Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Public Art is the Frisco way

Photo by Louis DeLuca

When a co
mmunity joins together for the sake of art, we have to give it props. We came across this article in the Dallas News. Frisco, a small city in Texas has been taking charge in opening its doors to public art. Actually, they encourage it.

Too many towns "are becoming homogenized – same stores, same restaurants, same street names even, as other towns," said Katherine Wagner, chief executive officer of North Texas Business for Culture and the Arts and a member of the public art committee for Dallas. "Art can give us something to be proud of that is uniquely ours, and which we can build around."

Frisco has been installing art into their town for a while now. The city even requires every municipal project to set aside money for art to be installed. From installing art at their local Pizza Hut to a terrazzo floor at the Fire Station, Frisco has been able to show that a city can flourish with art rather than succumb to Billboard advertisements and the cookie-cutter streets that you find across America. They are even building a curriculum around the collections.

We give props to the city of Frisco, TX and encourage other towns to follow. Its when a city stands up and recognizes that public advertisement (legal or not) is an eye sore, and that public art (legal or not) can be something to enjoy, teach and talk about, that is when the value of artists and their hard work will truly be understood.

Check out the full article here: In Frisco, There's Art To Be Found