City Councilors Hate Art

[Conan71]

Just to be clear:  you can't use the "1% for art" money for anything but public art. 
The “one percent for art” ordinance stipulates that one percent of all construction costs for a public facility be dedicated to the purchase of art for that building. 

I suppose you could fail to collect it and, thus, NOT use it for art... but you couldn't collect it and use it to fund something else.  It's completely irrelevent to Tulsa's budget woes...except that high quality public art can be an asset to a city that wants to improve its quality of life, increase tourism, and be more appealing to people considering moving here.

Tulsa was one of the first cities in the nation to implement the "one percent for art" concept (back in 1969).  Since then, our ordinance has been used as a model for countless other cities throughout the nation.

Ponder, I'm quite well aware of that fact.

It simply becomes a bad PR issue with people who don't understand how our laws and ordinances work, especially when they can't get anyone to respond to the crack house down the street because the street crimes unit has been hog-tied due to lack of funding for public safety. 

I'm sure in a weird you've read the reader comments section of the Tulsa World on any number of wide-ranging issues.  That's the kind of mentality we are dealing with here.  I think the councilors are worried it's sending the wrong message about our fiscal priorities to their constituents, full well knowing about the 1% ordinance.  That's all I'm saying.

The city has a serious PR problem right now, no one can deny that.

[PonderInc]

Off on a tangent...

I rarely read the TW online comments section.  Doesn't seem like a valid source of useful information.  Plus, it's too depressing, and you start to get a really twisted view of our citizenry.  There are just too many unhappy drunks sitting around in skid-marked underwear whipping off their incoherent "comments."    Unfortunately, when you make it too easy to comment, especially anonymously, the quality of the debate goes down the tube.  (Much like some of the threads on the TN Forum...which is too bad b/c there are many smart, rational people who would participate, but they get turned off by the crapola...)

I think that "in the good old days" before the TW had an online comments section, drunk and frenzied people probably started writing letters to the editor, but didn't have the persistance to actually type it, look up the address, find an envelope, buy the stamp, and put it in the mail.  The process itself was a filter.  It wasn't a 30 second endeavor; it took time.  By the time they had something ready to mail, the wackos had either sobered up or cooled off.  But in the instantaneous, knee-jerk reaction world of the internet, you don't get that much time to put things in perspective.

I hope our elected officials don't waste too much energy reacting to the TW comments section.  I think that (with a few exceptions) it offers a view of the fringes, the overly hysterical and the drunks, but often fails to represent the majority of Tulsans.  Most of the time, I read the TW online comments to discover how the facts are being twisted, warped and misunderstood by a certain segment of the population.  But that's about it.

If I want to see a (somewhat) rational debate, I'll read the TN Forum...and then I mainly read the comments of rational people whose opinion I value.  I skim and/or skip the rest.

(I always read Conan...) 

[jamesrage]

I think that in order for something to be called art it is has to look like it take actual talent to make it. Some crap that looks like a 3 year old made it should not be considered. Nor should some crap that look like some drunk idiot welded together should be considered art(like that piece of crap at that new parking garage near the BOK center) be considered art.Tax payers shouldn't be footing the bill for any artwork regardless if it some piece of crap that looks like some little kid did it or something that actually looks like it took real talent to make, art is not a necessity.

[rwarn17588]

Nor should some crap that look like some drunk idiot welded together should be considered art.

Do you speak from experience? 

[TheArtist]

I think that in order for something to be called art it is has to look like it take actual talent to make it. Some crap that looks like a 3 year old made it should not be considered. Nor should some crap that look like some drunk idiot welded together should be considered art(like that piece of crap at that new parking garage near the BOK center) be considered art.Tax payers shouldn't be footing the bill for any artwork regardless if it some piece of crap that looks like some little kid did it or something that actually looks like it took real talent to make, art is not a necessity.

WHAT!?  What do you mean taxpayers shouldnt be footing the bill for art?  It was the damned taxpayers who voted and said they wanted to do just that.  Why is it when people vote for something YOU dont want, somehow, magically, in your mind, everyone else doesnt or shouldnt want it either? Thats friggin odd lol.  I dont think you have a clue as to how democracy and republicanism works or something?  We cant possibly all get everything we want all the time.  Its the governments job to do what WE, the voters, tell it to do. Is there some clause in our constitution, state, city, federal,,, that says the government is only supposed to do things that are considered a "necessity"?  I aint seen it.  I thought it was there to do what we wanted it to do, necessity or not.  If we (the voters ) say we want every taxpayer funded building to be covered in cream puffs and glitter, it had danged well better do that lol. And in this instance, WE told it WE wanted art lol.  

[Conan71]

Sic 'em Artist!

[jamesrage]

WHAT!?  What do you mean taxpayers shouldnt be footing the bill for art?

It is a unnecessary expense.

 It was the damned taxpayers who voted and said they wanted to do just that.

 

I do not remember voting for the city to buy art,especially garbage under the guise of art..

Why is it when people vote for something YOU dont want, somehow, magically, in your mind, everyone else doesnt or shouldnt want it either? Thats friggin odd lol.  I dont think you have a clue as to how democracy and republicanism works or something?  We cant possibly all get everything we want all the time.  Its the governments job to do what WE, the voters, tell it to do. Is there some clause in our constitution, state, city, federal,,, that says the government is only supposed to do things that are considered a "necessity"?  I aint seen it.  I thought it was there to do what we wanted it to do, necessity or not.  If we (the voters ) say we want every taxpayer funded building to be covered in cream puffs and glitter, it had danged well better do that lol. And in this instance, WE told it WE wanted art lol.  

