301 E. Huron St.  
Ann Arbor, MI 48104  
http://a2gov.legistar.com/  
Calendar.aspx  
City of Ann Arbor  
Meeting Minutes - Draft  
Ann Arbor Public Art Commission  
Wednesday, May 6, 2026  
7:00 PM  
Larcom City Hall, 301 E Huron St, Second  
floor, City Council Chambers  
This meeting will air live on CTN Channel 16, ATT Channel 99, and online at  
a2gov.org/watchCTN. To speak at public comment, call 888-788-0099 or 877-853-5247  
(Toll Free), enter Meeting ID: 932 8112 0347 and Passcode: 199831  
I.) CALL TO ORDER (Mary Thiefels) (1 Minute)  
Chair Mary Thiefels called the electronic meeting of the Ann Arbor Public  
Art Commission to order at 7:04 PM.  
II.) ROLL CALL (Christopher Cespedes) (2 Minutes)  
Present city staff, speakers, and/or guests:  
• Christopher Cespedes, City Staff  
8 -  
Present:  
Allison Neal, Peggy Wier-Leonard, Marianetta Porter,  
Jamall Bufford, Mary Thiefels, Sarah Fuller, Jenna Carter,  
and John Jourden  
2 - Cynthia Harrison, and John Kotarski  
Absent:  
III.) CONSENT AGENDA (Mary Thiefels)(2 Minutes)  
Approved as presented  
III.A.) Approval of Agenda  
III.B.) Approval of Minutes  
26-0967 April 2026 - AAPAC Mtg Minutes  
April 2026 - AAPAC Mtg Minutes.pdf  
Attachments:  
A motion was made by Commissioner Porter, supported by  
Commissioner Neal, to approve the meeting agenda and the April 1,  
2026 meeting minutes as presented. The Chair declared the consent  
agenda approved by the Commission and Forwarded to the City  
Council due back on 7/6/2026  
IV.) PUBLIC COMMENT - 3 MINUTES PER SPEAKER (Christopher Cespedes)  
Public comment was opened. No members of the public spoke during  
public comment.  
V.) BUSINESS  
V.A.) No Business Items  
VI.) INFORMATION OR DISCUSSION  
VI.A.) Proposed Public Art Jury Rotation Process (Mary Thiefels) (20 Minutes)  
Discussion Highlights:  
• Chair Thiefels introduced a proposed rotation process for future  
commissioner participation on public art review or jury panels.  
• Staff described maintaining a rotating list of commissioners so  
opportunities can be offered more evenly as requests are received.  
• Commissioners expressed general support for the rotation process and  
discussed ensuring that commissioners who have not recently served on  
review panels have opportunities to participate.  
• Commissioners briefly discussed volunteer status and potential conflict  
of interest considerations for review panel participation.  
• Staff will coordinate with commissioners as future jury or review panel  
opportunities arise.  
VI.B.) Public Art Grant - Maintenance and Preservation Eligibility (Mary Thiefels) (20 Minutes)  
Discussion Highlights:  
• Chair Thiefels introduced a discussion regarding whether the proposed  
public art grant program should include maintenance and preservation  
as eligible uses.  
• Commissioners discussed allowing maintenance-related requests on a  
case-by-case basis while avoiding the creation of ongoing maintenance  
responsibilities for the Commission.  
• Commissioners noted that maintenance of City-owned public art should  
generally remain the responsibility of the appropriate City department.  
• Staff reported that recent communication with the Ann Arbor Area  
Community Foundation clarified that the public art fund may support both  
new public art installations and maintenance of existing public art  
installations.  
• Commissioners discussed including maintenance-related questions in  
the grant application, including anticipated maintenance needs for  
proposed projects.  
• Staff suggested that the fundraising/grant working group refine language  
on maintenance eligibility for inclusion in the draft grant program  
proposal.  
VII.) COMMUNICATIONS  
VII.A.) Staff Report and Updates (Christopher Cespedes) (10 Minutes)  
Discussion Highlights:  
• Staff reported that the Foundation may be able to disburse funds  
directly to the organization selected to administer the grant program,  
provided the organization is properly identified.  
• Staff noted that an official grant program proposal would help guide  
future discussions with Creative Washtenaw or another potential  
administrative partner.  
• Staff offered to prepare an initial draft grant program proposal for  
Commission review.  
• Commissioners discussed how the public art fund could be more clearly  
communicated to the public, including potential donation or fundraising  
opportunities.  
• Staff reported that coordination with the Downtown Development  
Authority is underway to provide more regular updates to the  
Commission regarding downtown public art projects with the first quarterly  
update being planned for the June 3, 2026 Commission meeting.  
• Staff also noted that the DDA appears to be moving forward with support  
for the Sculpture Plaza concept presented at the prior Commission  
meeting, though the final scope is still being developed.  
VII.B.) Commission Member Communications (Mary Thiefels) (10 minutes)  
Discussion Highlights:  
• Commissioner Porter shared information about her upcoming  
exhibition at Stamps Gallery, scheduled to open June 4, 2026.  
• Commissioners shared information about upcoming arts-related  
events, including Art Birmingham, Embracing Our Differences  
programming, Diversity Day at Washtenaw Community College, and the  
Ann Arbor Art Fair poster unveiling.  
• Chair Thiefels shared an update on the Murals That Bridge project,  
including recent media coverage and the status of MDOT permit review.  
• Chair Thiefels noted that the next Commission meeting is scheduled for  
June 3, 2026, and that the Commission is not expected to meet in July.  
VII.C.) Reports from Working Groups (Mary Thiefels) (30 minutes)  
Discussion Highlights:  
• The fundraising/grant working group discussed next steps for refining  
the proposed public art grant program, including maintenance eligibility  
language.  
• Commissioners discussed adding Commissioner Jourden to the  
fundraising/grant working group.  
• Under Special Projects, commissioners discussed the Golden  
Paintbrush Awards, including production of the award impressions and  
potential timing for recognition at a future City Council meeting.  
• Staff noted that August may be a more workable timeframe for Council  
recognition if June is not feasible.  
• Under Communications and Outreach, Commissioner Bufford provided  
an update on the Commission’s Instagram account and discussed  
sharing public art updates with the community.  
• Commissioners discussed artwork being installed at Dunbar Tower and  
the possibility of inviting artists to a future Commission meeting.  
VIII. Next Agenda Items (Mary Thiefels) (3 minutes)  
Discussion Highlights:  
• The Commission is expected to receive a pilot quarterly public art  
update.  
• The fundraising/grant working group will continue refining proposed  
grant program language.  
IX. Adjournment (Mary Thiefels) – 2 minutes  
A motion to adjourn was made by Commissioner Porter and supported  
by Commissioner Jourden. The meeting was adjourned at 7:53 PM.  
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