In the public interest of keeping things that make Cities interesting running, the most recent worry turns towards the Art Gallery.
Funding for quality of life? Only with a huge fight…
Funding for a new area on the far end of the city, who’s main tenant is a private business? No problem.
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Perhaps they should have stayed in the mall. There was alot of traffic and exposure for them there. Of course they also did not like ordinary people browsing
Why would you say they did not like “ordinary people” browsing, Oliver? Please explain.
Also, funding would be needed in the mall, or downtown.
You’d think the City would be desperate to help – not exactly a wise idea to have a huge building a lot on some of their prime real estate sit empty for the next several decades, which is exactly what will happen if the AGW goes under… no one would be any rush to take over that building for a long laundry list of reasons, but most of all because the economy is dead in Windsor.
But this is Windsor, where Stupidity is King. Case in point, Oliver’s comment, which I’m sure he found to be completely logical despite it being ridiculously stupid.
If there is a way to do something really dumb here, I have faith in city council and the Olivers of this city to find a way to make it happen.
There are more important things to worry about in this city than another outstretched hand. I’m assuming Oliver’s comment refers to us ‘common folk’ who have no understanding for art and it’s world. Only those snobby enough with a trained eye and appreciation are welcomed..??
What kills me is the fact that people who complain about “another outstretched hand” usually have no problem with corporations and their bail-out schemes and corporate welfare, because it directly translates into a handful of tangible yet temporary jobs. Investment in arts and culture, despite not being directly linked to a bumper-crop of high paying new jobs, does more for the local economy than those tax-payer subsidized (but fleeting) corporate jobs.
For every one dollar invested in the arts, Windsor gets a five dollar return on that investment. Show me any other investment that equals that, while increasing the quality of life for everyone in the community, and I’ll jump on your bandwagon too!
I have no eye for art but I can look at something and decide whether I like it or not…so can a 5 year old.
I never knew you had to have an “eye” for art, I just thought a person needed an eye, or ear or have sensation in their fingers for touch. Silly me and here I thought I was common folk.
Colin> Is there a sign at the AGW telling you that you, common person, isn’t allowed? Or are you projecting your own feeling?
The autojobs are going, not much seems to be able to stop that. If the AGW goes, the potential for the new economy (however you define it) starts to evaporate too. Kills the arts, you kill any incentive for new money to come to windsor.
Shawn is correct. Without the AGW and the Symphony the city will be less attractive to potential business, etc. A strong base in culture is a great asset. Unfortunately for years now Windsor has been viewed as a ‘lunch bucket’ community to outsiders and such images or impressions are very difficult to shed.
Don’t hold your breath. Just take a look at how the city handled the Capitol. They dumped the Clearly Center for a buck. The city is bankrupt from the decreased tax base and all the stupid projects they wasted money on like the bunker, the arena and all the lawyers’ legal fees for nonsense like the bridge and tunnel. I don’t think it’s realistic and it’d be a huge uphill battle to win support. I think the AGW should look at holding more charity fundraisers, charity golf fundraisers, $100 a head banquets, charity casino and bingo nights. The last few bingo halls I checked were packed, so maybe getting a bingo license from the city for certain nights is an option that might work. I’m really trying not to be cynical here, but honestly, by looking at the history of our local government, do you really think that’s gonna happen?
Just to add, maybe you should try to start a petition to get the money from the province, since they are paying $6million less a year in property taxes on their casino. They picked up the tab for the Red Bull races, which doesn’t even cover part of the loss.
Here is what happened when the City of Toronto took over Theatre Passe Muraille last year as a measure to keep it afloat.
http://www.passemuraille.on.ca/About/media-press.html
A success.
i can kinda see where oliver is coming from. when they were in the mall i went in there a few times and EVERY time, i was followed around by some member of the staff. not to tell me about what i was looking at, but to sneer and make sure i wasn’t going to steal one of the….what was it? ah, i beleive it was a bunch of animal legs hanging from the ceiling. art?…..prehaps to someone i suppose. not sure what it was supposed to symbolize…but no one was around to explain. maybe it’s cause i was wearing a sombrarro, which is strictly forbidden in the AGW LOL! and yes…at least at the time, there WAS a sign telling you you couldn’t wear one
coulda been the mohawk too…who knows, didn’t mean i was gonna wreck the place or was being disorderly and can’t comprehend art.
but aside from my own bad experiences there, it is defininitly a community asset which deserves support. noone can argue that an art gallery doesn’t contibute to the livability of a city.
so long as it’s not stuffed with the same garbage that’s on the riverfront.
Shawn- I was merely commenting on Oliver’s original post with sarcasm…
Ah, sorry Colin. Missing sarcasm, a “common” mistake.
No my comment is based from talking to a neighbour who is a retired from the Art Gallery. He did not like the mall. too many common people( his words not mine) unable to appreciate what they see. Only coming in to waste time, mine and theirs.
Oliver, hopefully your neighbour’s attitude toward the general public is not typical of the AGW. Otherwise the “commoners” would have every right to object financing art snobs. A public institution like AGW should welcome all. And if someone walks in who supposedly can’t appreciate art, then it’s the employee’s position to help teach-instill that appreciation, not shrug off those visitors as a waste of time.
One guy’s opinion is not the institutional opinion (which I can’t speak for, of course) but in many visits to the AGW I don’t see anything that isn’t welcoming to everybody. The AGW is also ridiculously cheap (the AGO up here is $18).
City Council didn’t pass the loan (note: not a grant). The AGW’s prospects don’t look very good. It won’t be long now before the AGW building ends up on this blog as a dilapidated building with interesting historical footnotes by Andrew that makes you wonder how the city ever went so wrong to let it get to that point like lord knows how many other buildings talked about on this blog. And so goes the AGW does a pile of other local events and festivals like WIFF and MediaCity, which will die on the vine with them. Just as WIFF got listed as one of the best 100 Festivals in Ontario too – apparently toursits and people interested in the arts only have monopoly money and Windsor isn’t interested in having that money in the city.
Why am I not in the least surprised? Especially, since I was reading in the Star the other day about Fast Eddie’s positive feasibility report and plans to squeeze every taxpayer’s last penny for his pipe dream canal.
Just curious what makes up the bulk of this, Windsor Star reported, estimated $60 million collection. I never saw DIA calibre artwork there like Monets and Picassos. All I saw were photographs and contemporary art. Do they have classic masterpieces hidden away in some vault somewhere?