I have often maintained that the most livable cities have an abundance of public art. And by that I mean planned, community-sponsored art with the purpose of beautifying city spaces, not random, destructive tagging that crops up overnight and adds to the visual chaos. There’s enough chaos in the world without adding to it.
My city has some amazing art, and that’s probably due in part to being in Washington State, which actually has legislation that requires the acquisition of works of art for all public buildings and lands. Any time a public building is built, one half of one percent of the cost goes toward this art. Some say this is too much. Others say it’s not enough. Check out the ArtsWA website for more information and decide for yourself.
I think this art makes a huge difference. As I drive around Seattle, I’m often treated to unexpected artistic delights, and they never fail to brighten my day. I was having a slow shift, so I started poking around on my department’s shared computer drive, and I came across these great photos of some of the area street art in three locations.
Since the organization that I work for is a public entity, these photos are available via public records request, but you’d have to know they were there to ask for them, and I only stumbled upon them by accident myself. These photos were taken in the mid 1990’s, so I’m not even sure this particular art is still there, but I thought I’d share some of it with you so you could share the smile it has put on my face.
Have a colorful and creative day, dear reader!
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The View from a Drawbridge 