Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 01/09/2025

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regard to public art. Critics argue that multi-faceted public consensus regarding public design increasingly leads to the continued aestheticization of public art, often at the expense of achieving a higher purpose. The connection to the community is importance to the acceptance of public art. Controversy is an uncomfortable position for most public officials, and public art can be criticized when its identity is seen as unrepresentative of the local public (McCarthy, 2006). Tension may also develop when the subject or form of the public art is inaccessible to residents (Senie and Webster, 1992), or when there is a conflict between the artist's private vision and that of the local community(Petro, 1992). The value of public art in small cities is often found in developing and expressing the sense of place, sense of identity, and sense of community rather than disrupting the status quo. The study of public art in small cities is important because small cities have fewer resources, and a more captive audience of creators and consumers of public art than its large urban counterparts. In a small city, the connection between public policy makers, public administrators and the public is direct and immediate. The discussion of whether the city should help fund a public arts initiative is necessarily weighed against whether the city should do things like hire more firefighters, fund more police offices, or fix the potholes in the city streets. Consequently, it is essential to align public art initiatives with the existing local culture, economy, and sense of place if the art is to be accepted and valued as part of the community. Cross-sector collaboration is an important component of community alignment. Making these connections across sectors (e.g., public, private, non-profit)build relationships within communities that support and foster public art initiatives. 18