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By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Santa Rosa has won a federal arts grant to draw up a plan to help the city become a regional arts destination.
The $50,000 award from the National Endowment for the Arts was one of 80 “Our Town” grants totaling $5 million.
The city plans to use the money to develop a public art master plan to guide public arts projects in the city. The project will be done in conjunction with the Sonoma County Museum and other local arts and business groups.
A sculpture in Santa Rosa's Courthouse Square.
“The city wants to continue our public art offerings, we don’t have much money, but we want to hear from people about what’s most important to them,” said Tara Matheny-Schuster, Santa Rosa arts coordinator.
The plan is meant to build on and help focus the city’s current public art programs. These include a downtown arts district, which supports sculptures, hand-painted benches and special events, and other artwork funded through 1 percent fee on private developments.
The city also has a business plan outlining how to fund district goals, but Matheny-Schuster admits the economy has put a damper on many of those plans, leaving the district largely in “maintenance mode.”
The museum is involved in part because it plans to have exhibit space in the proposed Museum on the Square project, which would turn the former AT&T building downtown into a mixed-use tower.
The master plan could include ideas for public spaces in Old Courthouse Square that complement the museum’s mission, such as space for outdoor lectures, workshops, performances, and other educational programs, Matheny-Schuster said.
Programs to combat graffiti, such as the installation of murals, are also a possibility, she said.
It’s the first time the city has won the grant, which requires an equal local match. The city is paying its match with $10,000 from the 1-percent development fee for artworks, which she said is “not ideal” but allowed under the ordinance. The remaining $40,000 will come from in-kind contributions such as staff time and donated space for community meetings, Matheny-Schuster said.
A consultant will be hired to conduct the public outreach and draw up the plan, work that should take about a year, she said.
You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com.
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I think they should use the money immediately to fund art projects by talented children to be displayed all throughout Santa Rosa.
I get tired of finding out donated money goes to hire another new manager and staff. We have lots of good artists in the community and some who work with children. Give the money to an art teacher in the community to coordinate and fund the children’s art. The city council can approve the art work to be created and where it will go.
“The $50,000 award from the National Endowment for the Arts was one of 80 “Our Town” grants totaling $5 million.
The city plans to use the money to develop a public art master plan to guide public arts projects in the city.
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The city plans to use the money to develop a public art master plan to guide public arts projects in the city.
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It’s the first time the city has won the grant, which requires an equal local match. The city is paying its match with $10,000 from the 1-percent development fee for artworks, which she said is “not ideal” but allowed under the ordinance. The remaining $40,000 will come from in-kind contributions such as staff time and donated space for community meetings, Matheny-Schuster said.
A consultant will be hired to conduct the public outreach and draw up the plan, work that should take about a year, she said.”
So some consultant will get $60,000 and some city employees will get $40,000 (in wages – to keep them busy since they don’t have anything useful to do) and we will get a $100,000 piece of paper that says art is wonderful and we should spend more money on it. Hopefully, the art consultant will be local so at least the money is spent here. If we should buy our vegetables locally, we should hire our fruits locally.
As for painting park benches, we used to that for free in Cub Scouts.
@Mockingbird.
If you’ve sat on the Janis Joplin bench in the Santa Rosa square you might be interested to know my daughter did that years ago.
There are many other fabulous benches out there done by talented kids.
She has fond memories of Art Start…and AmeriCorps…and helping non native speakers with English as a volunteer…and working at Camp Wa-Tam.
These are all worthy and rewarding programs for our kids.
I like to go to the square in downtown Santa Rosa, sit with Lucy and read my book. My grandchildren like to climb on the art. I love the benches being painted by artistic children-I want to see more of them throughout Santa Rosa and in the malls.
Interactive art makes me happy. The park at the Mosconi center has statues of people moving, a beautiful infinity shallow pool and waterfall. It’s a lovely park because of these additions.
As far as I’m concerned city art is a necessity. Chosen wisely to make people think, or play, or for interest, or whimsy, or education makes a city a more interesting place.
Use the money to fix the streets!
Art should be supported by the people who purchase it. It would weed out the insanity calling itself art at the public’s expense.
Hmmm, Borrow from China for Art ? Patrick Amiot ( the Sebastapol Re-cyled metal sculpture guy doesn’t need a GOVERNMENT GRANT.
Why do we do this ? Matching funds ? From the ‘ Art Budget ?
Sheer lunacy. ( And to anyone that would say that I am anti-art— Go make free art as publicity for bought art.
What’s next ? A 50 foot statue of Valerie Brown in front of the County Center ?
“Art is no damn good unless it sells.”- Jesse Helms
God I miss that man.