Appleton Public Arts Committee withdraws recommendation, will run new contest for Houdini Tower panels

The Appleton Public Arts Committee voted to withdraw its current recommendation for refreshing the Houdini Tower panels and directed staff to run a new public art competition, with the contest parameters to be determined at a future meeting.

The decision followed a lengthy public comment from Alder Alex Schultz — who said he was representing Sculpture Valley — raising concerns about copyright and selection criteria for images used on the tower. Schultz urged the committee either to secure a usage extension from Appleton Downtown Inc. (ADI) and Sculpture Valley or to hold a new contest that would better define selection criteria and separate photography from other forms of art. "I think there needs to be something that defines why there's this mishmash of imagery," Schultz said during his remarks.

Staff told the committee they had met with the city attorney and contacted ADI for records but received only limited documentation; staff said some images in the packet were marked out because the city lacks clear documentation to establish reuse rights. "We have money in the budget for the 2026 budget for procuring new panels," a staff member said, noting the city intended any current refresh to be temporary until a new procurement in 2026.

Committee members discussed options that included (1) using images the city already holds rights to under the city attorney's opinion, (2) directing staff to gather additional documentation from Sculpture Valley and have the city attorney review ownership and reuse rights, or (3) launching a new competition to commission a single, cohesive installation. Members also debated practical issues such as seasonal installation windows and production lead times; staff said typical production and selection runs take roughly two to three months and installation generally waits until frost is gone (targeting spring to be ready ahead of summer events such as the Mile of Music).

At the meeting's conclusion, a committee member moved to "withdraw the current recommendation and move forward with a new contest, parameters to be determined at a future meeting." A second was confirmed in the record, and Chair Bob Vang called the vote. The chair recorded the ayes and stated there were no nays; the motion carried.

The committee's next steps are procedural: staff will prepare the process parameters for the competition and return to the committee for formal approval of those parameters at a future meeting. The committee also noted that facilities and park staff cannot physically change the panels until weather allows (roughly March), so any temporary refresh would be limited in duration.