Quote of the Day - Public Art

Public Art is Rubbish

That is what our very own Andrew Troutman stated in an earlier post. He titled his post that. I disagreed, stating it is possible to do public art right, offering my home of League City as an example. I promised to provide examples. These are what follow:

First, a couple of murals painted on local buildings.

The top one is painted on a shopping center at the I-45 FM-518 intersection. Boosterism, but more attractive than a bare concrete wall. The other one is painted on the side of a local bank in the old downtown. It celebrates the cattle that created League City, including the longhorn.

Then there are signal boxes. Those ugly grey metal boxes in most cities. League City's are more attractive. Beats grey and celebrates the Galveston, Houston & Henderson Railroad, which is why the town exists.

Then there is the Music Office building

And finally, the local Masonic Temple.

Beats the dingy white before this mural was painted.

***

League City also has some public sculpture.

Outside the public library:

In League Park:

The last two merit explanation. In 1901, J. C. League—who developed League City (and named it after himself, natch)—brought in a flatcar of oak seedlings, and gave them away. Planted plenty himself, including in League Park. About ten years back, a couple of the oaks in League Park became diseased and had to be cut down. Rather than run the trees through a shredder, the city fathers had an artist turn the trunks into four statues, two of which are pictured here. My favorite is the girl reading a book.

As for J. C. League? We haven't forgotten him.

Can public art be done right? I think so.

Even in the 21st century. All of these examples are no more than 20 years old.