Mckinney Courier-gazette > News
Workshop seeks input for public art master plan
Photo courtesy of the city of McKinney – An upcoming workshop this Saturday will give residents an opportunity to brainstorm ideas for a master plan the McKinney Arts Commission is developing that will help incorporate more art around the city, like these statues at Dr. Glenn Mitchell Memorial Park, located near historic downtown.
By Kelley Chambers, kchambers@starlocalnews.com, @KelleyChambers7 on Twitter
The McKinney Arts Commission is seeking input in the creation of a public arts master plan that will give local artists a new face throughout the city.
The "Imagine Art Here!" workshop will help establish a vision for public art in McKinney, and will allow residents to prioritize places where future public art should be located.
Anyone with an interest in how public art can contribute to McKinney's unique character is encouraged to attend.
"Public art can bring so much value to the cultural, aesthetic and economic vitality of the entire community, so it's important that we have community input into the public arts master plan for McKinney. We are seeking expertise and creativity from throughout the community," McKinney Arts Commission Chair Linda Spina said in a release.
The idea to form a master plan started roughly two years ago, which in turn led to the development of a public arts policy, said Aretha Adams, staff liaison to the arts commission. After reviewing the program, the city quickly determined it was a great idea, but wondered how such an undertaking would be implemented, she said.
"We learn a lot of different ways to incorporate art, it's not just a stand alone statue outside of a building," Adams said. "This workshop is just a piece of putting together that master plan."
The commission began looking at neighboring cities with similar master plans already in place, such as Denton, Allen and Frisco. Artistic amenities at fire stations in Frisco and lighted sculptures in front of Allen city hall gave the commission inspiration it needed for determining how it could use its own funding without breaking the bank, Adams said.
"If you think about it, they had to build that building anyway and they decided to take it a step further," she said. "It's not only practical, it's beautiful. It's things like that that really stood out for us. You get your bang for your buck."
Combining beautiful with practical by enhancing already existing structures is a concept that will help in terms of funding. The city recently approved $12,000 in its 2013 budget for the commission's art program, but the money can only be spent after a match is made through private fundraising, Adams said.
Feedback from the workshop will be handed over to hired consultants, who will then lay out some priority areas ripe for public art into a master plan, she said.
Areas already on the radar for a cultural revamp include historic downtown, areas west of U.S. 75 near Eldorado Parkway, and at Bonnie Wenk Park, which is scheduled to open in May 2013.
"This is a great opportunity for the public to decide what they want in those spaces," Adams said. "We're not at a point now where we know exactly what kind of art we want to get, that's what the workshop will help us draw out."
The council-appointed Allen Arts Alliance has been credited for the city of Allen's public arts master plan. The plan, which was adopted in 2005, followed the same steps McKinney is taking now, from the public workshops to the same consulting firm, said Lori Smeby, assistant parks and recreation director and liaison to the public art committee in Allen.
Allen's "Imagine Here!" workshop allowed participants to talk about how buildings, gateways, parks and streets could serve as the canvas for local artists, and set the priorities for how the master plan in Allen was based, Smeby said.
"We gained so much insight when we did that workshop, we just got a great response from the community," she said. "The arts master plan process is a great roadmap for any community who wants to go down that path. It's such a big thing and just having the master plan puts the whole thing into digestible pieces, if you will."
Smeby said Allen is cheering its neighbor on, as a continued emphasis on the arts through the U.S. 75 corridor is a benefit to their city, as well.
"There's the intrinsic value of having a healthy community all the way around - good streets, good parks - but we also have a thriving cultural community, as well," Smeby said. "That's where public art lends a good part of its value, a value you don't always think about but when you see it you think, 'I'm glad we have this here, this is cool.'"
In addition to the general public, the McKinney Arts Commission has also reached out to the local art community for input and support. A public arts advisory group was formed to make sure it gains the pulse of different perspectives in the community. Once the master plan is set in motion, it will be in the artists' hands, Adams said.
"Eventually when we're at that point when we are ready to start procuring art, we don't want to tell artist exactly what they need to do, we want their artistic expertise to flow. We're just facilitators," she said. "It's really exciting. At this point the process is very organic, but it's still very structured. We just want to make sure we're getting all the proper perspectives first."
