Ann Arbor City Council candidates want city to reach out to local artists
The nonprofit Arts Alliance has released the results of an Ann Arbor City Council candidate survey about arts and culture.
Both challengers hoping to oust incumbent council members stated they want to see the city invest in public art in ways that include reaching out to more local artists.
"I believe that we can bring back support for public art by selecting smaller-budget projects that are in accessible locations, include a more robust public engagement process, and promote greater outreach to local artists," said Grand, a self-described arts supporter and selection committee member for a public art project planned for Argo Cascades.
"I'm also in support of exploring private-public partnerships to fund art, as well as providing funding for temporary art and festivals," Grand added in her survey response.
Eaton wrote in his survey response that he would seek ways to fund public art that allow the city to give preference to local art.
"I believe that we can form public-private partnerships (like was used to preserve the Michigan Theater) to finance projects by local artists," he said. "I would pursue the idea that some large capital projects should have art included ('baked-in') from the inception."
The incumbents, who recently voted in favor of a major overhaul of the city's public art program, did not respond to the survey.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.
Comments
pegret
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 5:31 p.m.
Roger, Once upon a time, there was a beautiful underwater mural along the entire side of a small restaurant building. It was paid for privately, but anyone driving east on Huron St. could enjoy it. What a concept! A few years ago the city of Ann Arbor decided that 6 additional parking spots would be more valuable than a beautiful (and free) work of art, so the mural was destroyed along with the building. Now passersby can admire the parked city vehicles after passing the hideous Justice Center with it's million dollar "public art". Unfortunately, past experiences with the powers that be in Ann Arbor do not encourage many local artists or private donors willing to invest in public art.
Greg
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 1:18 p.m.
Roger, the past arts funding is easy to explain: Get an elitest group together and tell them they can spend other peoples money on what they decide to like with one heck of a so called budget. People like the Mayor and his buddies setting priorities on art and green and letting infrastructure go so bad it is killing cars and sometimes people. Combine the two as the Mayor and his picked group KNOW better than anyone what Ann Arbor really needs is more people like them, roads and such are far less important. Results - look around. Hugely overpriced art by artists from elsewhere and the priorities of the spending have the roads, damaged trees not removed and much more to show for it. . Nothing complicated at all. Just arrogance pure and simple. Remember this when you are voting 3d and 4th ward people or you will get more of the same.
Roger Kuhlman
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 1:25 a.m.
Why can't Public Art be funded by private voluntary donations no matter where is the origin of the artists? Do you think every taxpayer in the city should be forced to pay for art projects they do not wish to support? Cultural elitists do not seem to mind making everyone pay for things they like and enjoy. Something is very wrong with that practice.
Brad
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 12:02 p.m.
@Doug - so more amenities for those "young, creative types" that don't live here yet? Sure, let's plan our city around them instead of actual residents and taxpayers. P.S. - Most people would say this is a thriving community already and has been for a while.
Sam S Smith
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 11:58 a.m.
Doug, public money for the arts should not come from embezzled funds. If you did this at work to fund one of your projects, even if it is deemed for everyone, you'd be in prison.
Doug
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 2 a.m.
Thriving communities and, for that matter, countries devote far more public money to the arts than we do. Be they theaters, museums, film venues, school programs, studios, or what have you, they open doors, provide citizens with more things to do, and make the community a more desirable place to live for young, creative types -- just the type of people we need in the Midwest. The cost is small; the return is large.
JRW
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 12:44 a.m.
No more $$ for public art, not one dime, until all the potholes are filled and all the crumbling roads are fixed.
Nicholas Urfe
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 2:03 a.m.
@JRW: can you tell us of a city - anywhere - where "all the potholes are filled and all the crumbling roads are fixed"?
Doug
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 1:55 a.m.
While the roads are indeed awful, this isn't a zero-sum game. A very small sum that might, say, allow for the reconstruction of only 1/2 mile of roads, would go a long long way in terms of funding public art or, at least, public-private partnerships. If we wait for every road to be repaved and all potholes to be patched, nothing else -- not schools, not police and fire, nothing else -- would get any money. You're dead on, again, on the condition of the roads, but some balance is in order here. In short, it's either a bunch of bad roads and a fair amount of public art, or a bunch of bad roads and no public art.
A2truth
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 12:40 a.m.
Is A2.com supposed to make me laugh every time I read an article about city council? lol
TinyArtist
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 11:58 a.m.
Ach! Stop mit den LOLs bitte!
Colorado Sun
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 12:19 a.m.
Did Marcia Higgins, the Fourth Ward's "Invisible Woman", respond to the survey? Invisible, silent, and ineffective. I beg all Fourth Warders to go out and vote tomorrow. Fourteen years of Marcia is enough.
Nicholas Urfe
Mon, Aug 5, 2013 : 10:41 p.m.
That's what we need - affirmative action for local artists who cannot otherwise compete on the statewide or national basis? At least that is what I read into this.
pegret
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 5:06 p.m.
Clownfish, you nailed it, and lorayn54 makes an excellent point.
clownfish
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 1:47 p.m.
The reasons for not submitting proposals are myriad. Many artists do not want to deal with committees. Many don't want to put weeks of work into a proposal that may go no where. Many are not in the loop of government contract letting procedures or notifications. You read way too much into a good proposal. If there is a local artist that can produce good work, we should use them, if nothing else it keeps A2 taxpayer money in the area.
Nicholas Urfe
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 12:50 p.m.
loyrayn: why do you suppose local artists are not doing the work to submit proposals? Should the projects be gifted to them if they will not make the effort? Should we pay them less because they are local?
lorayn54
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 4:55 a.m.
it's a way to support the local economy by supporting local artists. If local artists get these commissions they will be more likely to purchase their supplies locally, buy their groceries locally, etc. Think of them as small business people, because that is what working artists are.
talker
Mon, Aug 5, 2013 : 10:15 p.m.
Kunselman is defending his 3rd Ward seat, but he he's certainly NOT a promoter of the overpriced "art." Criticizing some incumbents, including the 4th Ward incumbent makes sense. It's incorrect to imply such misbehavior to the 3rd Ward incumbent. Stephen Kunselman is the better candidate for the 3rd Ward. Jack Eaton is the better candidate for the 4th Ward.