It is our nature that we like to decorate the places in which we live. In our homes we display photographs of family members, things that remind us of where we have been, things that amuse, inspire or delight us, when we move into a new house we like to put our mark on it. To make it ‘home’.
When we do similar things as a community, we call it public art. It can be small or large; it can be permanent or temporary, and it can take many forms. Like the decoration in our homes public art tells our stories, indicates what we value, what challenges, surprises and delights us. In our homes and in the community these activities are a sign that we care about and have pride in who we are and where we live.
Council recently commissioned a consultant to prepare a Public Art Plan for the city. The Plan has identified opportunities and priorities to help us get more art into our community. In the past a council carrying out such an exercise might have been criticised for spending money on something the city doesn’t need. Today we have been told to “just get on with it!” What a wonderful change!
Around the world great cities like New York, Paris and London are filled with public art, much of it collected over centuries. In New Zealand, Wellington has made tremendous progress in recent years and clearly leads the way. In western communities public art is always funded from a mix of public and private sources, and that will be no different here.
A group of local business and public art enthusiasts have recently come together to raise funds and invest in art in the city. This is similar to the model that has been so successful in Wellington. I thank them for their leadership and generosity, and I hope everyone will support them. It won’t happen overnight but I hope that over the next five or 10 years people who visit the city will have a much richer experience as they learn about Hamilton, who we are and what we care about through the art they encounter along their way.
