YORKVILLE – Public artwork displayed on spaces throughout downtown Yorkville may soon be in the works.

The Yorkville City Council voted, 8-0, to approve the proposed comprehensive plan to encourage the display of various art installations within outdoor public spaces throughout the downtown area during their meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

City officials previously said those artworks could include wall murals, manhole covers, utility box wrappings, free-standing interactive art sculptures and temporary works. The most immediate opportunities for those types of projects on city-owned property included a wall mural on the Van Emmon Activity Center, an interactive sculpture at Bicentennial Riverfront Park and banners on Route 47 light poles.

Yorkville Ward 4 Alderman Jason Peterson, who is part of the city's economic development committee, said city officials have also talked about the city, an artist or a sponsor investing in art projects that would go through the program. He said the program could also include a mentorship program with older artists and schools' art programs in the area.

Peterson said there are a lot of good directions the program could go and that he's excited about those prospects.

“It’s kind of a roadmap to what we do in the future, to kind of dress up the downtown and have some local talent come together,” Peterson said.

Krysti Barksdale-Noble, community development director for Yorkville, said during the Tuesday meeting the plan does not require funding from the city. She said maintenance agreements would be handled on an individual basis, depending on the location of the art installation and which groups were involved with the project in question.

Barksdale-Noble had said during a Jan. 7 economic development committee meeting that city staff reached out to Waubonsee Community College, Yorkville Community Unit School District, Yorkville Christian High School and the School of Expressive Arts and Learning, or SEAL. She had said some schools also were open to the idea of working the program into their arts curriculum.

"All were ecstatic about the program," Barksdale-Noble had said during the Jan. 7 meeting.

Barksdale-Noble had said during the Jan. 7 meeting that other potential ideas discussed with the city's parks and recreation department included a “paint by number” event, where volunteers paint a specific numbered area on a wall mural until the art installation is completed, and a “dueling brushes” contest, which would require qualified artists to register and pay a fee to compete in a contest of painting fiberglass fox statues and the winner is determined by vote of patrons at the event. All painted foxes can be displayed throughout the downtown.

According to city staff, an "Art at the Park" raffle where tickets are sold for various prizes and proceeds could also be used to fund future art installations.

The update comes after city officials started talks about the proposed downtown art program in November.