The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About03-02-2016 - City Arts Commission - Public Comments Newport Beach Sculpture Garden Discussion 3/2/2016 Special AC Meeting Status Quo:A place of government,wisdom and culture.Having City Hall,the Library and the Sculpture Garden all in one place represents a beautiful nucleus that represents the City and our community.Artfocused cities like Laguna Beach,Santa Ana,Brea, Orange with Chapman University,Fullerton and Costa Mesa are all vying for an artsinterested audience.The Orange County Museum of Art is moving from Newport Beach to Costa Mesa. Core Questions: Does the City Government want to include culture? Yes or no If no:Let’s stop all arts funding,because arts get only muted in its value and impact the moment they are controlled through dependence or used as band aid for political image improvement. If yes: Does the City want to use culture at its bare minimum? Does the City be known as a city with arts? Does the City want to be known for a special kind of art? Does the City want to be know as an art city? Core Problem:Art &Government are two extremes clashing against each other when leaving out the big picture.If you look at art only financially then there is little reason for it. If you look through art for art's sake, only minimal financial responsibility is justified. How can you bring these two poles together? Solution Establishing Value: 1.Stop seeing art as an intangible money pit.Before the City invests in any project, establish each project's intrinsic values. 2.Create a clear established cultural vision that indicates the City desired intrinsic values of its supported cultural programs.These established values allow and remind new and old financially responsible parties,about why the City invest in the arts. © Michaell Magrutsche Creative Consultant 323.596.0845 art@michaellart.com SelfAwareArt.com page 1 Example:The sculpture garden was initially created to attract more visitors to the park.It did just that,but since there was never a financially justifiably visitor range established and the intrinsic values lack completion,the sculpture garden landed in a gray zone. Art projects without identifiable value leads to 3.Seeing art just as numbers to be paid out,which nullifies all human investment and effort that was given.Many big companies invest in art because they understand all values that supporting the arts provides. Strengths of The Sculpture Garden:Besides that everyone that visits the library,City Hall,or drives by at the park's three surrounding roads (MacArthur,San Miguel and Avocado) is exposed to some art of the park. The sculpture garden rotates its art annually is the most important value creator.Its annually rotation provides fresh web content,leads to attention from the public and media,while creating art history for the City.Additionally,the new statues help more artists being exposed,create discourse,and controversy.That is exactly what art is supposed to do, starting dialogues and make one think and feel. Financing The Sculpture Garden?Since it was a City Council decision to create a sculpture garden,it is their decision to keep financing it or lay it to rest.If the City does not want to allocate the funds for the next exchange of the statues,it has to make the decision to end this project and why,as well as being responsible of how to phase it out. The Arts Commision can not take responsibility to finance this endeavor,because that is not their job,nor have they signed up to be financial experts to provide money for the arts. Michaell Magrutsche is an AustrianCalifornian multimedia artist,creative consultant,art educator and former Cultural Arts Commissioner of Newport Beach living in Laguna Beach. © Michaell Magrutsche Creative Consultant 323.596.0845 art@michaellart.com SelfAwareArt.com page 2