January 03, 2003
Siting Public Art
The front page above-the-fold lead story in today's Portland Tribune focuses on navigating the process of siting public art in Portland:
What do a bronze elephant, a pricey dog bowl and a brushed-metal tripod have in common? All are works of public art placed within spitting distance of one another in downtown Portland during the last year.
Public artworks such as these three examples reflect some of the thorny issues of public taste, siting and cost that surround public art.
When the desires of a particular neighborhood don't match that of the commissioned artist or the group making it happen, problems inevitably arise.
Works discussed in this context include Pete Beeman's 'Pod' at SW 10th and Burnside, the bronze Chinese elephant and William Wegman's 'Portland Dog Bowl' in the North Park Blocks, and proposed works by Maya Lin, Jenny Holzer, and Jean-Michel Othoniel.
One of the reasons I hope for the continued existence of the Tribune is because the paper routinely gives design and livability issues such as this one lead story status.