Re: Tide rolls back out on Sea Lore’s Oak Bay location discussion. I appreciate the Oak Bay News reporting on the Sea Lore sculpture debate. It’s an important topic, for several reasons.
Kudos to Coun. Eric Zelka for suggesting a more considered decision about the sculpture. Thank you to Couns. Cairine Green, Hazel Braithwaite and Esther Paterson for supporting him.
Oak Bay should not be accepting art donations. Do you accept book donations, music recordings, antique furniture, etc.? This is a vanity project at best. It is dangerous to encourage it.
Good art costs money to create. Set up a jury of qualified people to help with our public art program. Oak Bay is home to many people with fine art expertise: university art professors would be a good beginning for a committee to plan, and select public art. There are several Canadian municipalities/cities with a comprehensive and effective public art process.
Please advise me of the Oak Bay art jury mentioned in the article. Who are the members? Was there a public call for participants? How were the members selected?
READ ALSO: Sculptor of John A. Macdonald statue speaks out
Please remember the John A. Macdonald statue debacle downtown. That, too, was a statue placed there by a special interest group. I don’t understand why city councils make these ill-advised decisions.
I highly value the natural environment of Oak Bay, and shudder to think that Sea Lore will be installed anywhere in my community.
Thank you for the careful consideration of my opinion. I look forward to hearing the answers to my questions about the Oak Bay jury.
Terry Vatrt
Oak Bay
