Public art opinions

Portland has a new percent-for-art program -- OK, a half-percent-for-art program -- and the Phoenix asked local artists how to spend the money

by Jenna Russell

Public art tends to be noticeable, controversial on occasion. But its absence doesn't attract attention or generate frustration like a lack of public restrooms, traffic signs, or waste barrels might. But late last year, when it dawned on folks that Portland's public art program produced only two pieces of art in six years, it was clear the system wasn't working well.

With some goading from the public, the city faced up to the problem and, with help from community members, trudged back to the drawing board to overhaul the program. Rather than requiring private developers to set aside a percentage of their construction budgets for art, as it had since 1994, the new initiative will be funded with half of one percent of the city's capital improvement budget. That should amount to about $50,000 per year, says Alan Holt, urban designer for the city of Portland.

"The philosophy is that art is as much a capital improvement as a new sidewalk," he says.

The change came out of a study of some 50 public art programs in cities all over the country, which found that Portland was "completely out of the mainstream," Holt explains. Elsewhere, art is restored, maintained, and installed with public money, in budget percentages ranging from one-half to two percent. The Portland City Council unanimously approved the new ordinance earlier this year, and this summer the members of a new Public Art Committee are surveying, assessing, and sorting out the ownership of about 40 existing works of public art, from bronze plaques to steel abstractions. (A brochure listing the pieces is in the final stages of production.)

A proposal for first-year projects, expected to include significant maintenance for neglected art, will be drafted this fall and brought before the city council for approval. Holt acknowledged that "$50,000 really isn't that much," and there is hope that the half-percent commitment can be used to leverage matching grants and other additional funds. In the meantime, Maine College of Art, the Portland Museum of Art, and other local institutions are collaborating on a year-long lecture series designed to educate the public about the relevance of art in public spaces.

Portland's artists may be the only ones who don't need convincing. In an informal survey in the city and beyond, most artists expressed appreciation for existing percent-for-art programs that help them make a living from their work. Most cited positive experiences, many in school settings, where they have created pieces they are proud of still. There were complaints as well, about unrealistic expectations and impossible budgets, and red tape seemingly designed to crush creative spirits. More than they want specific art in certain places, artists urge an open-minded, inclusive process that respects the city and its residents, artists and art. What follows is a sampling of opinions. Opinions from artists, unlike public art, is never in short supply.

Philip Rogers, photographer, Portland: "People think public art is frivolous, but we need it. If Portland wants to have an identity, if they're striving to get people in here, people coming here are going to want something to look at. Look at Chicago -- the city is identified with great architecture. That's because they planned it that way, and it worked. In Portland, it needs to go beyond saying we have lobster and the Old Port. . . . We have some public art, but it's so safe. It would be nice to see something more exciting than bronze sculptures of lobstermen and cowboys."

Henry Wolyniec, illustrator, Portland: "In 1993, I built six or seven sculptures and went out with friends in the dark of night and bolted them to walls in town. It was a statement . . . There had to be at least 1000 artists in Portland, and at that time there were next to no [galleries] for artists who weren't going to sell out a show. Of the six sculptures, one was down the next day, and one was up until two years ago. I got some nasty letters. But it said that there are other ways of doing it, other than going through the city.

"Artists are supposedly rebels. It's supposed to be about pushing boundaries. So why would they expect success in a system that basically has nothing to do with them? They shouldn't need to feel empowered by the city to take those steps.

"Public art isn't something that gets dusted every year. The city should be its own gallery, always changing. When there's something almost out of context, or something that's not supposed to be there -- literally, right there in the street, in the crosswalk -- you have to pay attention to where you are. Art is all about waking you up."

Michael Branca, painter/sculptor, Portland: I would love to see a lot more public art, especially murals. There's very little outdoor painting in Portland. And I've got a great model: Philadelphia. I was down in Philly and noticed a lot of murals. I was talking to some people who knew the city, and they told me the city has a program: basically for any kid that gets caught doing graffiti, rather than getting a fine or thrown in jail, he gets put on a mural-painting crew. There are these murals all over the city, from a humongous portrait of Malcolm X to sports stars to real poetic imagery. The amazing thing was none of them had been touched by graffiti, none had been tagged. Obviously a progressive program for the city. It would be great to have something like that here. Something like that should be going on in every city. I don't know how Portland would compare to Philly, but it's something to look into.

