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Looking around Portland and the state as a whole, I don't get the sense that "art lovers" are in the minority. Almost every small town or city I've visited in Oregon has some form of art, often as a wonderful expression of local traditions or via the various associations and educational institutions in the area. The arts has a wonderful way of informing how people can actually diversify their professional aspirations when they're ready to find "real" work, whatever that means. Focusing on art that is simple on display negates entire processes of how artists engage and educate communities as they create their work. Outside of budgetary concerns ate the planned and incidental ways in which artists and their art interact with the communities that they support.

posted 5 years ago
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When only 3%-4% of Oregon's GNP goes towards art, not just public art, but art of all kinds, it's hard to see where the waste is. Having worked within arts education for more than 18 years, I can attest to the power of involving the artistic process in people's lives. Especially in times like these when we're at war, when global warming is so dramatically changing our landscape and the way we live, it's often artists who find some of the most humbling, sincere, profound, passionate and productive ways to engage the public about these issues. Not all public art works for me personally. In fact most tends to confuse or annoy me. But I'm still glad it's there. I'm not a huge fan of waste either, especially since public funding for education, social welfare, and health care isn't anywhere close to what's currently needed in this state or our country. But perhaps it's best to go after the larger funded sectors of our government (the military for example) to find the funding to use for social projects of your liking.

posted 5 years ago
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