The staid halls of Maricopa City Hall will be enlivened by local art. Photo by Adam Wolfe

Maricopa City Hall will gain some color after the city council’s decision Tuesday.

The council unanimously approved hanging art from local artists in City Hall.

The initial program will display pieces from 11 local artists. Each piece goes through a vetting process before it is displayed, and officials plan to rotate through various exhibits from local artists every two or three months.

“I, for one, would like to see that we get our foot in the door here,” Maricopa Mayor Christian Price said. “As you change this, [I want to] see that we have six months to a year to watch you change this over every two months or each quarter and see how it evolves. I’m excited to witness that.”

Local artists have been putting a program together for months in conjunction with the Maricopa Center for Entrepreneurship, which holds monthly art exhibits. The approval is seen as a victory for local artists and cultural growth as a whole.

“Eight of the 11 artists in this portfolio were not born in Arizona or Maricopa; they chose to live in Maricopa and Arizona,” said Judith Zaimont, one of the coordinators for the Maricopa Arts Council. “We are looking forward to making our contribution (to the city) on a daily basis.”

The council also awarded $625 to the Maricopa Historical Society for their participation in the “Copa History Hunt.” Brent Murphree accepted the check on the organization’s behalf, and the council took a few moments to thank and honor the former vice mayor.

“I say that Maricopa would not be Maricopa without your contributions to this community,” City Councilmember Henry Wade said. “We certainly appreciate and applaud all of your efforts and everything that you’ve done to make Maricopa [what it is]. Thank you so much.”

The council also unanimously approved the purchase of 38 sets of protective equipment for fire fighters from L.N. Curtis and Sons, and a resolution to find the existence of a “slum or blighted area in the city of Maricopa, and declaring the necessity for redevelopment of such area.”

The Maricopa City Council will meet again on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.