OKC Council defends need for public art
OKC Council defends need for public art
by Brian Brus
The Journal Record December 1, 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY – Even in tough economic times, a city needs public art, Oklahoma City Council members said.
James Loftis is president of James Loftis Architects and head of the Oklahoma City mayor’s art commission. (Photo by Maike Sabolich)
“The city’s working hard to deal with infrastructure issues, but I think we’re also recognizing that there are important elements that can make the city an attractive place for people to grow their businesses here or bring in new businesses,” Councilwoman Meg Salyer said.“Even when you’ve got limited resources, you look at the total pot and you look at things that you might be able to do to increase the size of the pot.”
The City Council recently unanimously agreed to spend $38,500 to by two steel sculptures: Desert Blooms by Colorado artist Kevin Robb and Finding Center II by New Mexico artist Destiny Allison. The sculptures are now on display on the lawn at City Hall, but will be relocated to sites yet to be determined.
In the same public meeting, council members addressed agenda items that included $170,000 for street improvements, $75,000 for state fairgrounds parking lots and storm drainage, $667,000 for playground improvements and park shelters, $78,000 for trails near an abandoned railroad track and millions of dollars in subsidization for emergency ambulance services.
Salyer and others said public art has economic value, partly as an investment to help pay for those other expenses because beauty attracts money.
“You can look at a public art program as another arrow in the quiver of economic development,” she said. “We want to bring businesses to a city that looks great and feels great, and I think public art says a lot about the way people see their city.”
And business executives who visit the city tend to think “slightly outside of the box,” she said.
Councilman Sam Bowman agreed with Salyer’s assessment of how art affects a community’s current residents and potential relocations.
“For the little we have and expend on public arts as a city, it’s really minimal. I think the expectations … are that we become more than a basketball city and step up to be a city dedicated to quality of life. Art is a part of that quality of life and says something about us,” he said.
Bowman said he’s more likely to attend a baseball game than a museum, so he leaves decisions about artistic merit to people who know better, such as Jim Loftis, chairman of the mayor’s 15-member art commission and local architect. Loftis is also a member of the Downtown Design Review Committee.
The goal of purchasing sculptures and other art, Loftis said, “is to keep the community in balance in terms of improvements.”
“We’ve done MAPS (metropolitan area projects temporary tax) projects and the MAPS for Kids projects were extraordinary, but we’re a little light when it comes to public art,” Loftis said. “There are people in the community who give art, but it’s not nearly enough to put us on the map … to achieve a balance of arts and business and culture and finance.”
“Art is for the soul, and paving is for the pothole,” Loftis said.
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Originally Posted by jbrown84
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