In Copenhagen, I visited the Little Mermaid.
She sat calmly on a rock beside the promenade, her bronze body shining in the sun. In London, I happened upon the Barge Master and Swan Master. And in Seattle I met a Hammering Man.
All of them were a joy to see; their pictures are carefully pasted into my travelling logs. There was no lengthy conversation, but each character provided me with a small insight into their community, history and culture.
That's the point of public art. It makes you stop. And even if you hate it, it'll make you think.
Squamish has the opportunity to join one of the most highly acclaimed, world-renowned outdoor art exhibits running today. Vancouver Biennale wants to make our little town the first municipality outside of the Lower Mainland to participate in the bi-annual exhibit that brings world-class pieces to Vancouver's shores.
It comes with a fee up to $20,000 per year over the show's three-year period. That covers the cost of transporting the artwork to the Squamish, a massive marketing campaign, website and social media that parallels the show. Not to mention the international fanfare that arrives with the art piece itself.
The bill for one year is equal to the amount the District of Squamish council were dilly-dallying about to light up Stan Clarke Park for Christmas. Approximately $20,000 showed up in the 2013 budget to complete a job that was done for free by the community last year.
While I'm no humbug, it doesn't add up that officials would spend money on something residents had fun volunteering to do, while passing up an opportunity to put Squamish on the world stage.
Vancouver Biennale is much more than one sculpture or public piece. The exhibit brings along a slew of educational programs. It also puts Squamish in magazines, newspapers and on public art tour maps, bumped out by Biennale. There's a whole marketing machine behind it, providing the district with an opportunity it doesn't have the resources to do itself. If our experience is anything like Vancouver's, it will bring people into town. And more people equals cash.
Municipal officials have until April 15 to decide whether Squamish will become a Biennale destination. After that, we'd have to wait until 2017 to jump aboard. District officials face tough choices in the 2013 budget. But this shouldn't be one of them. If the municipality helps front a portion of the fee this year, I'd expect residents to pick up the ball the following two years.
At the very least, give us the chance to chase this. Squamish artist Krisztina Egyed said she's secured approximately $18,000 in private funding. I'd back that with my own cash and look forward to the day when I can add a new character to my travel logs.
Check out Vancouver Biennale's youth education program -
