Comments on last night's meeting on Public Art

We are both exhilarated and concerned about the arguments and discussions held at last night’s panel of “What Makes Public Art?” at The Warehouse. Although even our opinions differ slightly, we do agree on several matters.

Our goal here is dialogue and progress.

There were at least two opposing sides at the meeting last night. On one side there was an “educated” idea of what makes great public art and the valuable perspective that we in Syracuse have the opportunity to do something great. On the other side, there was with a newfound sense of urgency to act quickly while the momentum to support art is building in a city administration that hasn’t funded the arts since 1993.

Essentially, public art has never been discussed here in such an intense dialogue before. Bill and others have seen many ideas come and go in Syracuse only to die as a consequence of opposition. This panel could be perceived as opposition. Was the goal of the panel to pull back the reigns on what 40 Below's Syracuse Public Arts is doing? Why was Kate Clark or another representative of Syracuse Public Arts not included in the panel?

The fear that if something is not done quickly it will not be done at all is very prevalent in those who have shared these experiences. Therefore, we understand Syracuse Public Arts’s need to act and to do so in a publicly visible manner. Does this make sense?

On the other side, the academic perspective holds a valid point that Syracuse essentially has a mostly blank canvas to start an amazing program, which has the potential to draw attention and prestige worldwide. That would be good, right? Syracuse has such a low self-esteem in many cases that a little fame might go a long way to restoring this city’s pride.

In the end, it is the community that is most important and the results that speak most loudly. Across the street from Delavan Art Gallery going to the White Warehouse along West Fayette Street is a strip of green space that someone has generously given permission to 40 Below's Syracuse Public Arts to turn into a sculpture park. In front of us we have a very real question of what to put there. Do we go forward and put up sculpture that may not be ideal just to prove there is movement and commitment, or do we take more time and develop a more prestigious system? It’s the age-old question of: Is it better to wait and do something right or to just do it?

This is how we feel: It is very important to act while there is momentum. However, first there must be a process put in place if “public art” is indeed going to be successful. There must be an agreed upon way in which to go about putting art in a public sphere such as West Fayette Street. In the mean time, one way to illustrate progress while leaving time for planning is to place signs at the site announcing the coming of public art. A little bit of love for the space in cleaning it up can also go a long way to show a visible progression and begin to get people into involved in a community project. Everyone understands what it means to plant a seed and care for a plant as it grows up. That can be a metaphorical starting point for bringing public art to West Fayette Street.

There are the beginnings of process being put into place. What are these and how can people get involved?

There are many questions to be answered. The most important thing to us is that we continue to move forward in a visible progress. For a moment disregard whatever you have been taught or learned through experience and think for a moment if and what relationship you have to West Fayette Street.

If public art is going to progress in a healthy inclusive manner, what happens next?

Please leave your comments.

Sincerely,

Bill Delavan and Courtney Rile