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Record of Proceedings

Joliet Arts Commission Meeting - November 19, 2025

Meeting Portal — Wednesday, November 19, 2025
BodyJoliet, Illinois
SessionMeeting Portal
DateWednesday, November 19, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 57:25

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:24

We're ready to go.

0:29

Does the chair want to make a vice chair?

0:33

Pro tem make a welcome?

0:35

Well, I think the first thing we have to do is uh make a motion to accept a pro temp.

0:40

Okay.

0:41

Is there a motion to accept if you want me to chair somebody has to make a motion?

0:51

So that was Donna.

0:53

Yeah, uh motion that my uh Ron be the uh chair on my side.

1:00

So I guess who's the second?

1:06

Okay.

1:09

Okay, you got that?

1:11

All right, so we have a motion and a second for the make pro temper attorns I'm usually doing.

1:20

Okay, all those in favor?

1:22

Aye.

1:22

Aye.

1:23

All right.

1:25

All right, so I'd like to call the uh City of Juliet Arts Commission meeting uh to order for Wednesday, November 19th 2025.

1:35

First up is roll call.

1:38

Sure.

1:39

Um Deborah Falato absent.

1:44

Donna Frank Stapley here.

1:48

Tom Gotowski absent, Ron Romero.

1:52

Here Julia Rossati.

1:57

John Simpson Jr.

1:59

is absent.

2:01

Peg Stoiber here.

2:04

Deborah Summers.

2:06

Deborah Balling.

2:08

Did I say that right?

2:09

Balling?

2:10

Okay.

2:12

Right, there is quorum.

2:14

Next item is approval of minutes from the meeting from 101525.

2:19

Um should be in your package there.

2:22

So any questions.

2:25

If not, we would need a motion to accept as presented.

2:29

I move to accept the minutes as presented.

2:33

Okay.

2:34

I said.

2:35

I'm sorry, who said the second?

2:36

Yep.

2:37

Okay.

2:38

Motion seconded.

2:44

All right, there was a motion and a second.

2:45

All those in favor?

2:47

Aye.

2:47

Aye.

2:48

Okay.

2:55

And uh next item is citizens to be heard on agenda items, seeing no citizens here.

3:01

Seeing none, we'll move on to agenda items, which is a staff update on the draft public art ordinance.

3:09

Right.

3:11

Okay.

3:11

Let me I have a presentation.

3:14

We have a presentation.

3:16

Um it's been quite some time.

3:31

I think that that has been discussed in detail.

3:37

Um as you may or may not know, Ray Heitner and I, and and our and staff have been working over the last many months to um prepare a public art ordinance.

3:51

And so the direction that this ended up taking.

3:55

So there was this public arts policy document that the commission here had been working on.

3:59

Um staff kept diving into the details of that policy document.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Arts And Culture█████████████████████████████████████████████73%
Public Engagement████████13%
Procedural████7%
Zoning And Land Use████7%
Summary of Proceedings

Joliet Arts Commission Meeting - November 19, 2025

The Joliet Arts Commission met on November 19, 2025 at 5:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting was called to order by Pro-Tem Chair Ron Romero (elected due to Chairman Grotovsky's absence). Key agenda items included a staff update on the draft Public Art Ordinance, updates on the Sijia Chen sculpture project, and planning for the city's Comprehensive Plan workshop. The meeting adjourned at 5:57 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Pro-Tem Chair Election: Motion by Donna Franks-Tapley, seconded by Peg Stoiber, to appoint Ron Romero as Chair for the meeting. Carried unanimously.
  • Approval of Minutes (October 15, 2025): Motion by Peg Stoiber, seconded by Debra Volling, to approve the minutes as presented. Carried unanimously (5 ayes, 4 absent).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public were in attendance for either agenda item or non-agenda item public comment periods.

