Here in Philadelphia, the Mural Arts Program was originally designed to combat graffiti. The murals themselves are on a variety of topics, and add to the beauty and uniqueness of the city.
In addition to thwarting the young hooligans who deface public spaces, the murals put the imprimatur of the government to the notion that public spaces need art. Now, I am not knee-jerk averse to advertising on the sides of buildings or on billboards. But I like the idea that the city endorses using public spaces for art, not just as waiting to be claimed advertising space. (Times Square, of course, is the American exemplar par excellence of the energy and dynamism of a public space wholly devoted to advertising.)
I love commerce, but there are certain features of the public world that business, unaided, fails to support. One of those things is public art. Not only murals, of course, but fountains and sculpture and statuary and monuments. A money making enterprise will always be on the lookout to avoid having to pay for such things unless they can point to how they benefit the bottom line. And, for the most part, it's difficult to say just how much it's worth to a company to have a beautiful building rather than a non-descript one, or having a parking lot with no trees or art versus one that has both those things.
When I have a long time to write and ponder, I'll put together an essay on the theme of the information properties of public spaces. For now, just a reminder that I appreciate the ingenious solution of the Philadelphians, replacing blight with beauty.
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