Jerri Skinner, landscape architect, Free-port: "Everybody on the committee should go to Europe and look where public art is. It's everywhere, and it's wonderful to turn the corner and find it in surprising places.

"Often people want to make Maine look like everywhere else. They don't understand what's good about Maine, that it means something rustic and not perfect. People have an idea of public art as something prissy and perfect -- a thing in space, a bronze guy, a monument to war. How about monuments to peace, and beauty, all kinds of human junk?

"Sometimes people are tempted to go out of state and get major art. They don't want a limited palette. But this state is lousy with talent, and it needs to be supported. The artists are our treasure, the flower from the rest of the plant, and they're not treated that way at all."

Pat Corrigan, illustrator/painter/ performance artist, Portland: "Rather than putting down a permanent sculpture -- great or not-so-great -- it would be interesting to put together a group of artists and have a less-permanent annual festival or parade, people taking over a block. Performance is a great addition to civic-funded art, and it's so notoriously underpaid.

"Some of the public sculptures become invisible with their permanence. And Maine-oriented art bores me to tears. But it seems to be the kind of thing that perks up the people with the purse strings. If someone says, I want to make crazy costumes and fiberglass drums and shoot off fireworks and get in people's faces, and someone else wants to make a mural representing all the Maine counties, they'll go for the mural.

"Maybe it's just like a little kid wanting everything to be like Christmas morning; things that aren't supposed to be there, that are there and then they're gone. A giant film screen on the side of a building. Or a team of guerilla artists sent out at 2 a.m. to bolt things to city hall -- that would be awesome."

Abby Huntoon, ceramic artist, South Portland: "It would be nice if more corporations, those that are interested in commissioning art, could show the work in public spaces and then return it to their offices. . . . In the past, some artists have taken it on themselves to have shows in vacant storefront windows. That really livens up the city. But -- fortunately -- there aren't as many of those vacant windows now."

Lin Lisberger, artist and former member of Public Art Committee, Gorham: "There are places in Portland I would love to see art rather than trees, along the corridor of Congress Street. Not all art should be on the peninsula, but if someone asked me off or on, I would almost always say on. I think you need a core from which to radiate, and I feel like the whole community does revolve around the center."

Pat Plourde, artist/designer, Portland: "If trends continue, there's going to be a massive building and population boom. I'd love to see the population of Portland double, but you have to take care of the city. You've got to have a beautiful metropolis.

"Public art should fit the environment. It should be easy to look at, well-made, and easily maintained. It should last a long time, and it should evoke some kind of question, for those who take time to care about it. . . . I wish we had larger spaces for huge pieces, something you could walk under -- huge, sophisticated, Henry Moore-ish pieces. Like Richard Serra, or Calder. Something you know has real meaning."

Joe Nicoletti, painter, South Portland: "Regarding public art, I'm not of the opinion that a small group of sophisticated people puts something out there for the public, and if people don't like it, they're philistines. In a democratic country, where tax dollars are used for art, how much responsibility is there toward the public that's paying for it, and living with the work? I'm democratic enough not to simply dismiss the opinions of the people walking down the street, people who don't go to museums a lot. They have a right to their opinion, their taste, and it should be taken into consideration. The question is how much responsibility we have to the public, and how do we balance it with being true to ourselves as artists.

"I did several percent-for-art projects, and I appreciated the money, but I found I was being asked to produce a particular image. I felt like that was taking something away from my work. In the last five or six years, I haven't applied for projects, and the last time I applied, I just sent in slides and said, `This is what I'm doing. . . .' To the extent that artists are able to work on pieces they'd be doing anyway, it's a great thing."

Jenna Russell can be reached at russelljenna@hotmail.com.