Among the many volunteer opportunities on Mercer Island are board positions on city commissions. There are currently two vacancies on the Community Services Board, one open position in the Open Space Conservancy Trust and two seats on the Arts Council.

“On top of being a beautiful place to live and a wonderful place to grow up, I would like Mercer Island to be a hub for creativity and the arts,” said An Tootill, chair of the Arts Council.

Tootill has been on the Arts Council for three years, and became the chair in January. Her input brought the mural to the Luther Burbank tennis courts and the topiary deer to the downtown hillside. The Arts Council, which has 11 members and acts in an advisory role to the Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Department, has several important decisions to make regarding public art in the near future.

The Gateway sculptures, three figures facing visitors to the Island at the 77th Street off-ramp, must make room for the coming light rail construction. The question put to the Arts Council is whether the sculptures should be stored for two years, or moved to permanent locations elsewhere on the Island. Tootill said she recommends moving them to the I-90 Sculpture Park.

“I think they would look great there,” she said. “We don’t really know what the area will look like once Sound Transit is finished. The artwork could wind up stuck behind some bike rack.”

For 25 years, Mercer Island residents who care about art and culture have been volunteering for the Arts Council. Council members advise on all forms of Island public art, such as choosing the bands that play in the Mostly Music in the Park concerts each summer, or selecting the artists and art groups that will show their work at the Community Center Gallery.

There are six separate committee chairs and five general memberships to contribute to hanging art, holding receptions and listening to band submissions.

However, there currently are not enough members to fill the existing committee chairs, and there have routinely been one or more seats vacant on the council for the last few years, Tootill said.

The Mercer Island Arts Council is unique in that, in addition to advising the city on public art acquisitions, the members can also promote music or other cultural events in partnership with the Parks and Recreation department. Shakespeare in the Park, the Community Center Gallery and the downtown film series were initiated as Arts Council projects. The programs were started by volunteers and it is volunteers that keep them running.

Any Arts Council member can propose a cultural event. This year, Public Relations Chair Joy Langley brought the poet Todd Marshall to the Island for a workshop and reading, both free to the public. Special Projects Chair Rene Stratton is compiling a directory of local artists.

Like other King County communities, Mercer Island voted in 1 percent for the arts in 1999 for the acquisition of permanent artworks. The Arts Council supports all the arts.

Members are appointed by the mayor, and the council meets once a month. You don’t need an artistic background to join; it only takes an interest in the arts and a willingness to participate.

To find out more or to join, see the Mercer Island Arts Council website at www.mercergov.org/artscouncil or contact Arts and Special Events Coordinator Amber Britton at amber.britton@mercergov.org or 206-275-7864.