New plan for public art in Calgary mulled at city hall
Calgary city council wants a new approach to funding public art installations.
The plan would see public money from infrastructure put into public artworks, but will change where that artwork is ultimately displayed.
The city put its controversial public art program on hold in 2017.
That program saw one per cent of the money spent on public infrastructure projects like roads and overpasses be put toward art installations and those installations were required to be near the infrastructure projects.
Bowfort Towers along the TransCanada Highway is an example of that, and it didn't sit well with a lot of Calgarians like Carol Burnstein.
"You can't see it," Burnstein said.
"I thought it was some kind of construction … What's the good of that? No one can stop and look at it. They need to be a little more aware of what they're doing."
That's part of council's plan in rejigging and reviving the program.
The new plan would still see one per cent of the money spent on infrastructure go to artwork, but on multiple smaller artworks spread throughout communities.
Some councillors like Ward 12's Dan Mclean think it is still money not well-spent.
"At this time, affordability is what is on the top of mind to almost all Calgarians, whether they're putting food in their table, gas in their tanks (or) their property taxes," McLean said.
"Maybe we should be looking at lower taxes instead of maybe buying art right now."
Public art does put food on the table for many Calgary creators, from artists to engineers.
Carvel Creative designs and manufactures large-scale public art, paid for both privately and with public funds.
Most of the work it produces goes out of town.
Creative director Adam Weir welcomes council's renewed interest in funding public art.
"We produce probably upwards of 30 pieces of artwork a year in our facility here. We employ staff locally, we keep all of our materials and vendors local, as much as possible local to Alberta and as much as possible in Calgary," Weir said.
"We are normally travelling our artworks across Canada, as far as Montreal, to Vancouver. That's where the bulk of our work is, outside of this province. So it would be nice to see our work more embraced in this province, and specifically Calgary."
After fierce backlash over projects like "Travelling Light," often referred to as the big blue ring, some councillors like Ward 2's Jennifer Wyness believe there should be a greater emphasis on asking the question 'Is this art?' before approving a project.
"We have to acknowledge that Calgarians are the biggest art critics," Wyness said.
"And so, we really have to look at if there is a value and a place for it, and is it important, but (also) discuss and debate what is the aesthetic of the art."
The city is off-loading those decisions by contracting them out to the Calgary Arts Development Authority, which plans to tender out more, smaller works by local artists.
That's an idea that sits well with many Calgarians like Bev Stewart.
"I don't mind spending my taxes on public art, if it's local artists that are doing it," Stewart said.
"I would be proud of if we get local artists and you know, we can support them."
The city already set aside $12.1 million in its last capital budget for art over the next four years.
It still has $9 million left over from before the program got frozen in 2017.
Council was set to debate the revival of the arts program Tuesday, but by publication had not reached the item on its agenda.
When the proposal went before a council committee prior to coming to full council for debate, it passed 6-2.
Councillors McLean and Sean Chu voted against it.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.