During a time when we are carefully examining what we consume, I wonder about art. Do you consume art? Do you buy it, look at it, listen to it, or experience it in some other way? Do you prefer that experience to happen in the privacy of your own home or business, in a more social atmosphere of a local gallery, or in a very public place like on the sidewalk of North Limestone at Al's Bar?
This past summer, LexArts and the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government kicked off the Lexington Outdoor Mural Project (LOMP) adding more opportunities for the public consumption of art in Lexington. The process and results provide some insight about consumerism and art.
First and foremost, public art and the consumption of it can burgeon the collective consciousness of the residents of Lexington. Secondly, we must be careful not to risk individual expression in the process. And finally, consuming the arts on this level alone cannot sustain a healthy arts economy.
From its inception, this public art project demanded public involvement. Members of an advisory committee assembled by Jim Clark of LexArts (see sidebar) worked with area neighborhood associations to select sites and artists for three wall murals located on Southland Drive, North Limestone, and Vine Street.
A collective conscience
The level of participation from each of these neighborhoods varied; the North Limestone residents devoured the project and, now that the mural is hanging, can't seem to get enough of it.
Mike Burrell, a local artist, won the North Limestone commission after extensive research into the history of music in this area. His mural pays tribute to a time when this neighborhood was a happening entertainment district. With lively representations of musicians like Charles Quillings, Les McCann, Duke Madison, Jim Rankin, George Gentry, J.D. Crowe and Byron Romanowitz, the artist has activated the space in much the same way the owners of Al's bar have done over the last several years.
Mounted on the south-facing wall of Al's bar, this 20 x 19' mural blends culture, music, creativity, tolerance, diversity, legendary figures and memories in the collective consciousness of the residents of the North Limestone neighborhood.
"We decided to apply for the moneys to complete this mural because we want to invest in the quality of life of the North Limestone neighborhood," stated Miller, co-owner of Al's Bar.
Now that the mural is complete, Miller says it provides not only a cultural reference to history, but also empowers the neighbors in the present and for the future.
"Everyone seems to view it as something they could do or be, an artist like Mike Burrell or a musician just like Uncle George or a teacher like Charles Quillings; the mural serves as a point of pride and inspiration even for people who are not directly connected to it," said Miller.
For too many years a similar consciousness has been lacking in Lexington. Could we take a lesson from the North Limestone neighborhood? Could public art and the public consumption of it move us in that direction? Yes, provided we do not lose sight of individual artistic expression.
The artist's voice
Burell's mural is a document in some senses; the realistic renderings provide for easy consumption. Waseem Touma is a very different type of artist.
Touma won the commission for the YMCA mural located at the intersection of Quality and Vine Streets with a work titled "Mind, Body, and Soul." The content of this mural was, in Touma's words, 'driven by the commission' and the need to meet community expectations.
Touma's abstracted mode of artistic expression is powerful, remarkable, and has for years addressed the formation of identity and our individual contributions to the larger community (see "An Emergence Artist," Chevy Chaser, October, 2008).
In this mural, that is lost; Touma's voice does not resonate. Contrived, but hidden messages about the mind, body, and soul of the community coupled with literal references to our fertile land and blue cityscape diminish Touma's sophisticated and sensitive artistic sensibilities.
We had an opportunity to learn from Waseem Touma and missed it by overemphasizing the need to make this mural more palatable for public consumption.
A vital mix
Each of the murals commissioned for the LOMP cost $15,000. The artists reportedly received a portion of this, less material and documentation expenses.
According to Jim Clark, "One hundred percent of the funds used to commission these murals came from a public art fund, established when the horses from Horse Mania were sold at auction."
The public consumption of art is necessary for Lexington to educate residents with the goal of developing a collective conscience. To that end public art projects like the LOMP can inspire and should continually issue an intellectual and aesthetic challenge.
Who knows? We could build a base of connoisseurs who might then opt to experience a little art in the privacy of their own homes or offices.