Suburbs

No one has to be told that weather has dominated the news — and our minds — out in the suburbs this week. Like me, a lot of you have been cooped up in your houses since last Saturday.

But, in anticipation of the wintry misery, I wrote about snow last week. And I don’t want to write on the same subject again. So, let’s move on to a story or two that made its way around the icy abyss.

Reporter Abigail Warren wrote about Germantown’s latest public art display — this time, controlled artwork planned for a pedestrian tunnel in the Riverwoods State Natural Area.

And, as in the past, I’m sure there will be those in Germantown who see such amenities as a waste of money. Social media was all abuzz when the blue trees were introduced on the west end of the Greenway.

And the multi-colored crosswalks on Wolf River Boulevard.

And the traveling mural that right now sits near the entrance of the Economic and Community Development building, north of City Hall.

Along with others around the city and in government buildings.

I am hardly any art critic. Heck fire, I have trouble drawing a stick figure with a straight edge and a stencil. Many times, I look at some masterpiece and go “what the heck is that?”

So, the artistic element of all this is sort of lost on me.

What is not lost is that it brings color and attention to certain things. I see it as a benefit to the atmosphere of Germantown. The approach is unique and adds a special touch.

I like the idea of the traveling mural and the look of the old postcards for the mid-1900s. The blue trees — one of the first displays under the city’s Public Arts Master Plan in 2023 — are something I looked for each time I traveled along Wolf River Boulevard. The multicolored crosswalk at Farmington and Wolf River boulevards was a landmark on that end of the suburb, something that stood out as I drove through the area.

Then there are displays like the poem and wood flowers at Oaklawn Garden. Or the various works in city buildings.

That doesn’t even include the various spots around the city with inspirational poems or writings.

Some will not understand the idea of spending any funds on such stuff. I understand that if you are not art conscious. Or don’t appreciate the talent of those who are creating the work. They probably don’t understand your obsession with youth soccer. Others may think the city wastes money on programs at a performing arts center because they don’t attend events at either of those venues.

But every city service is not focused on every citizen. Couples with grown children may wonder why the city is spending all that money on a municipal school district. Does Germantown really need to spend so much on landscaping around the city?

The Public Arts plan seems to fall in a category that makes the above programs important — a well-rounded city with quality amenities that benefit the entire populace.

The blue trees project was valued at $130,000, part of which was covered by a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. A $15,000 grant from Shelby County helped fund the crosswalk at Farmington and Wolf River Boulevard.

That seems like a quality return on a city investment — supplemented with grant money — that is a minor portion of the Germantown budget. - Suburbs editor Clay Bailey

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