Art in Public Places: Four wrongs do not make it right
Wrong 1: The City of Woodland does not have an Art in Public Places ordinance or program.
Wrong 2: City staff negotiates with property owners to satisfy an undefined public art requirement.
Wrong 3: The planning commission decides what is acceptable under the undefined requirement.
Wrong 4: The city council can overturn a planning commission decision under the undefined requirement.
In the end, a property owner is allowed to display something that is not public art - but worse - they are required to spend time and money on that something. The property owner is at the mercy of at least three groups of people who are uneducated about Art in Public Places. Here is the public art requirement from page 36 of the Community Design Standards:
10. Incorporate public art into the development of at all commercial and industrial projects. Public art is subject to the review of the Planning Commission or other such body established by the City Council.
Not a lot to go on is it? Check out this Daily Democrat report by James Noonan:
Woodland City Council ponders: What is art?
While discussing an appeal submitted in response to a decision by Woodland's Planning Commission, members of the City Council were forced to ponder a question that has plagued critics for millenia - Is it art?
Beginning in June 2009, Farm Credit West, an agricultural lending company that has been doing business in the region since 1917, began work on plans for a new branch building located at 480 Pioneer Ave., in Woodland.
Read it at DailyDemocrat.com.
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8 comments:
We wonder why everyone says Woodland is not business friendly. This is a perfect example. Okay, I actually agree with the planning commission that an old tractor is not art, but if you are not going to have any guidlines to what art is, or how you are going to grade it, then what is a business supposed to do?
Having a defined Art in Public places law is the only way to stop this nonsense of making every guess and then cross their fingers when the planning commission reviews it.
When is the last time the planning book was updated at the City anyways. I heard it has been at least half a century. Time to take a look...
Wrong #2 is Paul Hanson
Realist,
It has not been at least 50 years since the Community Design Standards were updated. I know it has been updated since 2002 because the public art requirement was added after the Woodland Art Center proposed an APP ordinance in December of that year. Funny thing, however, in following the link provided in the post I could not find a date on the standards document. You would think that any document posted on the city's Web site would have a date on it.
I was at a Council meeting a couple of months back and Mark Deven said some major Planning department document had not been updated in decades. Must have been a different document.
I'm confused. Are we discussing Art Pimentel, or something else?
Because I've seen Art in plenty of public places. Pimentel that is.
Really? I've only seen Art at his Lebron James style, ESPN white house inaugural ceremony at the Community Center..
We need an Art in Public Places ordinance and guidelines but as long ad Deno Gay is involved it will never become a reality.
You spelled my name wrong. And what does "as long ad" mean?
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