Henrietta Sparkman: Businesses and theaters don’t qualify as ‘public art’
Re “Panel to review art ordinance, crime numbers” (Page B2, Feb. 9): It is refreshing to see The Modesto Bee has taken notice of the art ordinance before Modesto’s Safety and Communities Committee. On behalf of the Modesto Public Art Committee, we would like to request that accuracy be considered in writing your stories. The statement that “A staff report says Modesto has some public art, such as the Chartreuse Muse art gallery and the Gallo Center for the Arts, but has less than other cities” was surprising. According to The Bee, an art gallery and a performing arts center qualify as “Public Art.”
Public Art, by definition, is works of art which are situated or displayed in the public domain, typically outside and accessible to all and generally in the the domain of most cities.
Henrietta Sparkman, Chair, Modesto Public Art committee, Modesto
This story was originally published February 11, 2015 at 12:17 PM with the headline "Henrietta Sparkman: Businesses and theaters don’t qualify as ‘public art’."