What impact can public art have on a village? That’s a question Fairport resident Zak Steele and fellow volunteers in the new public arts committee are looking to answer.

As part of the Fairport Village Partnership’s ongoing effort to promote the village as a place to visit and live, the committee was formed as a spin-off to the FVP’s design committee in September.

Steele, project manager at Bayer Landscape Architecture, is chairing the new program, whose first task is to draft a plan for the commissioning, funding and guidelines of installing public art.

Why public art? For one thing, it helps the local economy by drawing more foot traffic to nearby businesses, Steele explained. “It increases general desirability and character of the village,” he added.

Fairport native Gian-Paul Piane is one of the 12 committee members. He chairs the FVP’s design committee and, in addition to working as an architect for SEI Design Group in Rochester, teaches design and furniture making at RIT.

The idea for forming a group came from the need to fill what Piane calls “holes in the fabric of the village” inside public buildings or out in the open air. There are currently several installations of public art in Fairport including the mural in front of the Village Hall, sculptures at the library and a mural at the Fairport Historical Society building, but Piane said public art consists of more than just paintings or sculpture.

“We don’t just think it’s sculpture or paintings,” he said. “It’s music and even art education. It goes beyond just physical media.”

For this reason, Steele said the committee will explore ways to bring events centered around the arts to bring residents together but also draw interest from visitors who are passing through.

“It adds another layer of cultural excitement for people coming in and for those who live here,” said Steele.

The committee hopes to have the first draft of their plan by January.