Why Public Art in Shawnee?
Today’s blog is brought to you by Deann Gould-Lancaster, our first Guest Blogger! Deann is the chairperson of the Shawnee Public Arts Task Force and I am so excited to have her today as we welcome the Kansas City Parade of Hearts to Shawnee. Thank you Deann for your contribution.
Why Public Art in Shawnee?
Guest Blogger: Deann Gould-Lancaster
The most common answer to this question is the arts reflect our culture, community, and collective history. Have you ever watched a movie? Experienced a live concert? Looked at a painting, drawing or illustration? The arts encompasses so many things in our everyday lives. Quite simply, life would be boring without the arts. The arts are also a driving force behind economic development. When a community regularly supports creative endeavors, it benefits in the form of tourism and entertainment revenue. Thriving communities attract new residents and businesses which results in growth, prosperity, and a higher quality of life.
Last year, the City of Shawnee approved a one-year term for a Public Arts Task Force (PATF) to provide strategic direction to the city on all aspects related to public art. This was an important step toward introducing governance and standards around a topic which is often viewed as non-essential or controversial. As our governing body weighed the pros and cons of approving a PATF last March, concerns expressed focused primarily on cost, scope of the task force’s duties and what we’d accomplish. Despite these concerns, we were given a chance to form and pursue specific challenges.
Through our initial research and conversations with other area arts leaders we discovered implementing a public arts strategy and being fiscally responsible is entirely possible. We can pursue private funding or alternative funding and not burden taxpayers. Many people would be surprised to learn that we already fund public art in Shawnee. When a business or organization is granted a tax increment financing (TIF) stipulated on including art in revitalization efforts, tax revenue is being subsidized. This results in tax revenue we won’t receive because we’ve incentivized revitalization. These incentives are important to rebuilding blighted areas in our community and have a significant impact on our economy and well-being. Our city needs a citizen group (like the PATF) advising them on written policies and guidelines addressing public art to ensure appropriate fiscal responsibility.
Our Public Arts Task Force is an 11-member advisory group of citizen volunteers with expertise in art that dedicates time and talent to developing a strategy for public art in Shawnee. We engage in this work purely because we care about our community and we’re passionate about bringing more art to Shawnee. We believe the arts are vital to our community. Without theatre, music, dance, painting, sculpture, literature, and other art forms, we’d have a difficult time conveying our shared history to the next generation. We all have a voice when it comes to public art. We choose to make our voices heard.
At the end of our one-year volunteer term, we will accomplish these key tasks:
Define public art
Identify and inventory public art
Provide strategic direction to the Governing Body for the future of public art within Shawnee
Provide education and communication (community engagement) on public art
Establish policy and criteria for funding sources
Establish practices for tying public art to tourism
At the heart of our work is a collaborative effort to shape the future of arts in our city which will have lasting impact on future generations. The ideas we document now, could be experiences or permanent sculptures enjoyed by many. Future art events or installations could be the catalyst which inspires someone, gives people hope or brightens a dark day. Together, we can make a difference through the arts and culture in our community.
If you would like to join us in shaping the future of public art in Shawnee, please mark your calendars and plan to attend a Public Arts Task Force workshop:
Sunday, April 3, 2022
2 – 5 PM
Monticello Library, 22435 W 66TH Street
All are welcome to attend and participate. If you have ideas, questions or would like to get on our mailing list, please email us at publicartstaskforce@gmail.com.
DeAnn Gould-Lancaster, Chair
Public Arts Task Force
City of Shawnee, Kansas