I want to support the suggestion of Laurel Hauser that we have an arts council, and echo the suggestions of others that we nourish our burgeoning Arts District. Art, public or otherwise, is immensely important in creating a sense of place, a pride in our beautiful, creative community and the inspiration it gives us all, whether we consider ourselves artists or not. (All humans are beauty-craving creatives at root; we just sometimes lose touch with this part of ourselves.) It's become pretty typical in many big cities for disused industrial or downtown buildings to become places for art - our natural beauty, in addition to these sorts of spaces, makes our downtown arts area a no-brainer. People already flock here for various art-related events and reasons - now we need support, organization, infrastructure, branding. We need a council, signage, and even more public art. We need creations and products that enforce this positive, art-saturated view of our home.
Melissa Clark
(Sent via Center Line Community Forum)