ART: Tribute to wise city planning

What a delightful surprise, coming upon the cheery umbrella-like flower sculpture in the Kathleen and Fourth roundabout on a gray winter morning! What a colorful and fun choice to plant these “flowers” so near the Coeur d’Alene High School for our young people to enjoy.

Art can be expensive … but also uplifting, thought provoking, educational and enjoyable, all as necessary to our mental and spiritual needs and well-being as food and shelter to our physical needs and well-being. They all make our lives better.

Fortunately for us, our city planned well to provide art for its citizens. On June 1, 1999, Coeur d’Alene became the first city in Idaho with a funding mechanism for public art. Modeled after the Portland Oregon public art ordinance, Coeur d’Alene now dedicates 1.33 percent of the total cost of all eligible capital improvement projects to fund art in public places, 1 percent for the art and .33 percent for maintenance.

The purpose of the public art program is to integrate a wide range of public art into the community and reflect the diversity of communities, artistic disciplines, and points of view. Artists can be valuable members of planning or design teams and a resource in the revitalization and development of our city and neighborhoods.

The Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission, created by ordinance in 1982 to stimulate and encourage the development of our city’s artistic and cultural life, is the standing committee charged by the City Council to oversee the Public Art Program, including memorials for public parks and donations of artwork to the public collection. They oversee the selection, placement and maintenance of works of art acquired through the Percent for Art program and other public/private programs. Have you seen the utility boxes around town? Colorful pops of art throughout our city instead of dull industrial looking boxes! The artists who created utility box art included students from seven of our schools, which provided financial support right back to their schools.

We have the opportunity to vote our preference for a proposed public art piece … often a tough decision. Models are submitted by artists and displayed at the Coeur d’Alene library for a period of time and at Art on the Green and other local venues with comment cards available. Visit the city website, www.cdaid.org and click on Arts Commission to see all our public art.

Thanks for the flowers, Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission!

YVONNE BENZINGER

Coeur d’Alene