Space for the "Imagine Art Here!" workshop is limited. Participants can RSVP by emailing Mona Robinson at mrobinson@mckinneytexas.org.
The "Imagine Art Here!" workshop will help establish a vision for public art in McKinney, and will allow residents to prioritize places where future public art should be located.
Anyone with an interest in how public art can contribute to McKinney's unique character is encouraged to attend.
"Public art can bring so much value to the cultural, aesthetic and economic vitality of the entire community, so it's important that we have community input into the public arts master plan for McKinney. We are seeking expertise and creativity from throughout the community," McKinney Arts Commission Chair Linda Spina said in a release.
The idea to form a master plan started roughly two years ago, which in turn led to the development of a public arts policy, said Aretha Adams, staff liaison to the arts commission. After reviewing the program, the city quickly determined it was a great idea, but wondered how such an undertaking would be implemented, she said.
"We learn a lot of different ways to incorporate art, it's not just a stand alone statue outside of a building," Adams said. "This workshop is just a piece of putting together that master plan."
The commission began looking at neighboring cities with similar master plans already in place, such as Denton, Allen and Frisco. Artistic amenities at fire stations in Frisco and lighted sculptures in front of Allen city hall gave the commission inspiration it needed for determining how it could use its own funding without breaking the bank, Adams said.
"If you think about it, they had to build that building anyway and they decided to take it a step further," she said. "It's not only practical, it's beautiful. It's things like that that really stood out for us. You get your bang for your buck."
Combining beautiful with practical by enhancing already existing structures is a concept that will help in terms of funding. The city recently approved $12,000 in its 2013 budget for the commission's art program, but the money can only be spent after a match is made through private fundraising, Adams said.
Feedback from the workshop will be handed over to hired consultants, who will then lay out some priority areas ripe for public art into a master plan, she said.
Areas already on the radar for a cultural revamp include historic downtown, areas west of U.S. 75 near Eldorado Parkway, and at Bonnie Wenk Park, which is scheduled to open in May 2013.
"This is a great opportunity for the public to decide what they want in those spaces," Adams said. "We're not at a point now where we know exactly what kind of art we want to get, that's what the workshop will help us draw out."
The council-appointed Allen Arts Alliance has been credited for the city of Allen's public arts master plan. The plan, which was adopted in 2005, followed the same steps McKinney is taking now, from the public workshops to the same consulting firm, said Lori Smeby, assistant parks and recreation director and liaison to the public art committee in Allen.
Allen's "Imagine Here!" workshop allowed participants to talk about how buildings, gateways, parks and streets could serve as the canvas for local artists, and set the priorities for how the master plan in Allen was based, Smeby said.
"We gained so much insight when we did that workshop, we just got a great response from the community," she said. "The arts master plan process is a great roadmap for any community who wants to go down that path. It's such a big thing and just having the master plan puts the whole thing into digestible pieces, if you will."
Smeby said Allen is cheering its neighbor on, as a continued emphasis on the arts through the U.S. 75 corridor is a benefit to their city, as well.
"There's the intrinsic value of having a healthy community all the way around - good streets, good parks - but we also have a thriving cultural community, as well," Smeby said. "That's where public art lends a good part of its value, a value you don't always think about but when you see it you think, 'I'm glad we have this here, this is cool.'"
In addition to the general public, the McKinney Arts Commission has also reached out to the local art community for input and support. A public arts advisory group was formed to make sure it gains the pulse of different perspectives in the community. Once the master plan is set in motion, it will be in the artists' hands, Adams said.
"Eventually when we're at that point when we are ready to start procuring art, we don't want to tell artist exactly what they need to do, we want their artistic expertise to flow. We're just facilitators," she said. "It's really exciting. At this point the process is very organic, but it's still very structured. We just want to make sure we're getting all the proper perspectives first."
Space for the "Imagine Art Here!" workshop is limited. Participants can RSVP by emailing Mona Robinson at mrobinson@mckinneytexas.org.
Copyright © 2013 - Star Local News