The government rarely gets anything right. In 1992 the Denver government continued the many millennium long failure of projects done in the name of the ‘public.’ The monstrosity I am referring to is the blue mustang located outside of the Denver International Airport. This project was commissioned to artist Luis Jimenez 17 years ago for $300,000. In a normal laissez-faire deal Jimenez would have to prove his artistic work to people actually interested in the money, since of course it would be their own. Instead, the government, with its deep pockets was issuing the money. There was no artistic ‘objectivity’ in their evaluation. More than likely Jimenez was merely adequate at filling out forms and meeting the right sorts of government cronies in order to procreate this savagely grotesque horse from his mind into the real world.
There is currently a quite popular facebook site called byebyebluemustang.com, where thousands of denverites and others have voiced their dissent. The site is full of complaints about the ‘ugliness’ of the artwork. They decry that this should not be the first thing visitors to our great city encounter.
My opponent may cry a different song. Pointing out a few facts and pulling on the emotional strings of their audience. In 2006, for instance, after spending more than twice the estimated budget, Jimenez was killed when a piece of his artwork fell on him. The Jimenez family finished the project and is adamant about keeping the horse where it stands.
The other issue, or moot point I should say, is the fact that the project was funded with municipal bonds rather than taxpayers money.
All of these points are of no consequence to the fact that the government once again misallocated scarce resources.
Although it is true that municipal bonds are issued in order to fund projects. It is also true that the projects could go to more needed venues, such as police, roads and more.
To allow the government to fund art in such a way is to make art an open forum for the pull-peddlers. This discourages true artists from even approaching the field of aesthetics. When pull-peddlers can gain the upper hand, this discourages more talented yet less social artists from attempting great work.
It is time to take art out of the realm of the ‘public’ good and into the realm of the individual good.
1 comment:
Well, I would argue a better way would be to request a few submissions and put them before the people, since, well they would be the ones who have to look at it. Deciding the art that is on a wall in some hallway somewhere is different from very public place.
Also, I don't know if speculating as to the process Jimenez went through is a good journalistic tactic ('probably just adequate ..') but then again, you are just a blogger.
Anyway. wuzzup buddy?
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