I know art is often spoken of in phrases like “art for art’s sake,” but when I survey the status of public art in our city, I just scratch my head. I can’t fathom what we are doing. We all know the sad and bizarre story of the statue of Captain Fallon raising the flag. My fingerprints are on that series of mistakes and I share blame. And the Aztec god in Chavez Plaza is, likewise, a well-known saga. But those are the past and we need to move on.
Now, in the new phase of art in public places, are the tinker toys of City Hall really all we have to look forward to? It seems a colorful display of shapes and sizes without the least chance of any meaning. The only thing missing is a warning label: “Dangerous for children under three years of age—may swallow.” How much do the rest of us have to swallow? Such timidity holds another danger to us all: the danger of terminal blandness. Isn’t the measure of some public art its ability to inspire and teach, to make us want to learn about and understand our city and how we got here?
We only have to look a few hundred yards into the campus of San Jose State University to grasp the meaning and promise of public art. There you will find the wonderful statues of Tommy Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics, majestic in their “Black Power” salute. This was a courageous, revolutionary and controversial act—this was history. You can appreciate the piece as art, whether or not you agree with the act it depicts. As a young student in a class at the university stated, “It makes me think and it makes me proud of our school.” Now that to me is the essence of what some public art can do.
We have so politically corrected our history that it is barely present. We have become timid, afraid of our own historical shadow so to speak. It is not necessary to agree with history, but it is necessary to understand it and come to grips with its meaning—good and bad. Think of Ruth Ozawa’s beautiful bass-relief—near the Federal building on Second Street—remembering the sadness of the World War II internment of Japanese Americans and heralding the bravery of the Nisei fighting in Italy; the pathos and courage of our history is palpable. Look, too, at the Veteran’s Memorial on Park Avenue and read of the bravery of Carlos Ogden and other young men.
We must not reduce our history to the colored lions at the light rail station near the HP Pavilion that are more suited for Narnia than San Jose. Nor must we allow the tinker toys of City Hall to become the standard. Better judgment with a dash of courage must be applied in the selection of future art.
I know this is not on the subject, but I thought it was worthy of discussion.
Tonight is the State of the City address at city hall. Of course, we all know the sad state of the city, but I just wanted to point out a small but relatively unnoticed case of political grandstanding hypocrisy.
Each year the members of the city council have an opportunity to recognize the incredible work of their constituents by honoring one person or group with the good neighbor awards. Apparently, Linda LeZotte is not very appreciative of the great people in her district; instead of honoring one of her constituents she is giving the award to her husband, Ken Kelly! I’ve always thought that a supportive spouse was a great asset in any relationship, but by choosing her husband she is basically telling the countless volunteers in her area that their efforts are meaningless. What a slap in the face!
This is not to diminish the work of Ken, but this takes patting yourself on the back to an all new level. LeZotte is basically using her last chance to honor a good neighbor in the district to promote herself through her husband.
The fact that they have different last names may fool a few people, but it shouldn’t fool everyone. Hope we read this in the Mercury.
I’m happy to see I’m not the only one that has had such views of city art projects. When I travel I often marvel at the art I see in other cities; when in San Jose, I often sit there and stare, thinking to myself, “What were they thinking?”
Let everyone learn a lesson from me, if they can recognize the likeness of a person, then they won’t put it up. Now, make colored balls and squares and that’s great art!
#2 – If you are going to criticize Linda, then don’t leave out our good friend Mayor Ron who is honoring a former deputy city manager (who just resigned.) This guy has a very colorful past with garbage in another Bay Area city. Probably just a coincidence that he resigned just now. Kind of like the Borgsdorf “coincidence.”
Ken Kelly is a great community member and an asset not only to District 1, but all of San José and Santa Clara county. I have worked with Ken in several capacities in different volunteer organizations and can say he is there because he cares – not because he is Linda’s husband. He not only is involved in many organizations, he is very active in each and everyone of them.
I think Ken is deserving of the honor.
