The Public Art Commission met yesterday. They discussed the plan to deaccession several of the downtown bronze pieces, including the bears, the deer, the little girl in the garden by the pedestrian bridge, the kids sledding, Eddie at Bat, and the rodeo kids. The public has sent many letters regarding the pieces, most of them asking that the pieces be kept.
The Commissioners are concerned that their reasons for wanted the pieces removed aren’t fully understood. They want people to know the following:
1 Some of the pieces contain lead. Since kids crawl all over the pieces, that may be a safety hazard.
2 Some of the pieces are on loan. The owners are not asking for them to be returned, but they always have the right to do so; however, in all cases, both donors and lenders prefer that the pieces remain on display.
3 Lower-quality pieces are more expensive to maintain.
They will hold a public hearing on the topic at 9AM on May 5th. The meeting will be in City Council Chambers, so it will be broadcast live. If you want to weigh in, either attend that meeting or send a letter to City staff member Aleah Menefee. They will not make a decision at that meeting.
They will tentatively hold a follow-up meeting on May 12th at 9AM. They hope to make the decision at that meeting. The plan is to hold that meeting at the community center, so it will not be broadcast live.
They determined that they would not replace the bicycle statue at 13th & Washington, since it’s been hit by cars so many times. They will find a new location for it after it’s been repaired. Two possibilities are the Beverley Heights Park and the intersection of Hwy 6 and 19th Street, once the construction is finished. They will wait till the June meeting to discuss whether to move the prospector & burro statue to 13th & Washington.
Tonight (4/8) from 6-7:30, visit the Golden History Center to hear live music of the Victorian and Edwardian periods played by the Rubino Duo on flute and harp, including medleys from operas and popular music as well as light classics.
