The Martin County Art in Public Places Advisory Committee voted to approve its proposed activities for Arts Fest 2026, including a heat-press station where festivalgoers can create custom tote bags and a collaboration with Treasure Coast Charity WineFest to run a ticketed food-and-wine tasting inside a gated area to raise private revenues for hospitality- and mental-health-focused grants.

Elise Rafa presented the plan, saying the booth idea would let festival visitors take home a piece of public art created during the event. Nancy Turl, who spoke during the Arts Fest discussion, described the plan as a way to increase visibility for Art in Public Places and to raise private funds that would be spent on hospitality-industry and family mental-health initiatives: "I think it's a great new way to bring Art Fest to the community and make it stand out," she said.

A motion to approve the Arts Fest activities was moved and seconded; members voted "Aye" and approved the participation. Staff noted that funds for the Arts Fest activities have already been budgeted.

The committee also discussed logistics including vendor selection and suggested running a new survey specific to Arts Fest in order to update community preferences. Staff will proceed with vendor discussions and the proposed partnership and return with implementation details as needed.