In Tough Economic Times, Does Public Art Make Sense?
Submitted by Steve on July 18, 2012
From Elysabeth Alfano for Huffington Post:
In tough economic times, it is hard to justify large expenditures on art -- or is it? This summer, the city of Chicago has several large scale temporary art sculptures installed in the heart of the city, paid for by non-governmental organizations.
Navy Pier, in its Gateway Park which welcomes visitors to the area before the pier jettisons straight into Lake Michigan, launched its BIGart exhibition this May. It erected a signature Lichtenstein sculpture, Brushstroke Group, and an Anthony Caro sculpture, entitled, Blazon. It also commissioned an incredible Nancy Rubins sculpture, Monochrome for Chicago, 2012, consisting of 41 suspended canoes weighing over 5,000 pounds and supported by structures weighing 160,000 pounds, and Gajin Fujita's CHI-TOWN mural at the viaduct under Lake Shore Drive at Grand Avenue. BIGart will be up through October and cost Navy Pier over $100,000.