The Middleton Arts Committee reviewed scheduled youth-center classes and recent pop-up art events, confirmed volunteer support and discussed the pop-up art budget and rising supply costs.

Committee members said the youth-center calendar already includes November bracelet-making, January–February two-part pottery classes by Christine Laffenburg, a March collage class, and a May–June mural project composed of individual canvases. Staff stated that youth classes pay $150 plus materials and typically run about one hour; one member said, “We had about 200 kids do the art activity” at a recent parks event, describing strong family turnout.

On pop-up art, the committee reported successful volunteer support from high-school groups (Key Club and DECA) and said volunteers and high-school helpers leave the events well-staffed for the candy-cane hunt and other winter events. The committee recommended setting the pop-up art operational budget at $750 for the coming year, which staff said is manageable for the number of planned activities.

Members cautioned that supply prices are rising: one member reported buying a case of foam core for $78 last week and seeing the same case priced at $108 the following week, and flagged tariffs as a possible cause of further increases. The committee discussed using recycled or donated materials where possible and proposed creating donation lists (paper rolls, egg cartons, rubber bands) to reduce costs and support reuse.

Committee members said they will schedule a future agenda item to finalize pop-up art budget appropriations and to solicit additional volunteer help when needed.