When I was growing up around Everett there were only two pieces of public art that made a lasting impression on my thick, young mind.
There were the Dudley Pratt bas relief sculptures inside the entrance to the Everett Public Library. They dated back to the Depression, and showed the history of reading, from the Stone Age to modern times. The metal human figures were lumpy and strange. I still recall my mom explaining in her hushed library voice that we lived in a community without statues, and how that was a good thing. Everett may have streets named after bigwigs, she said, but the town was home to people with calluses on their hands.
The other public art — a cedar story pole — stood in a triangular park, smack in the middle of Rucker Avenue. It was carved in 1923 by the late Chief William Shelton, a Tulalip Tribes cultural leader. Generations of school kids were told it was a symbol of goodwill and generosity. It stood until 1996, when the ravages of time finally forced its removal. As Debra Smith reported a few months ago, the pole now is back in the care of the Tulalip people, being preserved by experts.
Public art today crops up in myriad delightful ways in Snohomish County’s largest city. It’s in parks and plazas, in the lobbies of government buildings and along enough sidewalks that you could expend many lunch hours tracking it all down. On the county campus last week, another temporary sculpture exhibit was installed.
What’s not to love? On the way to and from the county courthouse, I’ll often walk a few blocks extra to catch a glimpse of Transformation of the Seawolf. That’s the red metal sculpture along Colby Avenue created by Tulalip carver James Madison. It reminds me of what renowned musician and producer T Bone Burnett says about the ability of artists to conjure the magical.
But what price beauty? Who picks up the tab for public art?
Although some of the pieces are donated, many are paid for by taxes. The city of Everett and Snohomish County both have laws on the books requiring 1 percent of the cost of public construction projects to include funding for art. Both governments also budget for arts and cultural programs.
In Everett, the city has budgeted $132,000 for 2010 and 2011 for purchasing art using public funds. It didn’t spend that much, however. (PDF, page 160). The expenditures are part of a larger arts and culture budget that annually is close to $1 million. The city has many brochures and online information that make it easy to interact with the public art collection. Figures on the cost of its collection aren’t easily found, however.
The county’s figures are handy when reporters come calling. Since 2008, county government has spent at least $298,000 on art that now graces public buildings and parks. An itemized list of those purchases is attached. The spending has been coordinated by the county’s arts commission.
What are your favorite public art offerings?
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