Planning Commissioners Journal

Message on a Pole

I did a double-take when I passed this utility pole a block from my home last week (hit your browser's refresh button to re-run the photo sequence).

Photo taken on North Prospect Street, in Burlington, Vermont. I have no idea who put this worn and faded poster on the pole, or why. Is this graffiti, public art, or something else?

But seeing this poster did get me thinking about how we "communicate" with each other in our neighborhoods -- and how that's changing. More on this in my next post.

Taking Liberties

I'm taking the liberty of sharing a couple of photos -- and an interesting story -- with you.

Above, Lady Liberty in Dubuque, Iowa's Washington Park.To the right, another replica Lady Liberty that I photographed -- in this case, in front of the Finney County Courthouse in Garden City, Kansas. (Incidentally, this Courthouse has another claim to fame, it was the location of the 1960 murder trial of Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, recounted in Truman Capote's remarkable book, In Cold Blood).

But back to the Lady Liberties. What's the story about the origins of these 8 foot 4, copper-clad replicas?

Too Much Traffic in Your City?

If that's the case, you might want to consider installing one of these traffic signals!

It's actually (if you haven't guessed) a sculptural work -- by Pierre Vivant, installed in 1998 on London's Canary Wharf. It apparently replaced a dying plane tree. This photo is posted on Flickr -- if you search Flickr using the keyword "canary wharf tree" you'll find a number of other images.

I saw one web site raise a concern (facetiously?) that this kind of art might be illegal in Massachusetts, as being a "hoax device." But surely this is not an "infernal machine" -- needed for a hoax device to be illegal under Massachusetts law!

CHAPTER 266. CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY

Chapter 266: Section 102A1/2. Possession, transportation, use or placement of hoax devices ...

The Fountain of Time

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

Public art can enhance our lives -- and our cities. That's certainly the case in Chicago. 

I had some time while in Chicago a couple of weeks ago for the Greenbuild Conference to visit with my daughter. One thing we did was to go to Washington Park not far from the University of Chicago campus to see Fountain of Time, a magnificent sculptural work completed by Lorado Taft in 1922.

Made of reinforced concrete, Fountain of Time had deteriorated over time. But the city recently completed a major restoration of the sculpture.

It's a dramatic and moving work -- based on poet Henry Austin Dobson's line: "Time goes, you say? Ah no, Alas, time stays, we go."

Lorado Taft studied at the University of Illinois, and then at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. While best known for his book, The History of American Sculpture, Taft also sculpted a number of large-scale pieces.

[The photo of Taft on the right, from the University of Illinois web site, was taken in 1929.]

His last major design was the Pioneers and Patriots sculptural groups for the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, dedicated in 1932. Taft died four years later.

Note: public art, besides bringing us pleasure, knowledge, and emotional connections, can also bring other benefits. Take a look, for example, at the Project for Public Spaces' web page: How Art Economically Benefits Cities.