Discussion Items

  • Staff Update on Draft Public Art Ordinance:
    • Planning Director Jayne Bernhard presented the draft ordinance, which aims to create a clear process for permitting public art on both public and private property. Currently, murals and other art are evaluated under the city's sign code; many existing murals are non-compliant and require variances. The proposed ordinance would establish a public art permit process, with review by the Arts Commission for projects that exceed a property's allotted sign area.
    • Staff explained that projects within the sign allotment could be approved administratively. For larger projects, the Arts Commission would review artistic merit, site suitability, maintenance, and deaccessioning. City Council approval would be required for projects valued over $25,000.
    • Commissioners raised questions about:
      • Existing murals: How to bring non-compliant murals into compliance? (Staff responded that an inventory would be taken and those exceeding sign area would be brought under the new ordinance.)
      • Intellectual property (IP) rights: Commissioner Ron Romero asked how IP would be handled. Ann Sylvester noted that the city has a template from the Sijia Chen contract; the art display agreement component of the ordinance could incorporate IP considerations. Staff clarified that for private projects, the artist typically retains IP unless it is work-for-hire.
      • Definition of art vs. signage: Commissioners discussed murals like the “Louise Barber Shop” mural—whether it qualifies as art or advertisement. Staff acknowledged this is a nuanced issue that the ordinance will need to address, possibly through evaluation standards that consider the proportion of artistic vs. commercial content.
      • Public Art Policy: Commissioner Franks-Tapley asked about the relationship between the new ordinance and the previously drafted Public Art Policy. Staff confirmed that both can coexist; the ordinance focuses on the permitting process, while the policy addresses broader goals like ownership and copyright.
  • Staff Comments:
    • Ann Sylvester and Donna Franks-Tapley reported attending the One State Humanities Conference in Champaign, Illinois. The conference (theme: “Meeting the Moment”) drew 307 professionals and offered 39 breakout sessions. Both found it beneficial for networking and learning about funding and community arts programming.
    • Update on Sijia Chen's community engagement: Chen visited Joliet in October, conducting workshops at multiple schools and gathering 104 online submissions in two weeks. The Arts Commission will hold a special meeting on December 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM to review Chen’s final sculpture design for the Unity Dome.
    • Planning Director Bernhard invited Commissioners to participate in a Comprehensive Plan workshop on January 21, 2026 at 6:30 PM, focused on arts, culture, and heritage. She encouraged pre-registration via the city’s website (joliet.gov/comprehensiveplan).

Key Outcomes

  • Public Art Ordinance: Staff will continue drafting the ordinance, aiming to present a draft to the Arts Commission by spring 2026, with final adoption by City Council expected in summer 2026.
  • Special Meeting: A special Arts Commission meeting is scheduled for December 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM to review and recommend Sijia Chen’s final sculpture proposal.
  • Comprehensive Plan Workshop: Commissioners were asked to attend and promote the January 21, 2026 workshop dedicated to arts, culture, and heritage.
  • Adjournment: Motion by Peg Stoiber, seconded by Donna Franks-Tapley, to adjourn at 5:57 PM. Carried unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

We're ready to go. Does the chair want to make a vice chair? Pro tem make a welcome? Well, I think the first thing we have to do is uh make a motion to accept a pro temp. Okay. Is there a motion to accept if you want me to chair somebody has to make a motion? So that was Donna. Yeah, uh motion that my uh Ron be the uh chair on my side. So I guess who's the second? Okay. Okay, you got that? All right, so we have a motion and a second for the make pro temper attorns I'm usually doing. Okay, all those in favor? Aye. Aye. All right. All right, so I'd like to call the uh City of Juliet Arts Commission meeting uh to order for Wednesday, November 19th 2025. First up is roll call. Sure. Um Deborah Falato absent. Donna Frank Stapley here. Tom Gotowski absent, Ron Romero. Here Julia Rossati. John Simpson Jr. is absent. Peg Stoiber here. Deborah Summers. Deborah Balling. Did I say that right? Balling? Okay. Right, there is quorum. Next item is approval of minutes from the meeting from 101525. Um should be in your package there. So any questions. If not, we would need a motion to accept as presented. I move to accept the minutes as presented. Okay. I said. I'm sorry, who said the second? Yep. Okay. Motion seconded. All right, there was a motion and a second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Okay. And uh next item is citizens to be heard on agenda items, seeing no citizens here. Seeing none, we'll move on to agenda items, which is a staff update on the draft public art ordinance.

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