San Benito County needs to bring back an Arts Council/Commission
for the creative and artistic benefit of our community! Sports are
good for some while others are creative and also in need of an
outlet for their talents.
Editor,
San Benito County needs to bring back an Arts Council/Commission for the creative and artistic benefit of our community! Sports are good for some while others are creative and also in need of an outlet for their talents.
Artist Crysto has been at it again, this time in Central Park, New York. He’s shocked and thrilled people all over the world for years, with his multi-million dollar fabric “sculptures” such as wrapping islands and such!
As a designer, I have always been interested, and yes, sometimes shocked myself at his creative designs, but this one I like.
January and February in Central Park, New York are cold and colorless. The trees are bare of leaves and the grass areas are either covered with snow or are brown and dormant. Seven thousand five hundred saffron colored “gates” are meandering along the many paths gently blowing in the breeze. The color brightens the gloomy winter landscape and the public’s winter blues!
Described by many as weird and others as wonderful, this latest Crysto art installation is, in my opinion, a positive and colorful panacea for the soul of a city still recoiling from the tragedy of 9/11! Yes, there are other needs that $21 million should be used for, but in this case, it has made the cold winter landscape of a famous city park a colorful and inviting place for residents and visitors alike.
At least there’s no advertising involved like “Pac Bell Park” or “Infinity Raceway” and various other venues which sell out to the highest bidder at “the drop of a hat!” Crysto’s wealthy backers enjoy arts for the sake of art!
Perhaps we could turn back the clock here and renew our “Art in Public Places” projects. Though the two “rock plies” in front of our county administrative building caused such a controversy, we could follow the encouraging visions of Springville, Utah, known as “Arts City” by it’s “Statues to Live By” program.
A positive “Yes” to Mike Smith’s column, Free Lance Feb. 12, “Let’s revive the arts in SBC” Though I hate to have advertising dollars involved, perhaps SBC phone Co. would like to spend some money here; how about “SBC in SBC?” Let us benefit from the millions of dollars we spend on our bills with their company. Remember a contract with them would only last so long, but in the meantime we would have built what we needed and hopefully the economy would have improved so that many more state and federal grants for the arts would be available.
We too could be known as “Arts City” or “Arts County” and bring visitors in to enjoy our wealth of talent and perhaps spend some money in our community purchasing some art or watching a good play or listening to a great concert!
Ruth Erickson, Hollister
