Category Archives: Participatory Culture

Art, Ideas, Participatory Culture, Politics

#smallspaces Downtown #greaterlala Art Project Critics Strike Again

I awoke this morning to read Dave Bangert’s wonderful piece (Bangert: Critical mass for graffiti project?) on the latest round of criticism and censorship for a work that is part of Zach Medler’s #smallspaces art project in Downtown Lafayette.

This time, it concerns a zombie piece, created by an MFA student at Purdue, Sagan Newham, on the side of a building near 5th and Ferry streets.

This painting by Sagan Newham on the side of Haywood Printing, Fifth and Ferry streets, brought some complaints about the “small spaces: Lafayette” public art project. According to the project curator, the piece will stay up until Halloween and then be replaced. (Photo: Dave Bangert/Journal & Courier)
Photo: Dave Bangert/Journal & Courier

I am curious. Since the City of Lafayette is reacting in such a way with public art, how does this affect other public space type projects?  How does the City respond to a building development proposal based on aesthetics?  What about other public art pieces?  Parks?  Landscape designs?

Tom Shafer had some good ideas discussing public space and its inclusion in our daily life:

“If the work was in a gallery, the public could decide whether or not to look it. Medler’s concept is that if the people see public works of art every day, then the art becomes a part of their life,” Shafer said.

“When the city bought into this without subject matter and expertise guidelines, they ran the risk of underdeveloped concepts and subject matter that the general public cannot appreciate. Is some of the work poorly done? Yes. Is some of the work exceptional? Yes.”

Again, how would Tom’s criticism look if we were discussing buildings, businesses, parks, etc?

One aspect of #smallspaces that softens these types of criticisms is that if nothing else, they will be re-evaluated in two years.  A building, park, landscape design is a bit more permanent.

This reminds me of a conversation we had during the State Street Master Planning process regarding public art:  How do we include a sunset clause for public art?  Not everything deserves a permanent home or can last for decades.  What seems appropriate and inspiring today, may be insulting or dull in a few years.  What processes exist to remove public art in our current City code?

For now, I ask us to consider the same concepts, and more, when we are evaluating other long term and highly impactful aspects in our urban life.

At least in Lafayette, one or two people can have a major influence over what stays up, gets censored, moved, etc.  Let’s hope the same magnitude of citizen power can be yielded in other public arenas that are just as significant.

Participatory Culture, Politics

WL Second Class City Redistricting Map – Variation 1 – Dietrich

Councilor Dietrich presented his proposal for redistricting if and when we move to a Class 2 City at the August 4th City Council meeting.

Redistricting Map-Dietrich-2014-08

According to an e-mail from Councilor Dietrich, the source of population data and breakdown of districts are as follows:

Here are the numbers for the draft re-districting map I submitted based on the numbers I was given by BF&S.

Total 41,434 / 6 districts = 6905 (mean)

  • District 1 (blue ) 6850 -55 from mean
  • District 2 (red ) 6989 + 84 from mean
  • District 3 (yellow) 6835 -70 from mean
  • District 4 (grey ) 6938 +33 from mean
  • District 5 (pink ) 6923 + 18 from mean
  • District 6 (orange ) 6899 -06 from mean

TOTAL 41434

At the meeting, I asked and encouraged citizen and councilor involvement in the process of redistricting for our great City.  No definitive answer was given as to future workshops.

Education, Participatory Culture, Politics

Tippecanoe County Board of Zoning Appeals Updated Letter Rules

I learned from some other citizens that attended the West Lafayette City Council meeting last night, that several months ago (December 2013), the Tippecanoe County BZA updated its by-laws regarding written communication.

From that meeting:

Sallie Fahey said the Board requested that she and Jay Seeger write  a proposal for a By-law amendment related to letters read at public hearing. The Board was concerned about letters that when read are over the 5 minutes allowed for speakers at the hearing, letters that show up late in the afternoon or at the meeting, and what happens at subsequent meetings if a letter has already been read.

The board continued to discuss the changes and settled on amending their by-laws:

Letters and written communications mailed, hand delivered, faxed or emailed to the Office of the Board in advance of the hearing are intended for persons unable to attend the hearing themselves.

For letters to qualify to be entered into the record they must be:
1) signed regardless of delivery method
2) include the signer’s address
3) received no later than noon on the day of the hearing and
4) be no longer than two pages, 11 point font size, double spaced with 1” margins.

Letters sent to the office of the Board that qualify to be entered in the record will be read by staff, and once received the letter shall not be withdrawn. Once a letter is read at a meeting, it is a part of the record.

The writer is not permitted to speak or submit another letter even at a subsequent meeting resulting from either an inconclusive vote or a continuance, having originally chosen to submit a letter.

Should the author be present at the meeting he will not be permitted to speak, having elected instead to present his views in writing. This rule shall apply to any written material on which four or fewer signatures appear, or any petition of more than 300 words filed by the noon deadline. Any petition presented after the deadline or during the hearing shall not be read into the record by staff, but may be passed to the members.

You can read through the December 4th, 2013 minutes for all of the dialogue surrounding the change.

Be mindful when you write the BZA.  I would hate for your letter not to get in the record because it didn’t have the right margins.