Pete Constant
Tom,
Do you know why the scupture done by local artist David Botini, comissioned by the city, and installed near San Antonio St was smashed and removed by the city?
If you are wondering why public art projects look the way they do in San Jose, please refer to the 20 step flow chart titled “Public Art Process Matrix” on the San Jose public art web site at http://www.sanjoseculture.org/pub_art/documents.htm
Not to worry as the web site says the “…San Jose Public Art Program is one of a few select programs featured in the 2002 book, Designing the World’s Best Public Art, by Garrison Roots. ”
Dan – in one of the most forceful and dramatic pieces of art criticism, a construction worker crumpled it and put it in the trash! When asked what happened to the piece of art, he answered with a straight face: ” Was that art?” This takes ” art is in the eye of the beholder” to new heights – just make sure they don’t have a bull dozer. TMcE
Steve:
Given that matrix just to get art approved in San Jose, I am amazed any artists even bother doing art in town. Stuff like this, and the recent scandals plaguing City Hall and the County DA’s office, make my decision to move from Sunnyvale to Santa Cruz nearly 2 years ago that much wiser.
While everyone at SJI talks about singles life, Super Bowl Xtra Large, and art in town, I have been working on posting talking points on my transit advocacy group’s website on why you need to consider opposing the Valley Transportation Authority’s latest sales tax scam. Several people in my group helped develop the talking points which contain things Carl, Ron, Cindy, and Dave don’t want you to know.
http://www.vtaridersunion.org/ffa/vtatax2006_talkingpoints.html
More talking points are being added daily. Speak up if there is anything that is missing that is worthy of note.
Tom correctly points out that popular public art in San Jose commemorates historic events involving local citizens.
Maybe someday there will be a statue of Ron Gonzales. To give it the proper context the statue will be displayed in a back room. Details of the statue will become known only after several investigations.
Art imitates life?
“We all know the sad and bizarre story of the statue of Captain Fallon raising the flag. My fingerprints are on that series of mistakes and I share blame. And the Aztec god in Chavez Plaza is, likewise, a well-known saga. But those are the past and we need to move on.”
It’s funny how politics works. Move on??? How convenient that would be, wouldn’t it? How about controlling damage already done. Get rid of that stupid pile of dung so people stop posing their dogs on top of it for photos to send into to the Guinness Book of World Records. The only way to forget and “move on” is to remove that eyesore from the public eye. The Fallon Statue should have never happened, you know it and you know why. Get rid of that one too.
As far as the current art at NCH, it’s not that bad, I mean at least the artist snuck in a few huge phallic symbols to give people a good chuckle. And besides, at least the homeless people have a place to sit and urinate themselves on. If we were real courageous, we would commission an artist to create a series of art pieces spread throughout downtown that would tell the history of downtowns evolution to what it is now.
Oh, wait, that would be lamenting on the past, and like Tom said, we need to “move on”.
As I was leaving City Hall the other night after the Mayoral Forum, I walked along the southern end towards the 4th Street Garage where 5th Street dead-ends. To my right was a humongous concrete wall, which is just screaming to be filled with a beautiful mural.
There seems to be a lot of bare walls in the downtown that could use murals especially the grey concrete of City Hall. TwoFish and MACLA are great examples of people who have talent and know talent to get the job done.
Make people proud and smile and think. That is what public art should do. It seems simple and I’m sure it isn’t. But it can’t be as difficult as the latest results suggest.
No work of public art, no matter its historical relevance, could possibly be more appropriate—and more deserved—than the meaningless shape art that adorns our new city hall. I ask you, what artistic statement could better reflect where we have arrived as a community than a work inspired by compromise and a commitment to not offend?
Compromise and not offend. I think that pretty much sums up the recent political history of this city. If some group objects to our history or culture, no problem, just compromise. Thomas Fallon? Send him packing. Too many voters don’t want to be reminded that Mexico couldn’t hold onto California. That part of history offends them.
