Photo Essay: Our Public Art

I have a theory that everybody loves public art. They just don't always realize it. Sure, there's a vocal contingent decrying the public funding of art. But I'm willing to bet that a majority of these people have at least one photo of themselves with "The Bean" in Chicago, with the Joe Louis fist in Detroit, in front of Mount Rushmore or playing with The Cube in Ann Arbor. I see it as similar to those who denounce funding NPR but love A Prairie Home Companion and This American Life. Or people who hate PBS but can't get enough of Downton Abbey.

 

It's far from an old debate. Chicagoans despised Picasso's sculpture when it was placed outside the Daley Plaza in 1967 yet it is now considered an iconic facet of the city. When the WPA reduced it's grant for the West Park Bandshell in 1937 the city of Ann Arbor almost declined to build what has become one of the city's best-recognized landmarks. Maybe our forefathers didn't like the idea of the MC5 and the Grateful Dead playing there 30 years later.

 

The public funding of community projects have been a long part of our history. Ann Arbor school buildings were decorated with murals funded by the Works Projects Administration (WPA) and even our belolved Farmers Market in Kerrytown has its roots with the program's public funding.

 

It seems strange to me that folks decorate their homes with carefully chosen paint colors and pieces of art yet decry the idea of adorning our community with anything more than functional design. I guess billboards, weather-stained concrete and suburban lawns are enough for some but I like to think Ann Arbor esteems to a little bit more than that.

 

Art and academia helped build our community, and they continue to make it one of the coolest cities in the Midwest. So let's celebrate the Ann Arbor area's public art with a visual tour of works old and new.  If you want to explore these art pieces yourself feel free to check out the sites on this google map. 

 

We'll start in West Park and wind our way around Ann Arbor and then finish in Chelsea with a tour of the River Gallery's SculptureWalk. It's always new every year and a great way to explore downtown Chelsea.  

Just click PLAY on the video below and expand to full screen to get the best view.