Editor,
I am writing today in support of Michael Ray’s editorial in last week’s paper. Before I add my comments I want to fully disclose that Michael is a good friend and an avid collector of mine as well as many other local and regional artists. With that said, I want to come out in full support of a six-month moratorium on placing any more public art into the city’s art collection. Now I realize that as a local artist and one that has participated in the city’s art in public places program on many occasions that my comments may be construed as sour grapes, but I can assure you this is not where I am coming from.
For the last couple of years, I have had direct conversations with not only the arts commission but more importantly many of the city council members in which I have voiced deep concerns about the artwork that has being selected and installed all around the city. We have an arts commission placed there by the city council and without exception, none of them have ever designed let alone executed a piece of public art and for the most part are not very qualified to be spending large sums of city funds on a stream of mediocre sculpture that only continues to degrade the image of this city as a progressive arts community, but also shows the visiting public that we are extremely provincial and myopic in our global understanding of what constitutes good public works of art.
The city council needs to institute an immediate moratorium on the process of selecting public art under its AIPP program so the whole process can be reviewed by professional artists and other professionals from within the greater art world, i.e., museum people, gallerists, architects and space planners. I have suggested many changes to the process as I believe that complaining is never the answer. Action needs to be taken starting with the council putting a halt to the mediocrity that is our current AIPP program and institute a comprehensive review that will lead to meaningful change in the process of selecting and placing public art in this city before we install another piece of bad frosting on an already over frosted cake.
Good public art enhances and challenges lives and reflects on all who live and visit Laguna Beach. Let’s make this overdue change to the AIPP program so we can be viewed as a progressive and visionary art community instead of one viewed as a regional backwater of mediocrity.
Jorg Dubin, Laguna Beach
In my opinion, Mr. Dubin is a good example of an accomplished resident artist with excellent public reputation and is a prime canidate for council regarding public art.