Staff Photo by John Rawlston
“Arriving Home,” a sculpture by Dennis Oppenheim in Miller Plaza, is seen Thursday at twilight framing the EPB Building. It is the second of four pieces acquired by the Hunter Museum of Art to be installed in Chattanooga public spaces.City Councilman Jack Benson says he wants the council to spend more time discussing whether to spend $20,000 on public art in Chattanooga.
He wants to put the brakes on funding public art while the council sees how the 2011-12 fiscal year budget is shaping up.
“I think it’s reasonable,” Benson said. “I think it needs to be looked at in light of how much money this city is going to spend this year.”
The public art program has been contentious for a number of years, with many saying the city spends too much on the statues and art fixtures scattered around town.
Chattanooga spent $100,000 annually on public art until this year, said Peggy Townsend, director of the public art program. This year, the city decided to spend $20,000 on the program.