Public art discussed at City Hall presentation

Public art is integral to a community’s culture, especially in a city like Bloomington.

The City of Bloomington’s arts commission presented a free workshop at City Hall Thursday night called “A Public Art Primer for Artists,” where two experienced artists explained the importance of public art culture and advised the best ways to find success as an artist in the public arena.

Artist Dale Enochs, who has 30 years of experience making public art, started out his part of the presentation with a warning.

“If you think you can make a living at this, forget it,” he said. “To make any money at all, you can’t do it half-assed. You really have to go after it.”

Miah Michaelson, the city’s assistant economic development director for the arts, said she agreed.

“If you treat it like a hobby, it’s probably going to pay off like a hobby,” she said.
Enochs’ commissions tend to be large-scale projects that challenge his determination, which have included a 65-foot gateway to a park and a giant mural.

As he presented a slide show of his work and joked about his poor Photoshop skills, he said there are several things to consider when planning a public piece.

“Ask yourself: How long it will take?” he said. “How durable are the materials? Is the venue a hospital, a library, the street? Will people stand in front of it to look at it, or will people only see it when they’re driving by? These are all things to keep in mind. Visit the site at night to see how it feels. Take pictures, do research. You have to build a relationship with the site.”

Charlotte Paul, co-lecturer who also has about 30 years of experience in public art, said liability is just as important.

“$1 million is the kind of insurance coverage you want on a piece, minimum,” she said. “I have windows hanging up on the third floor in a building in Wisconsin. If those were to fall, I could be in deep trouble. That’s scary.”

Enochs said he agreed that the financial aspects of the job can discourage an artist. That happened when he was figuring out the budget for a sculpture to be placed on the B-Line Trail.

“Although I was worried, backing out would have been stupid,” Enochs said. “I knocked on community doors and told people about my project, and several of them made donations to help make it work.”

The donors increased his budget by $30,000.

“I know how to give a good talk,” he said. The audience laughed.

But the artists said it pays off to trudge through the doubts.

“You have to know that you can do the work that you propose,” Enochs said. “Ensure that you can get through it by not taking on too much. But in the end, it all works out.”
Paul said she agreed.

“Getting in the zone to plan a piece can give you such a high. No drugs needed,” she jokingly said. “And to do all that work and get a rejection letter in the mail a month later, now that’s discouraging. But although I got a rejection letter in the mail just yesterday, I’m thinking about a totally new piece today. It will all be OK.”

She said she didn’t want to talk anyone out of trying.

“There’s one thing I want all of you to take away from this,” she said. “And this is it: you can do this. Don’t ever be afraid to try anything.”

At the end of the lecture, Michaelson said some words of encouragement of her own.

“The downtown Hyatt has expressed interest in public art, and if you’re
serious, you should think about submitting a portfolio,” she said. “Contractors contact us all the time asking us for names of public artists. And after some time, a relationship with a company or contractor can be very rewarding, especially in an artful community like Bloomington.”