In my last several columns, I have talked about two programs that aim to stoke civic pride: public art and local currency. Barnaby Evans, creator of WaterFire, Providence’s premier piece of public art, often talks about how WaterFire is one of the few non-sporting events that creates local pride in Providence. Two things really create local pride here: WaterFire and the Red Sox winning.
The second half of the Art of Placemaking conference, which was hosted by WaterFire, talked about a fascinating policy question: how to measure the esoteric concept of “sense of community” or “sense of place”? WaterFire, or the Red Sox winning, creates local pride in a city. But how do people measure local pride? How does one measure a sense of community? The Atlantic this month talked about some proxies for making this measurement: do you take care of your neighbor’s cat when she is away? Do you loan your neighbors tools? How many community volunteer hours have you worked? What donations to charity have you made? Similarly, WaterFire’s research team asks visitors “would you recommend visiting Providence to your friends from out of town?”
These questions about community have become larger as major foundations, such as the National Endowment for the Arts, want more hard evidence that their money is making a difference. Still, art’s value and civic pride are hard to measure. Ask yourself: how much is the Gateway Arch worth to St. Louis? It does not do anything. But St. Louis would not be St. Louis without the Gateway Arch. How much are the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe worth to Paris? That is the power of Public Art to create a sense of place and civic pride.
On a somewhat related note, one contemporary public artist is an inspired woman named Candy Chang. She loves interactive public art, where all the citizens can contribute. A piece inspired by her currently rests downtown in Kennedy Plaza, a large chalkboard that says: “before I die I want…” So, if you wish, go put your fervent hopes onto the blackboard and see what your fellow citizens wrote. One thing on there is from me. I am not going to tell you which one, though!