Comments on: Sacramento’s Stunning New Airport Art

By: David Roth

David Roth — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 04:35:10 +0000

Jay:

There are 3 local (Sacramento Valley) artists in this project: Suzanne Adan, Joan Moment and Lynn Criswell — 4 if you count Bay Area artist Mildred Howard.

By: Jay Rudin

Jay Rudin — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 04:39:51 +0000

I do love the work of the artists chosen but I would love to have the work of local artists at our airport, just as I hope local businesses are chosen to sell coffee and food there. Were there no local artists considered?

By: Bruce

Bruce — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:01:40 +0000

Very helpful… I will come back again!

By: Compensation Calculator

Compensation Calculator — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:38:40 +0000

Very helpful… I will come back again!

By: David Roth

David Roth — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:42:44 +0000

Author’s response to Jennifer Payne’s comment on 3/27:

You raise a very good point about spending on public art during times of fiscal crisis. If you put the choice to me – spend money on public art or provide critical services to aged and indigent individuals, I would choose people. And I think most artists – including those who are the beneficiaries of such spending — would probably agree. However, the choice to spend or revoke monies allocated to public art isn’t as simple as that.

California law requires that a certain percentage of the budget for all public buildings be spent on art. That percentage varies, depending on the locale, but it’s generally about 2 percent. In the case of the new Sacramento International airport terminal, that money was committed years ago – long before the mortgage crisis sunk the American economy. So the question becomes: do we renege or postpone an infrastructure investment that has potential long-term benefits to shore up a short term crisis or do we stick to the plan? If you withhold the money, there are long-term consequences.

1) Sacramento loses iconic landmarks that identify the city to travelers around the world, kicking sand into the face of an already down-at-the-heels city. (Witness as a case in point, the miasmatic swamp known as the K Street Mall.) 2) Because of the architectural design of the new airport terminal, the art has to be incorporated into the structure of the building at the time it’s built. It can’t be added after the fact. Meaning the decision to do it is now or never.

$5 million (the amount allocated to art at the airport) may sound like a lot but it’s a drop in the bucket within the overall county budget. A better target would be the extraordinarily rich benefits being paid to retired county executives. You could trim $5 million there and not harm a soul. For more on that check out the editorial (“County Must Name its $100,000 Club”) in today’s Sacramento Bee.

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/04/09/2665870/county-must-name-its-100000-club.html

-DR

By: Dane Fiske

Dane Fiske — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:54:19 +0000

Hi good post, im currently studying this at college. I like your blog there’s some real helpful stuff on here. Will check back soon to see if you have posted anymore pages, thanks

By: Jennifer Payne

Jennifer Payne — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 23:38:07 +0000

The new art is wonderful but I can’t help but wonder “Where is the funding for this porject coming from?” Last thing I heard was that California was filing for bankruptcy and was among the highest umemployment rates across the country. How can California afford this when just last year they issued I.O.U’s to the tax payers because they couldn’t pay those return those funds right away like the large majority of other states! Please help me understand this.

By: georgia

georgia — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 04:05:48 +0000

Congratulations on this incredible project and thank you for making Sacramento Airport more interesting while showcasing public art and supporting artists. This is a great idea to bring more people in contact with Art that might not get to otherwise. Is there a site to see where artwork can be submitted for upcoming public art projects? thanks and keep up the great work!

By: Theodora Varnay Jones

Theodora Varnay Jones — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:10:02 +0000

Great article. Thank you.

By: Ann Weber

Ann Weber — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:48:07 +0000

A huge round of applause to you David for this extraordinary interview with Shelly Willis about this project. This airport will make international history. It is a tribute to her and her ability to shepherd this unbelievably complex project through the myriad doors, windows and peepholes necessary to bring it to fruition.

It will result in a world class museum, a gift to the community and make Sacramento a destination point solely to see the talented artists included in the collection. Thank you.