Just as a mix of all colors produces white, an equal mix of all cultures apparently produces bland. By virtue of our obsession with diversity and refusal to champion the existing, once dominant culture, the people of San Jose can now, collectively, agree on only nothing.
If Cindy is (miraculously) elected Mayor of this town, any statue of her would be in a secret location in town, known only to her and her connections.
When is the next Mayoral forum and where will it take place? Had I known about Sunday’s forum I would have been there. For those that do not know, the Mayor of San Jose will select 5 of the 12 members of the Valley Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors. (The VTA Board is made up of mainly mayors, city council members, and two County Supes.) So it needs to be everyone’s business – not just in San Jose but throughout the Valley – to get involved in deciding who is Mayor of San Jose for the next 4 years.
Dear San Jose:
I don’t know a lot about art, I just know that I don’t like the “parade of floats” that surround the taj mahal city hall. Seems to me that a lot of public art is tied up in the 25-30 million dollar customized glass, heated, tiled floor rotunda.
QUESTION: You don’t suppose that the effort made to pay our x-city manager an additional $8,000 had anything remotely to do with the Norcal thing, do you? I’m sure that they are completely unrelated, but I guess I can understand why others would come to a different conclusion.
Speaking of Norcal, has the mayor’s budget director apologized yet?
Pete Campbell
So what is this site all about? Some think that we should spend all of our time commenting on the good (or bad) things going on at City Hall and elsewhere. God knows there’s enough garbage there…pun intended.
Still others believe that we should let people know where and how much we can eat and drink at a given sitting. Especially good beer huh Single Gal?
Then some of us enjoy the richness of the history on Our Town and sharing some of the past with those who may not know of the happenings around here.
One of the things I would not like to see happen is using the site to develop “talking points”. I even dislike the term. Talking points to me are like reward training for a pet dog. They get to the point where they limit individual thinking and create a mob rule disipline that takes on a life of its own.
I admit that I don’t like a lot that goes on at city hall but I can vote the bastards out when the time comes and hopefully vote in some that are more aligned to my way of thinking.
The problem with that is that not everybody agrees with my point of view.
So art for our sake is not at all a bad topic to bring up. Truly art for our sake should be representative of all people not just those “who get it”. Tinker toys be damned.
Now, just where did I leave my bulldozer?
“Here Here!”
When I first saw the “tinker toys” my first thought was, that hopefully, they were something temporary. That they were just funny looking objects tinkering around near City Hall, here for a brief time then off to Happy Hollow Park And Zoo.
It is not what are they thinking, it’s more is anyone thinking at all?
Interesting topic, and actually refreshing. I think that San Jose has huge potential to create fantastic Public Art. I do believe that we need to move on away from the past and embrace the future,..whatever that may be. Being too politically correct wont ensure anything but mediocrity.
There are stellar artists regionally and nationwide that would excel in creating art for this area,..the real question is who will assume the vision and the risk?
I think one of the pitfalls of the art scene in the south bay in general is that it is married and linked far too much to local politics, lets move the Fallon Statue to a better location and quietly remove the plop of dung (sorry I know that isn’t politically correct)…
Not about topic at hand but, a few people sound interested.
If you want to see the candidates from Monday’s Mayoral Forum, the webcast is available in its entirety on http://www.cbs5.com. Search the Video library for ‘2006 San Jose Mayoral Candidate Forum’. Not super easy to find. To get to the meat of the candidates positions you’ll have to go about 15 minutes into the video. It was Mulcahy’s first public appearance as a candidate. Positions on eminent Domain, BART, Grand Prix, Baseball, small business support all discussed.
I am on the Board of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley which co-sponsored the event.
Eugene,
Do you know how the candidates stack up wrt BART and the pending sales tax hike proposal? Have any staked out a position yet?
That would definitely help me decide.
I’ll add my $.02 by joining those who insist that the the pile in the plaza be scooped up and dropped on the so called “artist” who absolutley intended to play this cruel joke on a town with an image problem.
