Council for the Arts wants to purchase outdoor sculpture

Kenneth Voigt, representing the Belleville Area Council for the Arts, told the Belleville Downtown Development Authority that BACA wants to purchase an outdoor sculpture now on display in the city and present it to the City of Belleville for display wherever it sees fit.
The sculpture, leased by the DDA from the Michigan Sculpture Initiative for a year, is “Hands Held High” by Gregory Mendez. Purchase price is $2,500.
At the DDA’s Feb. 21 meeting, Voigt said the council wishes to buy the sculpture now next to the gateway sign at the Belleville Bridge. He said they don’t have all the money collected yet, but they are raising money for public art and that is their plan.
He said while the city could put the public art wherever it liked, where it is now is a good place as it welcomes people to the city with an uplifting symbol.
DDA coordinator Carol Thompson said this would be the first sculpture put on display through Midwest Sculpture Initiative that will have been sold and that is very exciting.
Voigt also discussed Music Lakeside banners and was told that subject needed to be discussed with the city.
In other business at the Feb. 21 meeting, the DDA:
• Reviewed the City of Belleville Parks and Recreation Evaluation prepared by three Parks and Recreation Commission members last September. The commission is looking for funds to upgrade the parks;
• Discussed the Belleville High School FIRST Robotics competition being hosted at BHS March 22-24. The DDA said it will work with the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce to get the businesses involved in welcoming the more than 1,000 people expected in the city that week end; and
• Discussed BHS New Tech projects. Thompson said she met with Scott Wilsey and told him the DDA was taking a year off from the SOUP project. Also, they asked for more time on the Blessed Basket, a winning SOUP Project which had been scheduled for last year. She said it could be done this fall and maybe folded into Winter Fest. New Tech will continue to do the Zombie Run, she said. New Tech also asked the DDA to help it get community projects that could be turned into classroom projects. This is more productive than after-school projects like they had in the past, she said.