Taking Public Art to the Streets!

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Author: Cierra Linander (OVAC Intern)

Part of the Oklahoma Art in Public Places program, Four Seasons by Kevin Box islocated at the entrance to the University of Central Oklahoma’s Center forTransformative Learning.

Twoweeks ago, the Oklahoma Arts Council and Oklahomans for the Arts hosted the2012 Oklahoma Arts Conference, and I had the pleasure of attending. The themeof this year’s two-day conference was BuildingBridges to Vibrant Communities, which primarily focused on the economicbenefits of community revitalization projects. 

A variety of inspiring tours, panels,and workshops were held, ranging from informational sessions for artists onwriting grant proposals, to inspiring seminars discussing the crucial role thearts play in the livelihood of our communities.

Part of the Oklahoma Art in Public Places program, theHeritage Bridge
was designed bySteven Weitzman of Creative Form Liners, Inc. 

Thoughall of the sessions I attended carried an important message, I was mostprofoundly impacted by the moderated panel discussion, Takin’ it to the Streets: Incorporating Public Art into your CommunityCultural Plan. 
Moderated by Debby Williams, panelists Ken Busby, Robbie Kienzle, RandelShadid, and Larry Walker each discussed the public art sector in each of theirtowns, Tulsa, OKC, Edmond, and Norman. Several methods and ideas wereintroduced, offering advice for listeners interested in starting a public artprogram in their community as well as additional measures that can be taken forfurther community involvement.
One interesting solution to the problem of funding artprojects is the private-public funds matching program adopted by Edmond.Through this program, the contribution of a private donor is matched by thecity to purchase a work of art to be displayed publically. Due to the successof the program, some 124 pieces have gone up around Edmond in the 10 years ofits implementation.
By andlarge, the message of Takin’ it to theStreets focused on the importance of community involvement and how to make theinvestment of time or money for public artworkprojects look appealing. Citizens like the idea of city beautificationmeasures, including public art, and are proud of the work they participate in.
Thebenefits of public art can be quantified, even if an exact number of admissiontickets can’t be counted. Public art provides free education to the communityand group projects provide a sense of unity within the community.
See recent articles in Art Focus Oklahoma about the Oklahoma Art in Public Places as well as the  Tulsa, Norman, and Oklahoma City public art programs.