Debate over public art continues as Ann Arbor City Council postpones decision on funding

By Ryan J. Stanton
Political Reporter, annarbor.com, originally posted Tue, Sep 20, 2011 : 2:59 p.m

Ann Arbor City Council members heard an outpouring of support for the city's Percent For Art Program Monday night — a protest to a proposal to cut back its funding.

Six different speakers lined up to voice their support for the public art program that was first approved by the City Council four years ago and since has faced repeated attacks.

"It's true that we could live in any number of dull cities that would just take care of our basic needs, and they'd probably be cheaper to live in, too, But instead, we've chosen to live in a city that has a pulse and a soul," said Mark Tucker, who teaches art at the University of Michigan and is one of the organizers behind the annual FestiFools and FoolMoon events.

"This council has an obligation to invest wisely in the future infrastructure of Ann Arbor, and public art is a part of this infrastructure," Tucker said.

Council Member Sabra Briere, D-1st Ward, brought forward a series of changes to the city's public art ordinance Monday night aimed at curbing funding for the program.

Under the ordinance approved by the City Council in 2007, 1 percent of the budget for all city capital projects — up to $250,000 per project — is set aside for public art.

In terms of this year's budget, $334,660 of $314 million — or 0.1 percent of all expenditures — is going to public art.

But some council members have expressed concerns that more than $500,000 in street millage funds have been channeled to public art over the last four years. Read more here