Councillor told CEO objects to public art boxes for county
LOUTH County Council’s Chief Executive Joan Martin has shot down a proposal by Cllr John McGahon that the county roll out a public art project similar to the very successful Dublin Canvass initiative.
Cllr McGahon complained at last week’s meeting of the council that a proposal he had made eleven months ago to look at copying the project was ‘ getting nowhere.’
He pointed out that he had been willing to give €1,000 of his councillor’s allocation to a pilot project which would see traffic light control boxes transformed into works of street art.
‘I’ll take responsibility for the delay,’ Ms Martin told him, ‘I have an objection to public art like that.’
She said she had concerns about the quality of the art and about the maintenance of the boxes.
The claimed that the project was not widespread in Dublin, saying she hadn’t noticed any when she had travelled on the Luas.
‘I have concerns about the appeal of public art and the image it would create of our town,’ she declared.
Cllr McGahon said that while he was glad to hear her view, he had seen three of the art boxes in Dublin the previous evening.
He highlighted how the four local authorities in Dublin had embraced the project and there were now 350 art boxes in Dublin,
He wanted to know if contact had been made with any of the four Dublin local authorities about the project over the past twelve months, as they had drawn up a policy for the project which could be copied.
He believed that the decision on his proposal should be made by the Arts Officer and ‘not on the artistic tendency of the Chief Executive.’
‘ The Arts Officer reports to me,’ replied Ms Martin.
Venting his frustration, Cllr McGahon said his proposal had been backed by all the Council and now twelve months later after putting €1,000 of his own money into it ‘ this is what we as councillors are being thought of.’
Cllr Conor Keelan offered his support, saying he did think there was some merit in what Cllr McGahon was proposing.