Art in Lenoir

I hope that my tax money is not paying for that Gigantic rusty looking washer on Harper avenue. Please tell me that it is getting done through donations. If so,I do believe the money could be better utilized to benefit the community than big metal artwork, which serves no purpose.

Actually, I think that "thing" is mud-covered concrete. But anyways, I am with you. Whose & How much $ has been spent on it?
How many hungry children could have been fed? How many senior citizens could have had their healthcare & medications?
Why is it that something that that means more to some people?

Everytime I see the mud covered concrete and the art hanging in city hall I have to ask myself why I dropped out of art school.

With what this city sees as art I could be a millionaire. I don't see how this city see putting over priced art around town is going to attract new people. I might believe it if there was a liberal arts college or museum here.

If they want to attract people they need to clean this town up. Do like they do in Atlanta. Have a program like "Clean and Beautiful". They go around Atlanta and had out fines to people who won't clean their properties, they fix up old delapitated houses, they make sure the parks are nice and well kept, and the streets are clean. They also go before the county to have old factories and warehouse torn down if they are lowering the property value.

How about spending some of that money on fixing a few pot holes?

Its Crazy wrote:

Actually, I think that "thing" is mud-covered concrete. But anyways, I am with you. Whose & How much $ has been spent on it?
How many hungry children could have been fed? How many senior citizens could have had their healthcare & medications?
Why is it that something that that means more to some people?

i heard it was 40.000 $

Logically and with common sense I wonder what is actually wrong with the thought process of the folks who run the city/county.

Getting people to support uptown businesses is not going to solve unemployment or attract new businesses to the area.

If you can't get businesses to move here, then what about people? Trying to get people to move here because of what the county has to offer, besides jobs!

I sure wish the art came with some of those happy go lucky arty farty folks who constantly joke and laugh and hug a lot and have really positive attitudes....where's all that in Caldwell? Can we get a fun loving and friendly filled artsy bar close to that metal money hog?

Please?

fyi wrote:

<quoted text> i heard it was 40.000 $

today i saw this for the first time ,,, come on now !!!! why ,, what is it ??

I heard today that it was more like $100,000 !
Now that's crazy!

And again stupid shines through in print. It would not matter if money fell from the sky, you would still have those that do nothing and complain about anything that others do.

The "Stupid" is sitting upright on a corner in town. Now that's stupid!
Anyone that thinks that spending huge amounts of money (most likely taxpayer money, because we've not heard anything about a donor) on things like that belongs over in Broughton.
LOL. Now come on people! Have you all lost your minds? Give me a break!

3 large donors in fact. No tax money or funding from the city. This is public knowledge or at least those that can read know about it.

Just a ramble wrote:

3 large donors in fact. No tax money or funding from the city. This is public knowledge or at least those that can read know about it.

I wasn't going to say anything because I figured it was pointless. Most of the people making comments on here think art consists of oil paintings of dogs playing pool.

dont bother wrote:

<quoted text>I wasn't going to say anything because I figured it was pointless. Most of the people making comments on here think art consists of oil paintings of dogs playing pool.

and you call this ART !!!!!!

for real wrote:

<quoted text> and you call this ART !!!!!!

It is for some people. What does it matter to you as long as it was donated. I know you must be a world famous art critic since you are on Lenoir's News Topix, right?

Then who made the donations? It's that simple if you want people to stop thinking it was tax money tell where the money came from. I can still think of alot of other useful things that could have went in that spot.

The earth cast sculpture cost $70,000. The money was donated over a period of time by many people from many places. NO tax payers dollars were spent. In fact, many of our local's were employed to help create the sculpture under the direction of the artist. I agree $70,000 is a LOT of money to spend when there are people who need food on the table and clothes on their back!! How much money do you think politicians earn for their campaigns with a single dinner or speaking engagement? A heck of a lot more than $70,000!!!
Instead of complaining about something you can do absolutely nothing about (where people donate their money). Why don't you organize a benefit to raise money to help feed and cloth the needy in your community? None of us here are wealthy enough to make much of a dent alone, but together we can make a huge dent in helping those in need.

Have a beautiful day ya'll!!

Holland-West wrote:

The earth cast sculpture cost $70,000. The money was donated over a period of time by many people from many places. NO tax payers dollars were spent. In fact, many of our local's were employed to help create the sculpture under the direction of the artist. I agree $70,000 is a LOT of money to spend when there are people who need food on the table and clothes on their back!! How much money do you think politicians earn for their campaigns with a single dinner or speaking engagement? A heck of a lot more than $70,000!!!
Instead of complaining about something you can do absolutely nothing about (where people donate their money). Why don't you organize a benefit to raise money to help feed and cloth the needy in your community? None of us here are wealthy enough to make much of a dent alone, but together we can make a huge dent in helping those in need.
Have a beautiful day ya'll!!

Ok, I am all for the private art donors. Yea! Thanks. That is great BUT.....
How much is it costing the city for the extra manpower during the installation, set up, police, landscaping etc? All the "behind the scenes" costs. Now we have to pay for upkeep on the site.
Well have to pay to sand blast all the graffiti that will inevitably take place.
Well have to pay for the repairs when someone pulls it down as a prank.

Why couldn't we have had a nice bronze statue of me for instance? Or at least of someone significant or something significant instead of a jagged turd wheel.
All jokes aside. I do appreciate art in many forms. Just because I do not like the JTW does not mean it should not be there. I just know that the initial cost of the sculpture is not the only real cost when something like this has been erected. The years of maintenance and repairs will cost us taxpayers plenty over time.
How about keeping out tax dollars down and skipping the art for a few years until the impact of job loss has corrected itself a bit.
Any one else come up with a creative name for it?
I like "jagged turd wheel" or "Jagged wheel of crap".
Your input will be greatly appreciated.

I just can't see how anyone can call the ugly wheel art. The so called artist who promoted this junk just made Lenoir look less inviting. Do you want people who visit Lenoir to see the ugly wheel. I think that since it is there to stay you should plant ivy around it and maby in a few years the ivy will cover it.

Does the so called donated money pay for those city employees that are working on the area for the art-work?

Lamar Latrell wrote:

Does the so called donated money pay for those city employees that are working on the area for the art-work?

Most city employees only make 7-9 dollars and hour so I doubt it will break the bank. They get paid whether they are working or sitting around so they might as well do something. Your argument is stupid and invalid much like this thread.