside for capital improvements to roads and parks. Since 2008, that's been about $30,000, according to a graph Tripp passed out to the committee.

The committee spent about $32,000 on four bronze sculptures that have been placed at the city government complex and three Urbandale parks. The sculptures, purchased from the Randolph Rose Collection, show children at play.

Urbandale City Manager A.J. Johnson said city spending for public art has had the support of the City Council. "It's a relatively small amount so my guess is that they will continue to support it," he said.

Tripp told the committee that it will be hard to apply for grants or seek more money if they don't  have a more detailed spending plan.

Johnson said: "There's nothing threatening the committee, but that's a good point. The expectations are that if you have the money, you're going to do something with it."

Although the sculptures generally have been well received by the public, Cate Newberg, committee chairwoman, said she's been asked several times if that's the only kind of art the committee is purchasing.

Bruce Bernard, of the Friends of the Parks Committee said the four sculptures were all part of a proposal that Parks Director Jan Herke brought to the committee. 

Newberg said the committee wants to invest in different kinds of art. The committee has been discussing various projects, including displays of art by Urbandale students, a regular schedule of lectures and demonstrations by Urbandale artists, and creating a gallery for art in the public library. 

The committee recently decided to establish art zones around the city, which could include parks and trails, gateways into the city, major commercial centers and as part of a Douglas Avenue beautification project.