Honorable Mayor Combs and Council Members,
I find it interesting that nearly all cities in America have some form of an Art Commission, but Menlo Park does NOT. Even most Counties and States have an Art Commission as well. Why are they so popular and commonly found? The answer is easy, Public Art makes a difference in the lives of those living, working, visiting and overall being a part of a community.
What is Public Art? It comes in many forms, such as painting, dancing, music, sculptures, murals, theatre and much, much more. Menlo Park years ago paid a HUGE amount of money to help build the Menlo Atherton High School - theatre, with the right to use it a certain number of days .Is even a single day of the allotted days being used?
Its interesting that many cities insist that new DEVELOPMENTS include 1.0% or more to provide a piece of public art. Is that being done in Menlo Park? The answer is ....... NO. Its interesting that the City of Menlo Park used to, but dropped the program and reversed the policy many years ago, resulting in the entire SEVEN MEMBER Menlo Park Art Commission resigning - never to be reactivated.
Even the Town of Atherton to the north, more than half your size, has an Art Commission, as well as Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale to the south. The inspiration of their programs prompts and motivates one to seriously consider a similar program here.
Ask yourself, is this the right time, and is this the right place to select a group of enthusiastic Menlo Park citizens to establish a Menlo Park Art Commission. If so, sign me up !
Respectfully, Jim Lewis
