Westlake Public Arts
Although many modern concepts of public art exist, art in public places has existed throughout history. In the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome, and Egypt, even the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas -- art forms and artistic architecture were used to commemorate historical events, honor leaders, create community. In many cases these works were installed purely for the joy of creative expression. This creativity was not limited to visual art, but also included performing art, such as theater, dance, opera, and musical expression.The Town of Westlake, primarily through good fortune, has established an identity as an artistic community by the example set by Solana. Subsequent developments, including the corporate campus of Fidelity and Daimler, the town’s various neighborhoods, and the construction of the town’s school, Westlake Academy, have all set very high standards of architectural and landscape design.
In the fall of 2006 the Town Manager and Board of Aldermen of Westlake began discussing the possible creation of a public art initiative in the Town. The discussions culminated in a resolution adopted in April 2007 installing the Public Art Committee and appointing members to serve. The committee spent the next several months brainstorming about the notion of public art, engaging in spirited philosophical debates about what public art really means.
In early 2008, the Public Art Committee board approached the Town and petitioned to change the structure of the Public Art Committee to a membership-based Public Art Society, which was approved. This was done with the intent of engaging the community in the pursuit of public art.
At this time the Board of the Public Art Society set an ambitious goal for a community such as ours to write its own master plan without the use of outside consultants, but with tremendous input from experts within the region. And so the board began work on “Creating Culture, Connecting Community: A Master Plan for Public Art in Westlake.”
The Board spent several months researching public art initiatives in other communities and formulating our own priorities for the Town. Throughout the process, our goals for public art in our community have provided us a road map for our recommended policies to the Board of Aldermen and for the creation of a framework for our own decision-making. The result of this effort is the 2008 Master Plan for Public Art in Westlake (click here to download)
It is our intent that the Master Plan will serve future boards as they make decisions about public art projects in the community. It is a tool to guide the process. Consideration has been given to all phases of the public art initiative from the prioritization of projects to the selection of artists, from the identification of funding to the implementation of the project, from the conservation and maintenance of the work to the benefit to participants.
It is our hope of that the Master Plan will serve the community for many years into the future. As we have benefited from the wisdom of other communities who have sought to bring public art into their midst, we hope that someday, somewhere, a nascent arts group will find our website and our Plan and use it to their benefit as well.