It’s putting a pretty face on the, uh, ugly. Not that the ever-changing, ever-updating Coeur d’Alene Wastewater Treatment Plant is unattractive from an aesthetic sense, it’s just that the job it’s designed to do is just so, well, unglamorous. Never mind that though. The plant is the spot for the city’s next public art piece. “It’s kind of neat,” said Fred Ogram, Arts Commission chairman, on the call to artists soliciting a hands-on, interpretive art piece that should support the facility’s functions while highlighting the nearby natural environment and resources/Tom Hasslinger, CdA Press. More here. (Photo courtesy: city of Coeur d'Alene)

Question: You be the artist. What would an appropriate art work look like for the Coeur d'Alene wastewater plant?

The Jews, Buddhists and Hindus have applauded the City of Coeur d'Alene (Idaho, USA) for the public display of 'Ganesha' sculpture in its downtown.  “The City of Coeur d'Alene and its Arts Commission should be commended for their strength and inclusive attitude in displaying the 'Ganesha' sculpture along with 14 others in downtown as a part of 'ArtCurrents', its public art display program,” Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, the prominent Jewish leader in North Carolina (USA), said in a statement. “Ganesha may not be as sacred to us as it is to our Hindu friends, but we still welcome its addition as an integration of a wider range of public art into the community and an enhancement of the overall appeal of an urban area,” he added/Newstrack India. More here. (SR file photo by Kathy Plonka, of controversial Ganesha artwork in downtown Coeur d'Alene)

Reaction?

Artist Rick Davis left the following comment on the Dogwalk Musings blog re: why he designed the controversial Ganesha public art work that will be on display in downtown Coeur d'Alene for the next year: “The reason I originally chose to do this piece was at the suggestion of my Yoga teacher.  But as the project progressed, and I did more research into Ganesha, the themes that surround him seemed to be unfolding in my life.  So he became a 3 1/2 year teaching/learning moment for me.” Adds Dogwalk Musings: “Art, no matter what form it takes,  is probably the most subjective commodity in the world.  We either like what we see or we don't.  As with this month's Art Walk.  What shouldn't be forgotten, however, in viewing the finished product, there is a process behind it.  As Mr. Davis points out, his piece became a teaching/learning moment.  Certainly nothing sinister nor intended to offend.” More here. (SR file photo/Kathy Plonka, of Ganesha)

Question: Do you support public art? Or do you consider it to be a waste of money?

“Ganesha,” a sculpture by artist Rick Davis, was picketed last month by the Kootenai County Constitution Party when it was dedicated as part of a public art display in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Pickets said the sculpture represents a Hindu god and shouldn't be permitted in the Lake City. Now, a Coeur d'Alene man, backed by a church, is gathering signatures on petitions to seek the display's removal. Full story here. (SR file photo: Kathy Plonka)

Ronald J. Vander Griend is soliciting help from other churches besides Lake City Lighthouse Church, which has already pledged its support, in Vander Griend's attempt to remove the public art piece on grounds that it's offensive. In his interpretation, the symbol of Ganesha is too similar to the swastika, the elephant's trunk depicts a phallic symbol, and the weapons in the statue's hands represent tools used to put fear in Hindu followers to the “gods who control their lives,” according to the petition/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Will Ronald Vander Griend succeed in his drive to remove Ganesha from downtown Coeur d'Alene?

• Weekend Poll: 'The Feathers,' Mudgy & Millie, and Fallen Heroes Plaza are the three most popular pieces of public art in the Coeur d'Alene area. 'The Feathers' on Northwest Boulevard was deemed most popular with 43 of 150 votes (28.67%), followed by the 5 Mudgy & Millie sculptures, with 34 of 150 (22.67%), and Fallen Heroes Plaza, off 15th Street, 29 of 150 (19.33%). Other public art receiving votes were: City Park wood sculptures & Midtown bicycle racks, 10 votes apiece (6.67%); bicyclist “Kate” at Riverstone, 6 votes (4%); “Take Time” ponderosa, 5 votes (3.33%); and “other,” 13 votes (8.67%).
• Today's Poll: Who would you want in control of wolf populations in Idaho & Montana — Congress, Environmentalists, Judges, or states of Idaho and Montana?

Jagger Black, age 7, of Moses Lake, Wash., plays on the dinosaur bone sculpture in Riverfront Park Wednesday. The Spokane Parks and Recreation Department plans to remove and demolish the sculpture because it has developed cracks and is considered unsafe. (SR photo: Colin Mulvany)\

When noted Pacific Northwest artist Charles W. Smith was creating a sculpture in what became Riverfront Park, he was often asked what it represented. “Nothing,” he told a Spokane Daily Chronicle reporter. “It can be anything a child wants it to be. Rather than a camel or a horse, it can be many things.” Nearly 40 years later, Spokane arts and parks leaders, however, may give it a label: trash/Jonathan Brunt, SR. More here.

Question: Which piece of public art in the Coeur d'Alene area would you consider “trashy”?

Re: North Idaho College schedules memorial for Joe Jonas/Hucks Online

Don Sausser: Joe, so humble, simply produced uncontroversial art that everyone could digest with great delight. From the piano near Schuler autitorium to the massive brass & ocopper pieces covering Christiansen Gymnasium and Boswell Hall, Joe has blessed North Idaho College for generations of future visitors. I used to visit him in his garage studio/workshop and marvel at his clay workups for larger pieces. They in themselves were works of art. RIP Joe.

Question: What’s your favorite piece of public art in the greater Coeur d’Alene area?

Vandals in Coeur d’Alene took the ‘Right to Bear Arms’ way too literally recently when someone used a saw to cut a wooden Grizzly Bear statue off at the ankles at a neighborhood park. Around Coeur d’Alene there are a half dozen wood carved statues including a majestic nine-foot tall Grizzly standing watch at Bryan Field. “Everybody likes it, I don’t know why somebody would want to cut it down,” neighborhood resident Jean LaForge said/Tania Dall, KXLY. More here.

Question: Which acts of vandalism bug you most?

Visitors entering town via east Sherman Avenue will likely have a new impression of the Lake City next year. The Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission is soliciting bids from artists to ensure a creative, colorful display greets guests coming into town from Interstate 90. … The piece will be featured on the southeast corner of 23rd Street and Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive adjacent St. Thomas Cemetery. Artists from Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana and Utah have until May 15 to submit proposals for the $100,000 project/Tom Hasslinger, CDA Press. More here.

Question: Do you support a $100,000 public arts project to upgrade the eastern entrance to Coeur d’Alene?