The artists chosen for the project will be tasked with creating “artistic bike racks” to serve as both a piece of art and also a functioning bike rack.
The city has plans to commission five bike racks, according to East Lansing communications coordinator Ami Van Antwerp.
“A lot of times people think of art in a museum or a sculpture ... but to have art that is usable really presents art in a different form,” city council member Diane Goddeeris said.
“It’s not just something that you’re looking at, but something that you are using.”
The project will also hire local artists for the project. Out of the five artists chosen, three of them are from the local area.
“It inspires young artists in our community... these artists serve as role models and inspiration for all artists in the city,” Goddeeris said.
While the racks will introduce a unique, locally created art piece to the streets of East Lansing, some residents are worried about the costs of the project.
“We have bike racks and art is very important, but $20,000 dollars is a lot of money,” said physics and advanced math junior Elizabeth Drueke.
According to a statement from the city, the bike racks are funded by the $10,000 Public Art for Communities Grant from the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), which will be matched by the city for a total of $20,000 spent on the five racks.
According to the East Lansing code of ordinances, the Arts Commission “may be appropriated each year by the city council an amount equal to one-tenth of one percent of the City of East Lansing general fund.”
The general fund, the city’s main financial resource, is about $31.5 million for fiscal year 2014.
This puts the Arts Commission’s public arts budget at about $31,500.
For comparison, the city spends $77,300 on Social Services Support.
“I think the arts are important, but I also believe other things are important as well,” said Drueke. “We just need to find a balance.”
