This is an interview that I did with Kyle Clements in January of 2010 at a studio I was subletting. Many thanks to Kyle for putting it together and taking it as seriously as I did.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSybT7y-mJk
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Mississauga's Sculptural Policy
Last night I took part in a stakeholders meeting at the civic centre to help review a draft of Mississauga's new sculpture policy. there weren't many in attendance. the people I saw there are those individuals who have been working hard towards the improvement of art and culture. I enjoyed the more in-depth look at the policy and its proposed budget.
There was criticism on the part of the city to not be enforcing a tougher stance towards money from development going towards public art and public works.
There was also a suggestions as to working public art into the quotes created for the city's review as well as having a permanent budget line in these documents.
Here are my thoughts. First I have little or no experience in this field. As a visual artist I think it is a fantastic opportunity for a municipality to take control of its public works and inject a little bit identity and originality into its developments. I think that it is an easy argument that developers should be putting money into these types of endeavours as well.
I don't think that they should be forced. Though the minimum must be met so that it begins a precedent I do not think that trying to "leech" money out of the system before it is ready is safe.
Also it is not necessarily a good thing to inject too much money into a system that has not been proven. A glut of cash could cause wastage and problems in the foreseeable future. It becomes a slippery slope. With proper increases and banking of the yearly funds the city will be ready when the right project comes along.
I also like the idea of having public art grow and change. More research into what the public would like to see seems very important. I would like to set up a kiosk sometime this summer to see if people will respond to public art and give feedback. Perhaps they want more access to art in general and don't care about sculpture or sound art. There is a section in the draft which places education of the public as one of the priorities. A good place to start for those who would like to get involved would be here. It is essential that the city get help with these details, although seemingly minor, workforce is short when dealing with budgets, private work for voluntary reasons is priceless.
During the beginning of the modern era western culture enjoyed one of its most creative periods. We are experiencing a sort of cultural renaissance as well. Our technology allows us to generate content faster than we can sort it or process it. The Arts and Craft period was instrumental in reminding the population that creativity helps to create healthier societies. We don't have to necessarily become socialists but we do have to start caring.
There was criticism on the part of the city to not be enforcing a tougher stance towards money from development going towards public art and public works.
There was also a suggestions as to working public art into the quotes created for the city's review as well as having a permanent budget line in these documents.
Here are my thoughts. First I have little or no experience in this field. As a visual artist I think it is a fantastic opportunity for a municipality to take control of its public works and inject a little bit identity and originality into its developments. I think that it is an easy argument that developers should be putting money into these types of endeavours as well.
I don't think that they should be forced. Though the minimum must be met so that it begins a precedent I do not think that trying to "leech" money out of the system before it is ready is safe.
Also it is not necessarily a good thing to inject too much money into a system that has not been proven. A glut of cash could cause wastage and problems in the foreseeable future. It becomes a slippery slope. With proper increases and banking of the yearly funds the city will be ready when the right project comes along.
I also like the idea of having public art grow and change. More research into what the public would like to see seems very important. I would like to set up a kiosk sometime this summer to see if people will respond to public art and give feedback. Perhaps they want more access to art in general and don't care about sculpture or sound art. There is a section in the draft which places education of the public as one of the priorities. A good place to start for those who would like to get involved would be here. It is essential that the city get help with these details, although seemingly minor, workforce is short when dealing with budgets, private work for voluntary reasons is priceless.
During the beginning of the modern era western culture enjoyed one of its most creative periods. We are experiencing a sort of cultural renaissance as well. Our technology allows us to generate content faster than we can sort it or process it. The Arts and Craft period was instrumental in reminding the population that creativity helps to create healthier societies. We don't have to necessarily become socialists but we do have to start caring.
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