New Art in Place Installed

There's a rhino keeping an eye - and his horn - on traffic in Charlottesville. Monday Art in Place crews installed an eight-foot-long rhinoceros on Preston Avenue.

[RNR]

I just love seeing all of the artwork while driving in c'ville. Its all so cool looking. Thanks to all of the artist letting us enjoy their work and thanks to Art in Place

[CvilleGordo]

Thanks to our liberal city council for funding this nonsense in these tough economic times.

[Greene]

Why not have a Homeless in Place, wouldn't that be better use of Cville funding. lol

[I Left Cville Socialism]

Homeless in Place? BRILLIANT!

They could put cardboard boxes in the median and let local artists decorate them. When the project is over, the affluent swank crowd could purchase them at auction to raise funds for some inane art fund, and the residents could move in with Norris!

[thinking free]

Last I heard each one of these masterpieces cost us 1,500 bucks. The whale tail, which was due to be scraped cost us 3,500 to stay. I wonder, how about we give that money to the mall rats to stay off the mall. A better investment than what its being used for now.

[the real cost]

Art in place sculptures typically cost $10s of thousands to make. The artist has to insure the work at a cost $350 a year. Basically the city is getting public art for less than 10% of its value. Sounds like a good deal to me.

[Shannon]

I love the art, but not the bill. Why can't we find some artists that might be willing to donate their art just for the opportunity to have their art shown? I'm certain even I could find a few talented artists that'd be willing.

[C-Ville Patriot]

the real cost wrote:

Art in place sculptures typically cost $10s of thousands to make. The artist has to insure the work at a cost $350 a year. Basically the city is getting public art for less than 10% of its value. Sounds like a good deal to me.

It's a great deal when the city’s coffers are full of money. However in case you haven’t read a newspaper lately, there is a shortage of revenue for local governments! But I guess it's more important to keep the local art clique happy.

[Disillusioned]

I guess it is supposed to make us feel better as we drive to work wondering if we will be laid off or wonder how we are going to keep up with inflation since most of us who are lucky to have jobs have not had raises in 3+ years.

[the real cost]

Disillusioned wrote:

I guess it is supposed to make us feel better as we drive to work wondering if we will be laid off or wonder how we are going to keep up with inflation since most of us who are lucky to have jobs have not had raises in 3+ years.

If you'd stop spending all your money at Wallmart to support China, there would still be a few jobs here

[Im Ya Huckleberry]

the real cost wrote:

<quoted text>
If you'd stop spending all your money at Wallmart to support China, there would still be a few jobs here

Exactly what jobs are you refering to?

[CvilleGordo]

the real cost wrote:

<quoted text>
If you'd stop spending all your money at Wallmart to support China, there would still be a few jobs here

Huh? Can you please explain how spending money in an American owned business - irregardless of where that business obtains its merchandise - has caused any jobs in the Charlottesville area to be eliminated?

[back to the subject]

But the art is nice to have -- it what makes cville a decent place to live, compared to architectural armpits like greene (or albemarle county, for that matter). My kids like to see it on their bus rides to school, and if you can accept the notion that has passed down through western civilzation since biblical times that public art enriches and improves a citizenry (only the taliban, in recent history, has taken a contrary view), then you might consider that this is a pretty good deal and that our cville kids who grow up with the public art have a better chance at becoming decent human beings than do the deprived residents in greene who only have the ruckersville strip on 29 to admire (at least albemarle country residents get to gawk at each new traffic light that goes up on 29 or on pantops).

[CvilleGordo]

back to the subject wrote:

But the art is nice to have -- it what makes cville a decent place to live, compared to architectural armpits like greene (or albemarle county, for that matter). My kids like to see it on their bus rides to school, and if you can accept the notion that has passed down through western civilzation since biblical times that public art enriches and improves a citizenry (only the taliban, in recent history, has taken a contrary view), then you might consider that this is a pretty good deal and that our cville kids who grow up with the public art have a better chance at becoming decent human beings than do the deprived residents in greene who only have the ruckersville strip on 29 to admire (at least albemarle country residents get to gawk at each new traffic light that goes up on 29 or on pantops).

Well, that's being a little hard on Greene, but you make some valid points. Did you see the documentary on the giant Bhuddas which were demolished by the taliban (and the search for the reclining Bhudda)? Very sad.

[thinking free]

As with most aspects of raising children I believe it a parents responsibility to teach whats good and decent in all aspects of life. Along with that is the responsibility one must show with other people money. With people sratching to make ends meet, these pieces of art( and I use the word loosely), are absurd and an insult to all citizens whether they know it or not.

[Say What]

C-Ville Patriot wrote:

<quoted text>It's a great deal when the city’s coffers are full of money. However in case you haven’t read a newspaper lately, there is a shortage of revenue for local governments! But I guess it's more important to keep the local art clique happy.

Our local governments are part of the problem of the shortfall. They have done everything conceivable to drive businesses to other counties and refusing to let new ones in. It's much like putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger in Russian Roulette. That bullet went off when the economy tanked and the tax base isn't what is should be.

[Concerned]

The city and surrounding area benefit greatly from tourism revenue. It's schemes like these that make Charlottesville an attractive place to visit.

Sure, we could save a few tens of thousands a year by stopping the scheme and others like it. The long term impact as Charlottesville becomes a less attractive place to visit would be cost far more.

[Used to Work There]

CvilleGordo wrote:

<quoted text>
Huh? Can you please explain how spending money in an American owned business - irregardless of where that business obtains its merchandise - has caused any jobs in the Charlottesville area to be eliminated?

Walmart ceased carrying Badger fire extinguishers made in the Charlottesville area to carry off-brand outsourced extinguishers manufactured in China, causing manufacturing layoffs and the sale of the company to UTI. The chemicals in these imported extinguishers are of questionable saftey. Additionally, you might want to double-check that American owned business label. Significant blocks of Walmart stock has been purchased by foreign soverign and investment funds in th past couple of years. I haven't checked lately, but as of about a year ago it was around 20-25% foreign owned. Many of the American brand products sold there are actually owned by foreign companies as well.(Budweiser-Inbev-Holland/ Brazil, Vaseline-Unilever-Great Britain, GE-Thompson Electronics-France....) A lot less of your Walmart dollar stays in America than you think.

[thinking free]

Lets see, we give our money to Wall St and they squander it on who knows what and our economy goes in the crapper. We give our money to China via retail sales and other channels, China keeps us afloat in a sea of red ink(pardon the parody), so whats to make of it all. China owns our backsides bigtime, Hope they don't call in the debt. But they can't, we got no collateral that worth anything to them, so we just keep going down the rabbit hole that has no bottom. Health care here we come.

[Imcrazyitscool]

If you have $5 and Chuck Norris has $5, Chuck Norris has more money than you.