Art On The Side Event Goers React To Spokane Arena’s Public Art With Varied Expressions

On a recent Saturday night, I went to a hockey game at the new Spokane Arena, but instead of rushing to my seat, I paused outside the building to discuss art. The Arena has some of the newest “public” art in the city, and I wanted to get an idea of what the “public” thought. I discovered that the hockey fans had many things to say.

Six bronze figures by Seattle artist Phillip Levine have been installed along the exterior stairs, and without a doubt, they drew a considerable amount of attention and comment. The amount of attention alone might have been taken as a sign of success, if not for the content of many of the remarks. Children found the sculptures irresistible, but adults’ reactions were not always so positive.

Among the laughter, shaking of heads, and unique observations (some not suitable for a family newspaper), the focus was drawn to two of the six bronze figures in particular. Many people were startled by the “headless” state of one, and questions were raised as to the posture of another, described by one individual as “Mooning the Taxpayer.”

It seems people did not always interpret Levine’s sculptures as the artist intended, and perhaps this piece (titled “Leap”) is a good idea gone slightly wrong. The six bronze figures represent the sequence of movements in an athletic “leap,” but many hockey fans did not realize this. And although Levine no doubt wished to express humor in the work, somebody mistakenly assumed the humor in the sculptures to be userfriendly, and left one of the bronzes holding a vodka bottle (which was empty and possibly consumed earlier by an overly zealous art, or hockey, fan).

In addition to the exterior sculptures, the Arena’s art program included the commission of six paintings by Spokane artist Mel McCuddin. Unfortunately, despite the merit of the paintings and McCuddin’s local popularity, I was unable to collect opinions from passers-by. This is because the stairs above which the pictures hang are rarely used except as an exit from the building.

The large colorful canvases reflect the artist’s distinctive style, and portray the many events to be held in the Arena: sports and entertainment for all ages and interests. My suspicion is that if people had been available for comment on the McCuddin paintings, the remarks would have been positive. This, of course, leads me to question their placement, and wish that the paintings could be hung in a more traffic-oriented location. However, as Jerry Schlatter, the Arena’s project manager, pointed out, the design of the Arena includes a clear night-time view inside to the staircase and paintings, and in that capacity, the paintings are showcased.

So many issues have arisen over public art, it is difficult to tread the waters without fearing the voice of controversy. Certainly it is acceptable, and implicitly understood, that there will always be disagreement about art because people have so many different tastes, but public art has a whole different level of weightiness because it is funded by public money.

Although some people were under the impression the art at the Arena was part of the City’s Percent for Art program, in fact it was organized by the Spokane Public Facilities District. The result was $150,000 set aside for the art expenditures in the Arena project.

Of course, the results of the art program are not to everyone’s taste - the range of opinion from “Great” to “Mooning the Taxpayer” well-illustrates the extremes. But I would consider the money well-spent, whether people find the art to their tastes or not, and expect that soon the sculptures outside the Arena will have the landmark appeal of the “Joy of Running” or “The Childhood Express” in Riverfront Park.