Anne Schaefer, Sammamish Arts Commission chairman, updated the city on the commission’s activities at the council’s May 13 special study session meeting.

Shaefer said the commission has nine volunteers, five of whom are new. With an annual budget of $25,800 and a 4Culture sustainable grant of $6,500 per year, the commission is able to organize approximately 20 different events throughout the year. It has four exhibits planned in 2014, has co-sponsored numerous events and is continuing with attempts to integrate art into the community.

With the hope of creating a sense of place in Sammamish, Shaefer said commissioners are working to find artists who will create an entrance gate for the community garden. She also said they have been working on a utility-box project to give the city some creative energy. The project would start with two utility boxes being covered with a historically significant photograph. Each box would cost $1,500 to wrap and would last for approximately eight or nine years, Shaefer said.

The idea was not well-received by council members.

“I really don’t like the idea of painting boxes,” council member Nancy Whitten said.

Councilmember Kathy Huckabay said it’s an expensive project for boxes that are mostly hidden in the community, and council member Tom Odell said they could be a distraction to drivers. Councilmember Ramiro Valderrama said the idea of painting boxes had been updated and approved by the Council for the last two years, so he was surprised when the Council reacted as though they had never heard of it before.

Shaefer said she would relay messages to the commission and look at other options.

Repertory Collective

The commission is also discussing the possibility of integrating a community theatre into the city. On May 16, in collaboration with the EX3 Boys and Girls Club Teen Center, the commission will be hosting ‘A Repertory Collective’ to discuss the option and shape what it would look like.

The meeting will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the EX3 Teen Center on 228th. All ages are welcome.