At a recent Rotary Club meeting, we were introduced to the Creston Valley Public Art Connection, a group of local residents bringing sculpture to public spaces in Creston. During their tax;k with our membership, they spoke about the value of Public Art. I'm going to shamelessly plagiarize a section of that presentation here, as I feel it relates to the goals of a Healthy Built Environment.
The Value of Public Art
Public Art does something that neither a public space without art, nor even a museum with all its art can do:
- It can capture the eye and mind of someone passing through our public spaces. It can make us pay attention to our civic environment; it can encourage us to question what's around us.
- Public Art in communities adds social, cultural and economic community value.
- It can record part of our history or our evolving culture
- People like to hang around Public Art. Accessible Community Art allows it to be experienced every day.
- It adds meaning, creates uniqueness and a sense of safety.
- People choose their homes or business locations by how unique an area is. It's therefore important what our communities look like and how a community projects its identity.
- Strong Public Art expressions break the fear of sameness, they create loyalty and a more productive diverse workforce.
- People identify with cities, and better remember the places, that have their own well known icons. We remember the Public Art in places we visit: Paris and the Eiffel Tower, Vancouver's Science Centre, or the sculpture "Wonderland" in Calgary. These many municipalities have created dreams that people want to be a part of.
- Art has a big influence on how business runs, how commerce is established; basically how much business will grow. Happy people buy, happy workers produce.
- ART can celebrate the qualities that make one place different from another. The best Public Art can challenge, delight, educate and illuminate. Most of all, Public Art creates a sense of civic vitality in the cities, towns and communities we inhabit and visit.