‘Mickey Mouse,’ Critics Say : Burbank Plan Told for a Salute to Arts

A grass-roots cultural group is thinking of using Mickey Mouse and friends to help bring art and culture to Burbank, but some Burbank officials find the idea goofy.

The Fine Arts Federation of Burbank has suggested that the city establish “Burbank Avenues of the Arts” to salute the industries and motion picture studios in Burbank.

The proposal, published in the federation’s latest newsletter, states that “large monumental-size bronze statues depicting various creative men and women at work behind the scenes at the TV and film industry” could be placed at intervals along Olive Avenue.

“At the top of the hill, in the middle of the street, would be one or two cameramen filming the horizon of Burbank,” reads the proposal. “Down a couple of blocks would be the soundman, and perhaps at the bottom looking upward would be a director. Magnificent!”

The Lockheed aerospace industry would be honored in a similar fashion, the proposal said.

Disney Tribute

To pay tribute to Walt Disney Studios, which has headquarters in Burbank, “Magnolia Boulevard could have archways over the street depicting the Disney characters.” And, on San Fernando Road, there could be “major bronzes done of Burbank actors, actresses, people who have made Burbank famous.”

But Burbank Mayor Mary E. Kelsey gave a scathing review to the proposal.

“It’s stupid,” Kelsey said at City Hall when the idea was first advance in mid-December.. “Can you imagine having all those statues and archways? People don’t want to see all those things. Can you think of anything more idiotic?”

Other City Council members were more diplomatic in their opposition to the proposal.

“It’s great to dream and have a vision for the arts, but we should crawl before we walk,” Councilman Michael Hastings said. “We should think of art more in terms of the community than for tourists. That kind of planning would be a tremendous undertaking and a huge expense.”

Kate Higgins, president of the Fine Arts Federation, said the suggestions were born at a recent meeting of the federation’s board of directors to delineate the group’s “vision” for Burbank in the arts.

The group also proposed a community arts center that would have a reception area with gallery space and a 750- to 1,500-seat theater for movie premieres and film festivals.

“Our board of directors wants to be realistic in establishing cultural or artistic activities in Burbank that are in tune with the needs of the residents and businesses of Burbank,” Higgins said.

Higgins said that the proposals were just ideas to prompt feedback and that she is surprised at the negative reaction by city officials.

‘Bring Burbank Into ‘80s’

“We were just trying to come up with ways to bring Burbank into the 1980s while attracting people to retail businesses,” Higgins said. “If the Chamber of Commerce promotes this city as the entertainment capital of the world, then we should have culture which would be beautifying and economically helpful.”

The federation and the city have had a tense relationship since early this year, when Higgins began aggressively pushing for a city measure that would have required developers to pay 1% of the cost of projects exceeding $500,000 for arts and culture. Opponents of the measure argued that it unfairly discriminated against builders.

In June, the council voted 3 to 2 against placing the measure on the November ballot. Higgins and her group said at the time that they would launch an initiative campaign to qualify the proposal for the February ballot. She also said the group would start a recall movement against Kelsey and Councilmen Al F. Dossin and Robert R. Bowne, who voted against the proposal.

However, the recall movement never materialized.

As for the ballot measure, Higgins said the group has collected most of the 4,500 to 5,000 signatures needed to qualify the initiative for the February ballot.