The revelation that at least one recently painted over piece of public art was originally paid for by taxpayers should hopefully convince town council to give more serious thought to creating a public art policy.
Some might think $10,000 of taxpayers' money, and possibly more, is not worth a hissy fit but there is a much larger issue here.
First and foremost we believe the public has an absolute right to know how their money is spent. Citizens also have the right to expect their publicly paid elected officials will present the right information at a public forum about matters that involve their tax dollars. It's the media's responsibility to set the record straight. This is not "gotcha journalism." It's our job.
In this case the sudden removal of two cherished pieces of public art in late August is not a case where monetary loss is felt by just one or two private benefactors. It's a loss for each taxpaying member of the community.
Citizens can now rightly question whether this town council has what it takes to bring in safeguards against spending taxpayers' money on important public projects that could suddenly vanish without any oversight.
The source of this particular loss goes back at least 16 years when the town decided to do something special for its centennial. The idea to create a piece of public art was admirable but its execution was faulty.
A private building near the intersection of Main Street and 49th Avenue was chosen but no consideration was given for the mural's long-term survival. In these cases building owners either change, or their priorities do. They were left to decide for themselves whether Innisfail's centennial mural should stay or go. The mural was ultimately doomed.
If council agrees this fall to have administration look into the issue of creating a public art policy sooner rather than later an important priority should be the location for each proposal. Public spaces should have priority. If that's not possible then look for a way to have mutually acceptable legally binding agreements drawn up with private property owners. Most are reasonable and would welcome being the site of beautiful public art, especially if it takes the form of a partnership with the town and its citizens.
Best of all a new local policy for the future of public art would create ongoing interest for artists to develop new ideas to continually add beauty and heart to their community.
There would be no need to wait for Innisfail's bicentennial.
Johnnie Bachusky is the editor of the Innisfail Province.
