"Mo' money, mo' problems." Hip hop legend Notorious BIG once said it, and the Public Art Commission are finding out just how true it is. I walked into their most recent meeting and found the group in disarray. For the last five years, the commission has been working with slim budgets that were just enough to keep it going. Now that they're sitting on millions of dollars in taxpayer money, local politicians and city players are approaching the commission with their own agendas in mind, and surely a wave of local arts organizations and concerned citizens are not far behind.
In the meeting several important items were discussed. As reported in our previous article about the PAC, the $1.3 million from the Justice Center project has been approved, and will be available to the PAC starting in 2014. These funds will be distributed under the restrictions of the 1% For The Arts Program, as outlined in our last article. Therefore there are limitations on what these funds can do for the local arts. However, it was revealed at the most recent meeting that the Mayor's budget includes an additional $1.9 million to be made available by 2016. These funds are outside the 1% For The Arts Program, and are therefore available for much broader use. A total of $3.2 million for public art means the PAC's role in the community could change drastically.
That said, where there is that much taxpayer dough, politics will be involved. City Councilwoman Kathy Graziano, who a month ago threatened to cap all funding to the PAC at $250,000, has withdrawn her objection to the current funding plan. However, she has now taken a direct interest in the PAC, and stated she is for the public art funding as long as there is a plan. Since the PAC is now Richmond's most well-funded art committee, city council wants a master plan in place to show how the money will be spent. This seems reasonable to me.
The board members were grateful to have the funding, of course. However, they were concerned about the limits placed on it, as well as how to transition from the way the PAC has always done business to the new course of action dictated by the funding increase. As of right now, no one is sure who is going to come up with the master plan that city council wants, or how much it will cost to put one together. Preliminary discussions with groups outside the city have taken place. My hope is that any money that taxpayers put in will be spent within the city limits. We shouldn't be taking money out of our community.
This all leads me back to you, the reader. Now is the time for your voice to be heard. Are you concerned about how your money is being spent? Want to see more local arts get the funding they need? Do you have suggestions about the master plan for funding of public art? If this issue concerns you, come out to these meetings, listen, and maybe ask a few questions. As we all know, "knowing is half the battle."
Next time, I will try to interview a few members of the PAC and get their thoughts for you.
PAC notes:
Dunglas Dunlap is the city staff person for the PAC.
Douglas.Dunlap@richmondgov.com
(804) 646-6822
The City Of Richmond Planning Commission has authority over the PAC and appoints the members to the PAC.
Kathy Graziano is a member of the Planning Commission. If you have questions or thoughts make sure and send her an email.
kathy.graziano@richmondgov.com
804-320-2454
Official PAC website:
http://www.richmondgov.com/CommissionPublicArt/index.aspx