One and Only, I would very much like to hear your reasons why the Fallon statue should have never been commissioned. It’s deplorable that the council at that time allowed a noisy group of belligerent know-nothings who probably don’t even vote, to force Fallon into exile and plop that pile of crap in his place just to appease them. Groups like that should not be calling the shots in this town, but we have nothing but wet noodles in charge and they are easily bullied by these ignorant and uneducated jokers who are always ready to spring into action with the race card. THAT type of council behavior needs to stop, YESTERDAY!!!
High-tech drives this place, Capitol of Silicon Valley, geek mecca.
So commission a Claes Oldenburg wanna-be to do a gi-normous replica of a 5 1/4” floppy disk in Chavez plaza. An optical mouse the size of a bus next to CH. And on and on.
Remember the doors on the old Sunnyvale Fry’s with the Enter key and Esc key? Have fun with it.
Tailor the public art to the geeks that live here while paying homage to the incredible industry that stirs the drink in these parts.
Novice:
I know Cindy and David fully support BART and the sales tax combo proposal for certain, based on their past actions to do whatever it takes for BART to happen.. The rest of the Mayoral candidates for certain, I am getting this info now.
If anyone else has this info on what the other mayoral candidates support (or not), let’s stick it on here.
I agree with Toms assesment of public art in our great city. There needs to be a consideration for our history. I have lived here when the canning industry and orchards were present, but people think our Valley was always called “Silicon”. The edifice that bears Toms name has always had me curious as to what was the artist trying to convey. It shows nothing of our history.
I have a topic that may be of interest to you. It is about the Public Art Commission first time ever rejecting a project that was supported and approved by Public Art Committee. This committee is made up of community/neighborhood folks that wanted their input heard and implemented through the selection of an Artist. We selected an Artist and the commission also approved the Artist. The Artist, Shelia Ghidini, held meetings with the community and discussed what was important to us. From these meetings she designed the art. We looked it over and made comments. She then took the design to the Commissioners who slowly eroded the conceptual design away from what the community had approved. Shelia was frustrated with the many meetings with the Commissioners to the point she abandoned the idea and went with what the commission was telling her. The effort and many many community meetings through several months that I personally along with 20 or so other neighbors attended were dismissed. An entirely new design was proposed and approved by the commission. The community had one meeting, which was tonight, at the Blackford NAC/SNI meeting. The commission bylaws do not address the issue of a rejected project. It would be great pleasure if you could attend the coming meeting where the Commission will respond to the community outrage of our rejected art. Tentatively the meeting is either Feb. 21 or 22 at city hall in room W119. Thank you for you ear. You can contact Jennifer Easton, Public Art Project Manager, City of San José. Or you can contact:
Lynn Rogers
Sr. Public Art Program Officer
San José Office of Cultural Affairs
365 S. Market Street
San José, CA 95113
408.277.5144 ext. 15
Charles Lauer
President, Winchester NAC
Tom,
The art pieces on 5th Street, look like the
entrance of “the Valley of the Kings’ in
Egypt. I might add very poorly done.
While I was at the car wash I checked them out.
They have nothing to do with our city or it’s history. I guess 5th Street, is now the formal
entrance to, “the Office of the Mayor in his dome building.” As far as I am concerned,
the domes, belong on Mount Hamilton.
Carry on,
Margaret Kelly
“Lynn Rogers
Sr. Public Art Program Officer”
That implies to me that we have at least one Jr. Public Art Program Officer, and at least one admin. How much are these people paid? How the hell do they fill 50 forty hour weeks with real work?
Our streets are falling apart and we have a Sr. Public Art Program Oficer, who has minions!! And everyone wonders why we run budget deficits.
I really like the suggestion that Public Art should mirror the Public space and state of mind. Thus, I suggest that the city of San Jose build a large magnifying glass over the Silicon Valley and wait for the inevitable self combustion to happen.