My wife and I spent the week bookended by the music events: Radio Waves and Unplugged. We loved it. Of course, music is only one of Grand Marais’ magical experiences that make us come back.
You have an unusually artful community to be sure. But a valuable opportunity seems to be missing—outdoor public art, the kind every citizen can enjoy and which more and more cities are using to uplift spirits and add valuable visitor revenues.
That’s why I don’t understand the confusion about whether to save the Cook County Co-op mosaic wall. This is truly a valuable treasure. Yes, it has important historical context, especially relating to the children’s handiwork. But the high artistic quality is clear.
And it should be interesting to note that with the estimated cost of preservation —$30,000?—compared to the costs of creating public art today even $50,000 or $70,000, with its scale and visual impact, would be surprisingly low.
Is it worth it? Many American cities are now including outdoor public art in development projects. A good example is Duluth, where in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s waterfront redevelopment dramatically enhanced the city’s image, pumped money into city coffers and contributed to the reason Duluth’s local taxes have remained stable relative to other cities. In the first several years after the Downtown Waterfront redevelopment, public revenues from tourism tax dollars increased in Canal Park by at least 30 percent each year. And regional conventions increased dramatically.
Duluth Canal Park public art investments amounted to 5 percent of development costs, much more than in most cities. This has substantially enhanced the experience for both residents and visitors.
Tourism taxes are one thing. Private investments followed as did uplifted image and pride. Civic pride should never be under-rated. It’s a valuable source of both confidence and optimism.
Several new businesses came to Duluth because of this image change. One, United Health Care, cited the enhanced image when creating more than 1,500 new jobs.
Outdoor public art produces a substantial bang for a low but highly visible investment. Why would any city ignore both a valuable existing piece like the co-op mosaic and the cost of not saving it?
Forgive me if I have imposed. It’s your town. But such an easy one to love.
Jerry Kimball
Duluth
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