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Arts committee selects Mark Fisher and Milligan Studio as finalists for lakeside installation
Summary
Committee reviewed applications and resumes for three top candidates and voted to name Mark Fisher and Milligan Studio as the two finalists to develop proposals and present at a project orientation; staff will notify finalists and non‑selected applicants and seek presentation dates.
The Middleton Arts Committee voted to name Mark Fisher and Milligan Studio as the two finalists to develop proposals for a small lakeside installation and to present their designs at a project orientation.
The motion to select the two finalists was made by Jolene, a committee member, who said, “I move that we select Mark Fisher and the Milligan Studio as our 2 finalists, to present proposals to us.” The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
Committee members had spent the meeting reviewing resumes and images from the top applicants. Sebastian, a committee member who helped lead the discussion, said choosing was difficult because “we got a lot of good applicants” and there was no single perfect solution; he endorsed offering the highest‑scoring applicant the option to proceed first while keeping a second finalist on the roster.
The committee reviewed John Adducci’s résumé, noting more than 40 years of experience and prior site‑specific commissions, and discussed whether his work would be newly fabricated or drawn from existing pieces. Members also reviewed Milligan Studio (a woman‑owned public art collaborative in St. Paul, Minnesota) and praised its mix of media and reputation for being on time and on budget. Mark Fisher, a local artist, included a conceptual sketch envisioning two women in a canoe on Lake Mendota that several members said helped clarify his artistic intent.
Council input shared earlier in the meeting had been generally positive but included a request that any installed piece be more vertical so it could be seen from the lakeside and have a minimized footing so it would not consume the small green area. Committee members said those preferences would be shared with the finalists.
Next steps: staff will notify the two finalists and the eight applicants not selected, and attempt to schedule a project orientation either in person or remotely. The committee discussed placing finalists’ presentations on the Sept. 19 meeting agenda if both are available; staff said they will confirm dates and public‑notice requirements before finalizing the schedule.
The committee adjourned with plans to reconvene in September to review finalist proposals.
