Newton artists + bike racks, informational kiosks, and directional signage

Below is an email I just sent to Mindy Gregory Sieber, executive director of the New Art Center, to gauge her interest in an artistic bike rack for Panera Bread. I wanted to get the right people talking about this idea, and she’s the perfect person. I believe she formerly coordinated the Open Studios events for artists in Newton.

John Pears had mentioned the installation of informational kiosks in our village centers, directing people to restaurants and other services. Brilliant idea. I’d also had a lark of a thought about directional signs that would point from one village to other villages and nearby points of interest, like parking lots and the main library. Of course, other towns are already doing these things, such as Renton, Washington.

Admittedly, signage and kiosks, and even bike racks, need some uniform design standards for basic utility. However, they may also offer opportunities for bringing art into the public realm, not only drawing the artistic community into civic activity, but creating more of a sense of place.

All this, of course, is yet another one of my pie-in-the-sky ideas.  Yet, one cool bike rack could be the first step in that direction…

John

________________________________________
From: John C. Sisson [mailto:john.c.sis...@comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 3:29 PM
To: ‘mi…@newartcenter.org’
Subject: a Newton artist and a bike rack for Panera Bread in Newton
Centre

Hi, Mindy.

To get the city’s approval to open on Centre Street, Panera Bread and
its partners agreed to make many improvements around the property,
including the installation of a bike rack.

Marcia Cooper at Green Decade had put a bee in my bonnet about a bike
rack programs in other cities that involve local artists. I think she
was envisioning a city-wide program. That may happen one day. Until
then, I think the Panera bike rack might be a good first step.

After Panera was approved on Monday night, I talked with them about
having a local artist create a bike rack for them, and the Panera
folks, the building’s owners and their lawyer thought it would be a
great idea, as it would demonstrate their commitment to the community.
I don’t know what their budget would be or any details, but I wanted
to get your feedback. Would you like to pursue this idea? I’ll be
happy to put you in touch with those folks.

I’ve done some cursory reading on the topic, and some very cool things
are happening elsewhere. However, some of the installations seem less
than pragmatic. Perhaps artistic bike racks need to strike a balance
between aesthetics and utility.

Anyway, I would love to get this ball rolling…

Best,

John

P.S. Here are some links:
•     http://www.bicyclefixation.com/pe_artracksla.html
•     http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/apr/11/functional-art/
•     http://bikerackart.com/
•     http://bikehacks.com/bicycle-rack-art-david-byrne-installations-in-nyc/
•     http://www.twofellswoops.com/neighborhood/ann-arbors-new-art-bike-rac…

P.P.S. Our little group of civic-minded folks has also talked about
informational kiosks and directional signs for our village centers.
Perhaps these are future opportunities for more art in the public
realm.