Ivins Arts Commission pledges budget backup after silent-auction push to buy Whitaker wind sculptures

The Ivins Arts Commission voted to dedicate part of its budget to purchase two Whitaker wind sculptures if community fundraising falls short of the remaining $6,115 needed to complete the project.

The vote came during the commission’s meeting as members reviewed plans for Heritage Days and a silent auction organizers hope will close the remaining gap. Liz, an Arts Commission member who is coordinating the silent auction, moved the motion: “I move that should we not raise enough money to purchase the Whittaker sculptures by October 1, that we dedicate part of our budget towards that purchase.” The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

The vote follows a fundraising update from Patty, an Arts Commission member handling finances, who reported the Whitaker project was “87% there” with $6,115 still to raise and that the commission has unrestricted funds it could use. Patty said some previously held NEA grant funds were transferred into the commission’s accounts and that the commission currently has between roughly $32,000 and $40,000 available depending on wrap-tax receipts and pending allocations.

Commissioners said they hope proceeds from the commission’s Heritage Days silent auction, which opens Thursday for setup and closes at 3 p.m. on Saturday, will provide the remainder. Liz reported 51 confirmed auction donations so far and described logistics: a laptop for on-site credit-card payments, a buy-it-now line on revised bidding sheets, and volunteer staffing for exhibit shifts and pickup between 3 and 5 p.m. Saturday. Organizers also plan to ask Mayor Hart to speak about the Whitaker sculptures during the drone show portion of Heritage Days.

The committee reviewed related budget items and program funding. Patty said the commission received $20,000 previously held by the city, $15,150 originally for an Arts Corridor project that donors redirected to the Whitaker sculptures, and $2,100 in interest earned. She said the city had approved an increase to the commission’s per-year allocation (and related recipients such as Kayenta and Tuacon) from $7,500 to $10,000; because the commission moved its internal accounting to the city fiscal year, this transition year will be an eight-month period before resuming 12-month budgets.

Patty outlined projected expenses and reserves: a placeholder of $30,000 for colorful crosswalks, about $2,000 each to wrap three additional utility boxes this fiscal year, and a new annual reserve spread over five years to budget for future rewrapping and maintenance. She noted one wrap box has a tear that will be repaired after Heritage Days and described how other communities (St. George) handled warranties and longevity studies.

Commission members also addressed website and outreach items: the artist registry page needs improved content beyond names and website links, SEO tagging problems and caching of old Wix pages must be cleaned up, and the commission is collecting photos and artist material to build individual artist pages. Miranda, identified in the meeting as the person contacting donors, confirmed she had contacted donors and would provide a check for $685 in remaining Arts Corridor-dedicated donations where donors could not be reached.

RAP (wrap-tax) grant timing and application dates were confirmed: applications will go live on the Arts Commission website on Oct. 1; the deadline for applications is Dec. 31; the commission will meet to review on Jan. 14 and present recommendations to the city council on Jan. 15, with funds expected to be distributed around Jan. 31. Commissioners also confirmed that unspent wrap-tax funds carry forward into subsequent fiscal years.

The commission discussed Heritage Days volunteer staffing, the arrival schedule for event T-shirts, logistics for collecting and moving donated auction items (Joseph, identified as a city staff contact, was asked to coordinate truck pickup), and signage and setup schedules. Liz asked commission members and volunteers to promote the auction and the Whitaker fundraising through personal and community channels including Nextdoor and the city website.

The meeting closed after a brief public comment by Barbara Lewis, who asked about buy-it-now pricing; commissioners said buy-it-now amounts were set at 120% of retail. The commission adjourned to prepare for Heritage Days.

Patty and Liz provided the financial sheets and auction schedules referenced during the meeting; commissioners asked staff to circulate the updated RAP application form before Oct. 1.