Culture

Sarah Jackson | Over the Edge

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Sarah Jackson
Culture Editor
nyone who has ever seen
Cirque du Soleil will agree that
it is an awe-inspiring experience. For
me, it was an even more incredible
experience seeing it for free in a
revamped airport hangar in Quebec
City this surnmer.
| arrived an hour early and stood
in a line that stretched further than |
could see, along a dock beside the St.
Lawrence River. The sun set over the
crowd as we waited, bubbling with
anticipation.

In the lineup a woman told me how
much she enjoyed living in Quebec
City. She explained how she had lived
in Ontario and in Montreal for years,
but Quebec City, which is officially
classified as a UNESCO world heritage
site, is the place she wants to live.
Later, standing mere feet beneath
swinging acrobats in the cool, black
night | felt as if | could quite easily live
in Quebec City as well.

What is the true value of art and
architecture? There are different
perspectives on that question. A
commonly held assumption in our
society is that function is often more
important than beauty. But is it?

Think about your favorite city. Why is

it your favorite? For me it is all about
the impression | get from public spaces
and the feeling those spaces create.
Walking through the famous cities of
the world, it is the architecture and
art that makes an impression: the
curve of the buildings, sculptures, street
musicians and parks filled with trees
and gardens.

The first thing a city does when it is
looking to revitalize the downtown
is make it more attractive. Beautiful
places attract investment. Take
Vancouver, with its modern, shapely
skyscrapers and gorgeous parks.
Wherever you go in downtown

8

Valuing Public Art

Vancouver the mountains seem to loom
in the distance and the gorgeous blue
ocean is within walking distance.

But public art is also controversial. Like
anything else that involves people's tax
dollars, critics question its value and
complain about the cost, especially if it
is something they do not like. Cities are
expressions of ourselves and we want
them to reflect that.

According to David Staples of the
Edmonton Journal, most major cities in
Canada have a program that ensures
one percent of tax dollars goes to
public art. This program demonstrates
the importance of public art from a
political perspective.

In April of this year British Culture
Secretary, Maria Miller, argued that in
periods of global economic austerity
such as the one we are currently
experiencing policy-makers have to
look at the economic value of public
art and culture. Her Shadow Culture
Secretary, Harriet Harman, added that
“arts and culture is about much more
than the economy: they're about a
sense of identity, of community, and the
potential of each and every individual’.
Every person who has ever played
with trembling hands at a piano recital
or covered themselves in paint at a
summer camp understands the value
and thrill of creating and participating
in art. It is an intrinsic and often
underlooked part of our lives. (CITE)

For me, art is something | am learning
to value more, the longer | live and
the more | experience. It is something
we can all contribute to in a variety of
ways, from supporting local artists to
learning to become one. Everything can
art if it is seen from that perspective,
from a well-crafted sentence in an
essay to the way we move about the
world, It is just about becoming aware
of the art that exists all around us and
within us.

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