I had a couple meetings with some local folks in the City of Painesville to discuss boosting the arts presence in the city. Think about it – we have some very artistic people in north east Ohio, Lake Erie College is a fine liberal arts college and Lakeland Community College has a great arts department. Throw in Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, areas like Tremont and the Cleveland Art Museum and you see just how artistic the area is.
So how can little ol’ Painesville capitalize on this. Our discussion has centered around two approaches:
- Display works of art in the retail and commercial businesses in the downtown area. This idea has been well received by the merchants
- Use empty storefronts to display artwork for public viewing. This effort is still in progress.
Now I’m going to offer a third approach. Often property owners worry or complain about graffiti. I’d like to suggest an approach taken by Rapid City, South Dakota. It’s called “Art Alley” (http://artalley.awardspace.com/index.html). Art Alley is located in a one block by three block central historic district of down town. Here artists are welcome to paint using the alley building elevations as their canvas. The artwork changes as the artists see fit. Here are some shots from my visit to Rapid City, South Dakota in early September, 2013.
Art work from Art Alley, Rapid City, SD.
Imagine the work to complete a display of this complexity.
Everything is a canvas in Art Alley.
Art Alley is one block long and has become the canvas for the city.
Looking like a 60s album cover.
It’s great to see people stroll the alley to stop and study the art work. While my wife Diane and I strolled the alley, we felt quite comfortable and secure in the alley. We didn’t feel threatened in any way. Hellos are easily exchanged amongst the art aficionados also enjoying their stroll.
Can you guess the Painesville spot I have picked out for an art display?
