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- From: "Steve Wright" <swright AT townofchapelhill.org>
- To: <chpac-staff AT lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: [Chpac-staff] CHPAC in recent news
- Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 09:27:46 -0400
Dear CHPAC, Below are links to two recent CHPAC-related items in the
Chapel Hill News. Below that are pasted the texts of these articles. -Steve - Town is building upon commitment
to public art By Richard Robinson As the current chair of the Chapel Hill
Public Arts Commission, I wish to offer some additional perspectives on this
important discussion and take the opportunity to clarify some misconceptions
that underlie recent criticisms. http://www.chapelhillnews.com/opinion/story/7422.html - More perspective on public art
debate In Chapel Hill Public Arts
Commission chair Richard Robinson's guest column on May 20 ("Town is
building upon commitment to public art"), he adds some additional
perspectives on our public art debate. I would like to add to the discussion by
making two points. http://www.chapelhillnews.com/opinion/story/7507.html Town is building upon commitment to
public art As the current chair of the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission, I wish
to offer some additional perspectives on this important discussion and take the
opportunity to clarify some misconceptions that underlie recent criticisms. The Town
of In
addition, appropriations from the Town Council allow the commission to sustain
a number of popular programs that include Sculpture Visions, the annual
10-month outdoor display of large-scale works at sites throughout Chapel Hill; the
annual Community Art Project, which invites all members of the public to create
and display works of art based on a particular theme; the annual Exhibition
Series, comprising juried displays of two- and three-dimensional artwork in
public venues; and Artists at Work, an annual opportunity for public school
children to be guided by an arts professional in collectively creating an
artwork for permanent display at the host school. These
initiatives no doubt contributed to polling results reported in the June 2007
edition of American Style magazine that ranked Chapel Hill 13th in the In 2005,
the Town Council directed the Public Arts Commission to develop proposals to involve
citizens, business and government in building upon that foundation.
Consultations with representatives of all interested parties led to the Chapel
Hill Public Art Contextual Plan that is now the subject of public hearings and
evaluations by the Town Council. The Public
Arts Commission is charged with advocating for and facilitating the
implementation of public art in The
Contextual Plan proposes that private-sector developers be partners in
generating more publicly accessible art throughout our community. During the
drafting phase of the plan, our informal consultation with several developers
drew enthusiastic reactions to the idea of including public art in their
projects. Indeed, some of them already have included public art as part of
their projects, demonstrating that though business-minded people they are also
civic-minded members of the community who understand and appreciate the
benefits of enhancing our civic environment and the role they might have in
that. Initially,
the Contextual Plan anticipates that private developers volunteer to
participate in the percent-for-art program. In fact, the town cannot require
any such private commitment to public art without enabling legislation by the
N.C. General Assembly, and no request for such legislative authority is
pending. The
Contextual Plan also proposes that the set-aside for public art in municipal
building projects be increased from 1 percent to 2 percent, resulting in more
artwork and generation of sufficient reserve to enable proper repair,
maintenance and conservation of existing public art installations. It would
also mean a more rational, project-based means of addressing the costs of
managing the public art program. Much of
the criticism of the proposed increase is driven by the recent high-cost public
art installations at the new Town Operations Center. This example can be
misleading, however, because contrary to recently published comments, the town
did not meet the total cost of $420,000 for the two major artworks at the
center. The town's contribution was $258,000, with the balance met through
grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the State of Moreover,
projects of this magnitude are rare, and there is unlikely to be a Vocal
critics of the In sum,
the Chapel Hill Town Council has been far-sighted in requesting a comprehensive
vision of the role of public art in the further development of our town. How
far we go in realizing that vision will be decided by a Town Council that is
sensitive toward multiple views and inputs from the community. More
perspective on public art debate (May 22)
In Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission chair Richard Robinson's guest
column on May 20 ("Town is building upon commitment to public art"),
he adds some additional perspectives on our public art debate. I would like to
add to the discussion by making two points. First,
Robinson states that at the I believe
that most people understand where the State of Not
spending the entire 1 percent further supports the recommendation that large projects,
which will be rare, could be capped at something less than 1 percent and the
balance put away for future use on other projects. Second,
Robinson addresses the "remote location" complaint, stating that the
art at the Town Operations Center is at "the home base for the work of
several hundred public servants who richly deserve this splendid tribute to
their contribution to the community, and who are now reminded daily of the
town's appreciation." Having
visited the site, I have to wonder how many employees will actually enjoy the
bench and wall on a daily basis, given the nature of their duties. As for
appreciation, did anyone ask our employees if they might appreciate |
- [Chpac-staff] CHPAC in recent news, Steve Wright, 05/23/2007
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