NORTHAMPTON — A proposal from an artist to erect a sculpture in the recently renovated Pulaski Park downtown has city officials exploring whether rules should be created to govern art that’s gifted to the city.
The steel sculpture, titled Arch II, was created by artist Ann Jon and is proposed to be situated in the “cafe” area at the front of the park for one year. The piece, which is 8 feet 10 inches high and 14 feet 6 inches long, would be on loan from Jon to the city with a potential purchase price of $50,000, Northampton Arts Council Executive Director Brian Foote said.
The council plans to view a preliminary presentation to erect the art in the park during a meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the City Hall Hearing Room.
Foote said the council will first have to evaluate if the sculpture is public art, since the proposal is for an existing structure and not one that is being created for the city. The process of assessing gifted instead of created art in Northampton has not been explored in the past, he explained.
“I want to be able to vet it to the public,” Foote said. “We’re in preliminary steps to create policy regarding public art in Northampton.”
Jon is requesting a $1,000 payment from the city if the sculpture is placed in the park. The artist is also asking Northampton to cover costs associated with transporting the art from its current location in Becket and for any insurance required.
Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz said that he was recently informally briefed on the proposal, where he told Foote to consult the Arts Council and do more research on potential logistics since there is no codified policy on gifted art.
“My first reaction would be that I wouldn’t be in favor of it but the proposal sparked the conversation to talk about this to the Arts Council,” Narkewicz said.
The proposed placement of the structure in Pulaski Park was also an issue that concerned Narkewicz.
“We recently spent a lot of time renovating the park with a major emphasis on public space, green space and flexible space,” Narkewicz said. “My immediate reaction to plopping a sculpture down was that it might impact that.”
Narkewicz said that even if the city was looking for art to be placed in any public space it would most likely be done through a request for submissions from the community.
“I’m a supporter of our strong arts and culture sector here in Northampton and I am in favor of public art in our community, but the question becomes where it’s appropriate and to what scale,” Narkewicz said. “We have a lot of artists in and around our community, and who would we select to create that art is a question … I suspect the Arts Council will share that view.”
Narkewicz said that the cost associated the project was also a component that caused him to raise alarm. “It’s an interesting idea and it is starting a conversation,” he said. “But I want to be clear that there is not a specific approval process for something like this yet.”
Created two years ago, the sculpture has been on display at exhibitions in public areas across the United States, Jon said. “I love to have my work in public places instead of private galleries,” Jon said. “Northampton is a sophisticated town and the public aspect to this sculpture is that people and kids can come and interact with it, even sit on the bench that is inside.”
One of her favorite pieces, Jon said that her sculpture includes acoustics that allow for sound to travel in the curve of the arch in a different way. The top of the arch also has a spiral pattern created by little holes that allow for sunlight to shine through.
Jon, who lives in Becket, said that she believes the community would benefit from having her piece of art, but she also said that allowing for public discussion was essential. “I think it’s really important for the public to put in input,” she said. “If it’s in a public place there should definitely be a chance for the public to have a say.”