Arts and culture manager Jennifer Thompson said the city has paid selection panel members for other major projects in the past, and in this case, it’s appropriate for the amount of work that will be involved. The city will be expecting about 40-50 hours of work within a month, making it similar to a part-time job for a brief period of time.
“There has been so much pressure and intensity and significance placed on this work, we really wanted people to take it seriously,” she said.
A report presented to a council committee Wednesday said handing the reins to a different organization will see funding returned to the city. The operating budget will see an annual $350,000 decrease, and $5.8 million in one-time capital funds will go back to the utilities and environmental protection department, with an additional $3.2 million in capital dollars coming back to the city for “other uses.”
Coun. Jeromy Farkas asked how spending time and money on the program could be defended amid other possible budget cuts, and Thompson said her job is to make sure the city can responsibly pursue public art.
“I’m not here to defend art,” she said. “Major cities have shown that investing in an arts sector is what creates a vibrant city … what I’m here to do today is to show the incredible amount of work we’ve taken on to create a sustainable public art program — that’s what council and the public has asked us to do.”
Source:- Calgary Herald
