Elgin's public art process draws residents' input
Elgin residents who attended the first community forum about the creation of a public art plan had a variety of suggestions, from installing artwork along prominent roads to creating temporary art walls.
The plan, spearheaded by the cultural arts commission, will address all aspects of public art, from the initial call to implementation and maintenance.
Resident Ron Weiner proposed having art pieces along Route 31, where his own business is located, and Route 25. "That's where we get the most traffic, and that's where we have the opportunity to seduce those people to come downtown."
It would be exciting if the plan focused on "placemaking," resident Parker Thompson said. That's the concept that art, when well-placed, helps public places become integral to the fabric of the community.
Resident Doug Tomsha suggested creating a temporary art wall to be used by different schools and community groups who'd paint over it on a rotating basis.
The plan will spell out how long artwork will remain in the public domain, said Amanda Harris, the city's liaison to the cultural arts commission. "Some will be one year, some will be 10 years. That will really affect the feasibility of installing the art work," she said.
That's good news, said resident Brad Downard. He participated in Algonquin's public art project, where most artwork is limited to one year, he said.
Elgin was the site of a controversy in May regarding a mural commissioned by the city and inspired - unbeknownst to city officials - by a 1930 lynching photo. The mural was put in storage until the public art plan, including the question of how to dispose of public art, is finalized.
About 25 people attended the forum Wednesday evening at the Centre of Elgin. But not everyone can make such meetings, resident Andrea Johnson-Williams pointed out.
It's especially important for all those who came to know about Elgin's public art via the lynching mural controversy to be involved, she said. "What is the plan moving forward to not let that be their art experience in Elgin?"
"That's a fantastic question, and frankly something that keeps me up at night," Harris replied. The city will spread the word and advertise future meetings as much as possible, she said. Residents can also contact her and cultural arts commission members, she added.
Tomsha said the lynching mural was "an aberration" in Elgin. "You have to ask the question, 'Why should any public art be controversial?'"
The commission has set aside $6,500 to create the plan, mostly to pay for experts to come to Elgin and take a look around, Harris said.
The commission hopes to kick off its public art project with a sculpture on Riverside Promenade and a mural in the first level of the parking deck of the Centre, Harris said. The goal would be to do a sculpture and mural every year, she said.
The date for the next community forum hasn't been set yet. The cultural arts commission also is working on creating a comprehensive, web-based public art database.