Taking the art out of public places

Beauty is absolutely in the eye of the beholder, and art is one of

the best examples of that. It’s nearly impossible to declare a piece

of art worthless.

We’re not about to say a piece of art about to be installed on

Ocean Avenue is worthless or even aesthetically displeasing. But we

are going to say this: a sculpture of a woman shopping Downtown? Come

on.

Yes, Laguna is an art village. Yes, we should make sure art

remains a focus and that the community supports artistic endeavors --

murals, festivals and even art in public places. The Arts Commission

held a contest to determine which sculptures would be added to the

Art in Public Places project. The question we have is, does having

art in public places mean that we have to have art in every corner of

every public place? The overabundance of pieces can diminish their

aesthetic worth and make them, well, ordinary.

But beyond that issue, a woman shopping? Another sculpture to be

installed at Ocean and Forest avenues is of three people enjoying a

discussion.

Seriously, have a seat and look around, you’ll see plenty of women

shopping (a few men too) and you might even catch a group of people

having a chat -- all for zero funds.

This is not an indictment of the artists. There’s no doubt they

are talented and deserved the commission -- they are both Festival of

Arts exhibitors, but there are more satisfying ways to support the

arts in Laguna. The Arts Commission shouldn’t be wary of being a bit

more discerning.