Stand back Blue Ring, there is a new piece of public art in town!

[civic_stylez]

Man i got into the wrong profession. If i had known all it took to be a designer/architect was to do crystal meth and scribble an idea on paper and collect 500k, I would have saved my education funds.

[revelations]

Blue ring - bad location (better spot would have been on the river) and bad lighting (needs internal LEDs instead of the horseshit lights slapped on top), otherwise neat

Steel beam - good location, but the rust colour is DEPLORABLE. A paint job (fuck just get some tremclad) of a decent, uniform, earthy colour (black, grey, off white, etc.) , would have made a HUGE difference.

NOTE - city policy is to put up bids (NAFTA) for art projects larger than certain dollar amount.

[kertejud2]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

No they don't, what a bunch of assfuckingly pedantic language you are using. People generally support the IDEA of public art. They don't support abstract shit almost EVER. [/b]

Okay, so they support the idea of public art but don't support the creation of public art? What the fuck are you trying to say?

You do understand that $500k could pay for 2 jobs for 5 years right?

Do people support the IDEA of the government paying two people for five years for no other reason than to use up a budget item?

Classic Dipper thinking right there.

Compared to this shit that went to some wealthy trust funder whose life is "art" and has been going to school for over a decade because they aren't paying for it.

Who the hell are you talking about?

[lilmira]

We should submit design for the next location, I got a few ideas. My price is fair, half of whatever the other guy is charging.

[revelations]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Do people support the IDEA of the government paying two people for five years for no other reason than to use up a budget item?

That 1% Art budget (I think its 1%) should be reduced to 0.5% and capped at 200,000$.

500,000$ would pay for more staff at the CPS, especially front line staff - dealing with all the shit in 4 district - who are chronically understaffed.

[kertejud2]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Blue ring - bad location (better spot would have been on the river) and bad lighting (needs internal LEDs instead of the horseshit lights slapped on top), otherwise neat

Just going for it and installing an orange ring somewhere else in the city would also bump up the popularity and open up options in the future for public interaction.

Steel beam - good location, but the rust colour is DEPLORABLE. A paint job (fuck just get some tremclad) of a decent, uniform, earthy colour (black, grey, off white, etc.) , would have made a HUGE difference.

Corten steel is all the rage for its low maintenance and rugged look (numerous art pieces around the city use it, Quarry Park and Poppy Plaza being the notable ones). Make things look old when everything around it is rather new.

It's definitely overused, just like horses and Stampeditecture in this city. But it tends to keep costs down of maintaining the installations for the future, so it probably won't be going away.

That 1% Art budget (I think its 1%) should be reduced to 0.5% and capped at 200,000$.

City of Calgary capital projects over $1 million allocate 1% of the first $50 million of eligible project costs and 0.5% of the portion over $50 million to public art, up to a maximum of $4 million per project.
http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Recreation/Pages/Public-Art/Mandate-and-funding.aspx

I like the funding model since it goes to fund everything art related in the city that isn't just the big ones that get attention (like the Blue Ring and this one), but to maintaining the old ones. Since all projects aren't eligible building up the funding base is important IMO. There needs to be room for growth as well as maintaining what is already here (both the good and the not-so-good).

[dubhead]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

You do understand that $500k could pay for 2 jobs for 5 years right? Compared to this shit that went to some wealthy trust funder whose life is "art" and has been going to school for over a decade because they aren't paying for it.

Yeah because the city put 500k in an envelope and sent it to the artist it's not like local trades were hired to build the thing...

[NoSup4U]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Yeah because the city put 500k in an envelope and sent it to the artist it's not like local trades were hired to build the thing...

THIS!!


Yes, it is fucking hideous, but I'm getting sick of the complaints/ arguments about the spend. This was built into the budget of the project (like every infrastructure project), it is not an extra 500k they decided to spend.

Public art is great, but the group that is making the decisions is not. I'm sure this design looked great as they were all standing around smelling each others farts, but it doesn't cut it for the majority.

I would like to know if local and/or indigenous artists were even commissioned to submit a proposal.

[Sentry]

Hey, if a tanker truck crashes coming into the city and spills its jet fuel there at least it'll still be standing.

[Darell_n]

Step 1 now complete...

[AndyL]

Wait till you see the lawsuit...

[suntan]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

THIS!!


Yes, it is fucking hideous, but I'm getting sick of the complaints/ arguments about the spend. This was built into the budget of the project (like every infrastructure project), it is not an extra 500k they decided to spend.

Public art is great, but the group that is making the decisions is not. I'm sure this design looked great as they were all standing around smelling each others farts, but it doesn't cut it for the majority.

I would like to know if local and/or indigenous artists were even commissioned to submit a proposal.

Is your level of financial knowledge so low that you think if something is "budgeted" that the money appears out of nowhere?

[HiTempguy1]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Yeah because the city put 500k in an envelope and sent it to the artist it's not like local trades were hired to build the thing...

Were they? How do you know? The majority of the money probably went to the "designer/artist".

[J-D]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I drive by this every morning on my way to work. I'm ok with the art budget if it's something cool (I like the fish on Glenmore), but this is fucking ugly.

Agreed. I like the fish on Glenmore. The peace bridge looks pretty cool. I'm okay with the city spending extra to make the city look nicer, but you have to wonder how they have picked these last few...





and the new one on 17 Ave:

[Tik-Tok]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

We should submit design for the next location, I got a few ideas. My price is fair, half of whatever the other guy is charging.

My piece will be quite expensive. It will begin with tower that will be the center piece of the project. As a nod to the desolation of man, it will be surrounded by approximately 2 miles of asphalt, in a loop around it, with varying elevations, and twists, just like mans mind. In an avante garde manner, there will be one single set of traffic lights on the asphalt, with one red light, one green light, and 3 yellow. All this, plus a seating section that will hold thousands to observe and analyze this artistic masterpiece.

It will not be cheap, however, I believe it will be far more popular than the current ones.

[J-hop]

Would be kind of cool if the city had a larger picture plan that made some sort of message for visitors far in the future. Something like old egyption architecture lining up with true north.

Something to tell aliens thousands of years from now that intelligent life did exist at one point in Calgary.

[Maxt]

It might be only a fraction of what money is needed for other projects, but its still money and its still what is needed to get the needed things done. Your house needs a new roof for 5000.00 , which you will have to borrow for, because you don't have that kind of money, but since you have to go the bank to borrow it anyway, you may as well piss away the 400 in your pocket on pokemon go and fidget spinners...
This is reflective in that you have an organization that is having its own fun with public dollars, instead of actually managing public dollars...

[speedog]

IMO a proper racetrack with an oval, drag strip, road course and a kart track would be a very beautiful thing, some might even consider it art.

[dubhead]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Were they? How do you know? The majority of the money probably went to the "designer/artist".

I know contractors who work in the industry, also from the city's website "Creating a piece of public art is often a very large undertaking. There are artists, engineers, material suppliers, fabricators, construction professionals, landscape architects and installers involved. All of these contractors are paid out of the public art budget. Very often, a good majority of that money stays in Calgary - even when the artist is not from here. In 2015, 79% of contractors hired for public art projects were Calgary-based." Also is it really that big of a stretch to think we would hire local contractors to build something here?

edit. I don't have solid numbers for what Calgary pays to the artist but a quick poke around google says most public art budgets 20-25% for artist fees, hardly the majority of the budget. Further poking finds that Vancouver pays 15-20% and states to get 20% the work better be exceptional.

[firebane]

I heard about that stupid key art project and reminds me of the key bridge in Paris


Also article on BR 2.0
http://www.calgarysun.com/2017/08/04...ething-be-done