Public Art in Nanaimo: We can do better

Art Opinion

When I was asked, for my entry in The Hub City Project, what I'd like to see more of in Nanaimo, blank walls came to mind. As well as flat tops, blocked views, uninspired architecture… Nanaimo is many things, but well-designed is not one of them, and though that's sort of part of its charm, you would never tell by all the empty canvasses that there are artists living here.

The public art scene in this town is seriously lacking, and what we do have does not represent the kind or quality of artists prowling these streets. Whoever thought a row of giant standing artillery rifle things should be our first sight when we come out of the downtown library is either out of touch or bribed. Most of our outdoor government-approved installations are confined to Maffeo-Sutton Park, and the rest haven’t seen the light of day.

The newest installation is a piece of contemporary native art on the corner of Wallace, Albert and Victoria right across from The Vault. Above it, a postcard mural depicts a logging scene from “ancient” Nanaimo. Both honour a part of our heritage, but neither are saying anything new. Who are we now? Where are we going? If our town had a voice and could only make visual statements, what would it say to make its people laugh, talk, think, or think again? Even a little rainbow painted on a brick is saying something: “I won’t stand for boring.” To me, Nanaimo’s lack of diversity in public art is evidence of lack of community spirit, and I know we have it. So what does it look like?

Art can take so many forms and it needn’t be expensive to do, just possible. And there are so many possibilities. What about paying homage to something distinctive about Nanaimo, like the fact the Google Earth Ate it (a painting of the little red pin)? Anybody got a spare bathtub kicking around to make into sculpture for the front lawn of the Loyal Bathtub Society downtown? Or maybe an abstract version of our Coat of Arms? Apparently we have a sister in Japan - let’s do something for her! I’ve always liked the giant picture frame in the park because its art lies in the perspective we give it. Let’s go further with that idea. Or something interactive, user-generated, like a wall painted with chalkboard paint titled, “What are your dreams for Nanaimo?”. Or something so new and different that I or anyone else but the artist couldn’t possibly imagine.

So that's what I'd like to see more of. Art where our walls are begging for it on buildings that are otherwise stuck in their utilitarian ways. Art should be as much a part of the architecture of a city as its alleys and storefronts, and as much a part of its function as its street signs. What we need is a scenery that's reflective of how eccentric, opinionated, and loved this town really is, so that passersby at least get a proper impression if they won't be staying, a sense that things are not as they seem from the highway.

This is our city. These are our streets, our walls to decorate as we please. Like a kid possessing our own room in our parent’s house, we ought to be covering it with expressions of ourselves throughout the times. Whether it be the kind of art Tommy stands in front of in a gallery and states, "I could have made that" (to which Tommy's Mom replies, "But you didn't"), or the kind that is a seemingly endless ongoing project. It doesn’t matter if it is grand display or a tiny gesture. It can be a fixture in our daily commute or a sight stumbled upon, hiding in the nooks and crannies. “High maintenance” art or the kind that endures. The kind that pleases all and offends none or the kind that would rather ask for forgiveness than for permission. We can do better!

(Photo Jess Charmaine)

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