Are you one of those frauds posing as a artist whom the city buys your garbage from?

[RecycleMichael]

Are you one of those frauds posing as a artist whom the city buys your garbage from?

Are you one of those teenagers posing as an adult whom spews your garbage here?

[TheArtist]

Are you one of those frauds posing as a artist whom the city buys your garbage from?

  OH!  Ya got me!  My cover is blown.  Whateeeever will I do!  

At any moment all those hundreds and hundreds of clients, over two decades worth, will realize they have been had!  They will realize that I have been a "poser" all this time.  All talk and no talent of any sort.  They didnt actually like my stuff, it was just me pulling the wool over their eyes, making them belieeeeeve they liked it.  Mwuhaaahaaahaaaa!  How foolishly all those people parted with their hard earned money.  I should be ashamed  .  Oh and those poor Mayfest people sayin my posters sold the next highest number of anyone and were surprised because I wasnt "well known or famous".  Silly people, they only sold that many because it was a heist, a carefully crafted flamboozle in which I POSED as an artist and thus THAT was the only reason people bought them.  Oh, and all those repeat clients and "word of mouth" clients.... suckers all, got em wrapped around my Pooosing little finger.  Them having me work for them and paying me isnt in the least an indication of any artistic talent whatsoever, no no no noooooo its puuuurely my ability to sweet talk and swindle them into the whoooole thing. Poooosing is my game, Artist was just a name.  Yep, ya got me.  Not a lick of talent. I might as well pack it up and move on to the next town. Nobody will buy any of my stuff now that you have revealed my secret.  Sorry folks, nothing to see here, not an artist at all, was just "posing".  
  

[Red Arrow]

 OH!  Ya got me!  My cover is blown.  Whateeeever will I do!  

At any moment all those hundreds and hundreds of clients, over two decades worth, will realize they have been had!  They will realize that I have been a "poser" all this time.  All talk and no talent of any sort.  They didnt actually like my stuff, it was just me pulling the wool over their eyes, making them belieeeeeve they liked it.  Mwuhaaahaaahaaaa!  How foolishly all those people parted with their hard earned money.  I should be ashamed  .  Oh and those poor Mayfest people sayin my posters sold the next highest number of anyone and were surprised because I wasnt "well known or famous".  Silly people, they only sold that many because it was a heist, a carefully crafted flamboozle in which I POSED as an artist and thus THAT was the only reason people bought them.  Oh, and all those repeat clients and "word of mouth" clients.... suckers all, got em wrapped around my Pooosing little finger.  Them having me work for them and paying me isnt in the least an indication of any artistic talent whatsoever, no no no noooooo its puuuurely my ability to sweet talk and swindle them into the whoooole thing. Poooosing is my game, Artist was just a name.  Yep, ya got me.  Not a lick of talent. I might as well pack it up and move on to the next town. Nobody will buy any of my stuff now that you have revealed my secret.  Sorry folks, nothing to see here, not an artist at all, was just "posing".  
  

Hey, to pull the wool over the eyes of that many people for that many years takes talent.  Don't sell yourself short.  Good Luck in the next town.   

[jamesrage]

 OH!  Ya got me!  My cover is blown.  Whateeeever will I do!  

At any moment all those hundreds and hundreds of clients, over two decades worth, will realize they have been had!  They will realize that I have been a "poser" all this time.  All talk and no talent of any sort.  They didnt actually like my stuff, it was just me pulling the wool over their eyes, making them belieeeeeve they liked it.  Mwuhaaahaaahaaaa!  How foolishly all those people parted with their hard earned money.  I should be ashamed  .  Oh and those poor Mayfest people sayin my posters sold the next highest number of anyone and were surprised because I wasnt "well known or famous".  Silly people, they only sold that many because it was a heist, a carefully crafted flamboozle in which I POSED as an artist and thus THAT was the only reason people bought them.  Oh, and all those repeat clients and "word of mouth" clients.... suckers all, got em wrapped around my Pooosing little finger.  Them having me work for them and paying me isnt in the least an indication of any artistic talent whatsoever, no no no noooooo its puuuurely my ability to sweet talk and swindle them into the whoooole thing. Poooosing is my game, Artist was just a name.  Yep, ya got me.  Not a lick of talent. I might as well pack it up and move on to the next town. Nobody will buy any of my stuff now that you have revealed my secret.  Sorry folks, nothing to see here, not an artist at all, was just "posing".  
  

Seems kind of funny how you would get your panties in a bunch over someone saying that tax payer funds should not be used to buy frivolous things are art especially garbage under the guise of art.Are you one of those frauds posing as artist whom the city buys garbage from or at least one of those artist whom the city buys art from?

[sgrizzle]

Seems kind of funny how you would get your panties in a bunch over someone saying that tax payer funds should not be used to buy frivolous things are art especially garbage under the guise of art.Are you one of those frauds posing as artist whom the city buys garbage from or at least one of those artist whom the city buys art from?

Get a repairman, Jamesrage is stuck on repeat.

[Conan71]

"Why do the Tulsa City Councilors hate me so?"

[buckeye]

Maybe I'm being provincial, but I like the Nature Works sculptures.  Would somebody clue me in as to why they're so derided?

As for the work in discussion, any well-done art is far better than a blank wall.

[Cats Cats Cats]

I think the picture grizzle posted looks awful on a building.  Just have TheArtist do something on the whole building.  There, problem solved.