City Gives Murals The Brushoff Sandpoint Planners Say They Don’t Want To Take On The Role Of Art Critics

A group that wants to beautify the city’s downtown with murals has hit a brick wall.

City planners recently brushed off the Mural Society, saying a vaguely worded sign ordinance would turn them into art critics. That’s a job they don’t want.

“We don’t want to be in a position to have to decide what is art and what is not,” said planning commission chairman Anne Cordes. “Our ordinance says murals have to be presented for our approval and we felt that was opening the door for future problems.”

The mural society formed a year ago, and already raised about $2,800. Members planned to work with local teens and paint a mural of Lake Pend Oreille on the side of Belwood’s Furniture building on Cedar Street. The store owner agreed and even helped pay for the project.

But city planners rejected the idea with a unanimous vote.

“What they have done is ban public art” said Jim Payne, chairman of the Mural Society. “This is an incredible stroke of irresponsibility by the city.”

Payne believes murals should be exempt from approval by city planners since the art will be displayed on private property and buildings.

“These are people using their own private property to express their tastes. The tastes of the planning commission should not be imposed on them,” Payne said.

Mayor Ron Chaney said the city isn’t banning art but trying to maintain the character of Sandpoint’s downtown. The city is full of old and historic brick buildings. Rather than cover those with murals, Chaney said the city would prefer the paint be taken off the structures to display their original brick facades.

“That’s not to say murals are bad,” Chaney said. “Some cities have them and they are very effective in creating character for a town. But Sandpoint is already blessed with character. The planning commission feels, and I concur, that we shouldn’t do anything to destroy that.”

Murals would be a radical departure from the current downtown ambiance, Chaney said, adding the city would end up in unwanted battles over what murals should be allowed.

“Art is in the eye of the beholder. Some look at a mural and say it looks like art while others may say it looks like a tattoo.”

A mural already exists downtown on the Eve’s Leaves building on First Street. The painting was done more than 10 years ago, before the city had a sign ordinance.

The Mural Society planned to make its art work removable, painting on special panels that can be attached to a building. They can be removed for cleaning or building maintenance. Special paint would also be used to withstand the harsh North Idaho winters.

“I don’t think the city has thought through what they are doing,” Payne said. “Their decision was not because they think the mural is ugly, it’s because they feel they have to judge art. That is their error.”

The Mural Society plans to go back to city planners with another proposal next month. It could include setting up a local committee to review murals.

“The city’s concerns are logical, but I’m not in 100 percent agreement,” said local artist Bob Lindemann who has consulted with the Mural Society.

“I think it’s possible to keep the character of Sandpoint with appropriate murals that reflect the artiness of this community. I don’t know that the planning commission’s decision reflects the tastes of the community at large.”

The city also fears murals will become targets for vandals and graffiti. But Lindemann said he observed the opposite reaction while helping with murals in San Jose, Calif.

“Residents and the young people who helped paint them took pride in the work and it wiped out a lot of the graffiti problem there,” he said.

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