What is the Public in Public Art in Athens?

The issue of spending $50,000 on art at the new Clarke County Jail is expected to surface during tonight’s monthly meeting of the Mayor and Commission.

Last month, Commissioner Jared Bailey said he misunderstood the wording of a proposal not to spend any money on art at the jail, and he voted what he later said was in error. and change his vote—making the tally 5 to 5-- thereby requiring Mayor Denson to break a tie.

The $50,000 wouldn’t come out of the general fund. It’s part of the SPLOST money for the jail. If the money isn’t spent on art, it will be spent on some other feature of the new building.

Members of various arts groups and those interested in public art in Athens spent five years researching and evaluating different public arts programs in communities similar to Athens.

An appointed task force studied what other cities do, listened to reports about successful art programs and talked to hundreds of interested people in Athens, those in business and the arts and people who believe art is an important part of the city's character. An outgrowth of the process was the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission and an arts ordinance.

The commission created what they thought was a public arts program that reflected the views and values of Athens. It has short-term and long-term goals, is well-rounded and applicable to the community as a whole.

To fund the program, to have art that “transforms a citizen’s daily experience from ordinary to extraordinary,” Athens Clarke County Commissioners approved an arts funding ordinance that dedicated one percent of the construction costs of any new public building for art overlays or installations.

Witness the decorative banners and panels on the Washington Street parking deck. Artists worked with the architects and designers as the parking deck was being planned and built. Together, they came up with innovative, attractive ways to add art to the mix.

The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission is also working with the on an art installation, searching for private money for public art, applying for grants and meeting with people who are working on projests that seem appropriate for public art.

So it was more than a little shocking to Cultural Affairs Commission chairman Marilyn Wolf Ragatz that the volunteer group was pilloried by the local newspaper for a plan to dedicate about $250,000 for art at the new jail.

Considering the experience of other communities, the Cultural Affairs Commission expected the funding mechanism to be tweaked, so that wasn’t a surprise. The ordinance now provides more flexibility, allowing the County Commission to vote to spend nothing if it so chooses.

What has been surprising to the Cultural Affairs Commission members is that the idea of making art a part of the new jail has been ridiculed. Their research showed that art could be calming, even restorative, and could make things more pleasant in public spaces. 

“A jail is a place for healing as well as for incarceration,” said Valerie Aldridge, president of the Athens Area Arts Council and a long-time proponent for public art. “There are a lot of people from our community who visit the jail.”

These include volunteers leading AA meetings, church groups, the families of those in jail, attorneys, counselors, ministers and law enforcement officials. And the employees of the jail as well.

“It shows respect for the jail employees if you give them a nicer place to work,” said Wolf Ragatz.

The jail architects asked the Cultural Affairs Commission to suggest three possible sites for art at the new facility. These were the entry way, the lobby atrium and the entrance to the property.

“We would put out a call to artists in our area, saying 'Here’s the space, and here are some guidelines and restrictions,' and they would come up with a creative idea,” said Wolf Ragatz. “A jury would select the most appropriate idea. It’s not as haphazard as saying, ‘Let’s just hang a painting.'"

If the Mayor and Commission vote not to approve the $50,000 for art tonight, Wolf Ragatz said that once the project is finished, the Cultural Affairs Commission would look at the option of find other resources for funding a piece of art at the jail.