Since the April City Council Committee of the Whole meeting where the request was made by the Greater Rochester Arts and Cultural Trust for $15,000 in matching funds for a consultant to help develop a master plan for public art, there have been several meetings between Trustees and representatives from the Collaborative.
The outcome of these talks has been the formation of a committee to advise the consultant in his work (he comes from Forecast Public Art in St Paul). It is important to note that this work is going forward with the understanding that public art is being defined as anything that activates a given space, whether an installation or a performance of some kind, permanent or temporary. The committee membership, which is still being confirmed, is made up of people who can speak to and represent the various constituencies: visual arts , performing arts - both of these at the organizational and individual level - , logistical concerns, policy concerns, etc.
The City Council originally had this request up for a vote at its May 4 meeting, but now it is scheduled for the May 18th meeting.
Further information will be posted as the arts and culture community continues its work to develop a shared vision and voice, starting with this first important initiative.
Could someone please define for me what "activates a given space" means?
ReplyDeleteThink of a sidewalk next to a building with no windows ... this is a decidedly "inactive space." "Activating" this space could include anything that makes it more pleasing for people to be there. Adding a mural, a sculpture, plantings, or a bench could all permanently activate this space. Holding a walk-a-thon, adding a street musician, farmer's market, street fair, or street dance could all temporarily activate this space.
ReplyDeleteHope that helps.
I'm not trying to be argumentative, but this kind of fuzzy jargon isn't productive in convincing people that incorporating public art is a worthwhile use of public funds. By your definition, an espresso and cupcake shop (or even more pedestrian - a Tom Thumb Donut stand) would "activate" an otherwise empty public space but this is by most any significant measure a stretch to call such an 'installation' art. "anything"? Really?
ReplyDeleteUnderstand that I'm very much in favor of directing some portion of public funds to aesthetics. There are many valid and substantive reasons to incorporate art into public spaces - it can help soften an urban environment consisting of hard and monotonous materials - it can help orient people who are new to a confusing environment - it can bring otherwise large complex environments down to human scale - it can give people a respite from both aggressive commercialism or the complex of systems (appointments, procedure, consults etc.) that are part of a downtown medical campus - and more.
These things need to be articulated and explained if you want to capture people's imaginations AND expect them to underwrite such efforts. Using buzzy catch-phrases like 'anything that activates' to define public art and aesthetic considerations, while it sounds open-ended and inclusive, just doesn't help.
Thanks for your thoughtful feedback. Clear communication is a definite goal, especially if we want to include many voices in the conversation, and being on guard for jargon is part of that.
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