Statues, murals and monuments adorn the parks and plazas of our city and towns.
Most of it I can take or leave, Rodin said "a statue is just a lump, it is how you look at the lump that maters."
However I am a firm believer that public art should be privately funded.
The Takapuna Community Board when in it's death throes splashed out $25,000 on a sculpture by James Wright to be erected at Hauraki Corner.
Cost of sculpture $ 15500, installation $ 9500.
The sculpture was not installed due to road works.
Enter the Auckland Council Arts Department, the sculpture will now be installed however, surprise, surprise installation costs have now inflated a little.
Breakdown of project costs;
Original Artist fee & sculpture $ 15,500
Consent foundation ect. $ 9,500
Total $ 25,000
New Auckland city; Design Manufacture $ 15,500 no change
Building consent fee $ 5,500
Resource consent fee $ 3,000
Consultants fee for resource consent $ 5,000
Installation $ 1,500 no change
Stone Plinth $ 3,000 no change
Site work &foundation $ 5,000 no change
Lighting & power supply $ 3,000
Plaque $ 500
Transport $ 500
Contingency $ 3,500
Total $ 43,000
Yes! They know how to spend your rates dollar wisely.
As I said at the start of this post I have no objection to public art provided it is entirely PRIVATELY funded.
Why do we have an arts department? It's just another boondoggle, another sheltered workshop for the otherwise unemployable.
Note $ 13,000 in resource consent.
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