Some people don't like art.
The Bee's Mike Oz has a story and related blog post talking about the controversy brewing over a mural piece down in the Tower District. It's a great start to an interesting conversation with a lot of important type questions. For instance:
* Who controls the design aesthetics of a neighborhood? As hinted at in the blog post, the Tower District has a review committee. I'm not sure whether this would fall under their purview. If so, is there a set of criteria for what's deemed "appropriate?" Should there be? What's the role of individual home-owners in all of this?
* Private property as public space. This is a piece of private property and the libertarian in me says the owner should be able to us it however he sees fit. But by putting a mural up, it becomes shared public space, right? Catching eyeballs and whatnot. Who's rights trump who's?
* Subjective beauty and the question of art. This is the complicated part of the debate, where I wish I had a little more insight. Like, I'd have if say, I had gone to the meeting. But I wonder what kind of mural would have been OK to put up. Is it the fact of the mural itself, or the content/style of this particular mural they think will drop property values?
Let me add this: Some people like terrible art. Some people collect Thomas Kinkade. Would a pastoral cottage scene have been more appropriate/acceptable? Because on a personal level I would be offended if someone put a Thomas Kinkade mural next to my house.
Would I try to get it painted over? Probably not.
What do you think? Is this much ado about nada? Or is there some real substance to having this debate?
Nobody cared
You had an vacant corner that nobody cared about but as soon a group of people show up try and bring it back to life everybody's got an opinion and everybody cares. I stopped by today and thought it looked really cool. I was surprised to see that there are no houses directly across from the mural. There's one that would have a diagonal view to it, but it seems like a bit of a stretch for people to be saying it's going to affect their property values.
The same thing happened with the community garden on Maroa behind Livingstones. A group came in and cleaned up a vacant lot and started planting vegetables. They got rid of the weeds and debris and kicked out the crazy lady who lived in her car under the tree. Some of the neighbors (business and residential) had a fit. They had the cops back there every night and went around complaining to anyone who would listen. Yet none of them seemed to notice or care when it was an eyesore.
Apparently people just don't like change.
Contemplate.
If anyone wants to see Fresno's cultural and artistic merit expand, silencing a mural like so is exactly the WRONG thing to do. We're walking ever so backwards..
It's sad and disappointing
It's sad and disappointing that this mural is going to be painted over not because it is good (and once finished would have been better) but because of the precedent we're setting. Don't like something because it is different than what we're used to or it falls outside of our narrow box of experience just get rid of it. This is the same creativity killing mindset that has kept Fresno in it's current state for decades now.
The artists that worked on this mural are the same artists that have produced some of the best (national and world class) murals we have in this city. These artists have not only worked in Fresno but across the state, country and planet. They are from the same cohort of local talent that has enjoyed major success in San Francisco, Portland, Tokyo and Berlin. These artists are pushing the boundaries of the traditional mural and growing their talent at the same time. All for the benefit of Fresno. Is this how we're going to repay them?
somebody disliked it...
...enough to deface it with a thrown bag of paint. I think once the opposition to the art gets started they won't stop until forced to do so. Especially since they can deface it in the dead of night when no one is watching.
Muralathon
If you would like to see a viewing of the Muralathon project then please go to Audies Olympic thursday Nov.19th to see live bands, interact with the artists that painted this wall and get a chance to get some paintings from them too. If you would like more info on the project please contact me (josh Wigger) at
rndm9@yahoo.com
for me
i want to see the painting in person, after it is finished, before i make any real judgments about it.
i do think that when doing public art, especially in a semi-residential you might want to consider how it will be received by those immediately impacted by your work. not that artists are beholden to the whims of the public, but i think artists should think about audience reception even if it's only at a small level.
other offensive buildings in the tower
i am offended by the dollar tree. i have to see it every time i walk or drive down olive and it has negatively affected my quality of life. can we please have a neighborhood meeting to discuss removing it?
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