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https://n2v.almanacnews.com/square/print/2015/06/09/art-in-menlo-park

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Art in Menlo Park

Original post made by Observer, Menlo Park: Downtown, on Jun 9, 2015

Where is the art located in Menlo Park?

In nearly every city in the Bay Area, art can be seen in many places. But where is it in Menlo Park? I understand the City of Menlo Park - Art Commission ended over ten years ago, and is now dormant, much like what seems to be the art program.

The job has been assigned to the Parks and Recreation Commission; however, their plate seems to be full on other issues. Dog parks and other issues seem to fill much of their time.

Maybe art is not important in Menlo Park. Is culture dead or on life support? I suppose one can always go to San Francisco, Mountain View or San Jose - even Redwood City and Palo Alto.

With so much time being spent on development (Stanford project, Facebook expansion, Greenheart, St. Anton and others), maybe art will have to take a back seat for another 10 years.

Comments

Posted by art
a resident of another community
on Jun 10, 2015 at 8:39 pm

Maybe no one cares. They might be afraid of the rather strange collection of public art in Palo Alto, particularly that hideous sculpture of the alien with the face in its stomach, and the complete waste of money that the "Color of Palo Alto" project was.

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Posted by Art appreciator
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Jun 11, 2015 at 8:26 am

Art, it's more likely that people are more afraid of an encore of the debacle that occurred when the city council torpedoed its public art program vs fear of PA's public art (although I admit the sculpture you cite is a sad display of silliness).

When the council had a chance to re-form the arts commission after its members resigned in protest of the council's actions, councilmembers put up so many phony arguments against doing so it was truly a piece of bad theater.

Maybe its time to renew the call for an arts commission. Our little town doesn't have to remain arts impoverished if people are serious about changing it.

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Posted by Observer
a resident of Menlo Park: Downtown
on Jun 13, 2015 at 4:17 pm

Who cares about art anyway? Isn't sports where most people spend their time and money? We've all heard about starving artists. Sports and athletics is where the money is at. Art is so much "yesterday".

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