Why ONLY native art?

Native Art? Why only Native Art? Are you framing some pictures of the Natives sitting on the lawn of City Hall drinking out of brown paper bags? I'm sure there are alot of wonderful artists around Prince George who would love to have a chance to display their artwork at City Hall. This city is becoming as bad as the province. Unless it has an aboriginal theme...the message is that we are discriminating against Native people. Rubbish. We all have choices, no matter the color of our skin.

Nowhere does it say in the article that ONLY Native art will be allowed, so don't let your animosity show so clearly.

Art is mentioned twice. One time it says "public art", you know, white people art, black people art, yellow people art, green people art, purple people art, any art. The other place just says there is a place for native art. That is a requirement of getting the grasnt in the first place, to finally recognise the lives that "Native", i.e. First Nations, people contributed to Canada during those wars.

As for the stereotype of Native people drinking out of brown paper bags, well, how absolutely ignorant! Why not the stereotype of white 20 somethings pi$$ing up the sides of cars when the pubs close downtown, instead.

Why is it that race bigots spout their filth so casually as if everybody in the world has to agree with them. They don't.

Go live in Courtney PG Girl, you'd fit in there!

"Why is it that race bigots spout their filth so casually as if everybody in the world has to agree with them"

Because they are stupid.

I'd actually love to see more native art in this town. It fits in with our loaction, the history of the area, etc. In short, why wouldn't we showcase native art?

I'm no bigot and no racist...
but how much of a stink would be raised if it said caucasian art instead of native art?

the second use of public art may have been a better print?

"but how much of a stink would be raised if it said caucasian art instead of native art?"

Shh. The PC crowd hates questions like that.

how about fix our roads first

I don't see the issue with them detailing the type of art that will be used. Native art, English art, French art, whatever. That said, perhaps they could be even more specific, like saying "Haida art, Coast Salish art, etc., instead of just referring to the entire genre of Native art which is obviously quite diverse.

As for "caucasian art", I don't suspect the average person would care if that terminology were used, assuming of course that it was actually a recognizable term within the context of the subject. Since I don't think that is the case, it's rather goofy to even debate it, LOL.

I really hope someone on Prince George City Council comes forward with a suggestion that due to the very shaky state of the economy, it is time for the City Council to have a debate about whether or not the City should have a complete freeze on all discretionary spending. I think a solid case can be made that at this time we should not be spending taxpayers' money on projects like the one in this story or on "studying" whether or not the City should borrow and spend a large sum of money to build new buildings, never mind actually borrowing and spending the large sum of money to build the buildings.

It is an unfortunate fact of life when senior levels of Government have budget problems Municipal Governments are left "holding the bag". If and when this debate does happen I think the content of the following two recent news stories should be discussed.

VICTORIA -- The B.C. government signalled on Thursday the economic situation is about to get much worse, and it's likely the province will sail further into debt than politicians had previously promised.

The Liberal government moved closer to breaking a key election promise, as Finance Minister Colin Hansen warned his government will be unable to meet its target of a $495-million deficit when it tables a provincial budget in September.

Hansen said he's "not optimistic at all that a $495-million number is anywhere near possible." He said he came to that conclusion June 25, when the federal government said B.C. revenue from personal and corporate income taxes is set to drop sharply this year.

The finance minister would not offer a specific amount, but conceded the drop in corporate income tax levels "took my breath away" and will be a "big hit" to provincial coffers.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1775920

Prime Minister Stephen Harper acknowledged for the first time on Friday that the federal government could run a deficit beyond five years if the recession lasts or Canada's economic recovery is weaker than forecast in the January budget

In response to a question about his five-year budget plan, Harper was clear he would not cut any programs, even if it meant abandoning his plan to eliminate the deficit within five years.

"Let me be very clear on this: we will allow the deficit to persist if necessary," he said. "We will not, in order to meet some timetable, start raising taxes and cutting programs. That's a very dumb policy."

http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2009/07/10/unemployment-june.html

The mayor and the city planner set the agenda for Prince George. This includes projects which already have been approved and/or are under way to completion.

Harper's stimulus money is still stuck in the Ottawa. Then there is the usual timelag between applying for it, getting it approved and commencing putting it into action.

There is a school of thought that recommends borrowing and spending during the bad times when it does a lot of good and paying down the debt during the good times.

It's the last part where they usually fall flat on their faces - paying down the debt is not a politically profitable proposition.

It's much easier to run for re-election on a borrow-and-spend-as- usual platform.

Human nature, such as it is.

City Hall parking lot personifies our roads. Dodging potholes could become an art. One would think our councilors would be embarrassed, but I guess not. Maybe there is an art to filling potholes?

No comments allowed for our Gay Pride Parade? I wonder why.

I noticed there was no room for comments. Sorry folks but the majority of you will not be positive about this parade so we're not gonna let you piss on it! The editor of 250 is now not accepting our comments on gays? Hmmm feels like socialism.

Ben Meisner a socialist? Now I know the right wing is nuts! :-()

Let's just call it the war on recession. The cost of fighting wars can be bought with "victoy" bonds and other such tools in the past. Have we done any worse by it?

Remember that the aftermath of war is rebuilding. With what? Borrowed money. SO, we rebuild without the traditional destroying. The destruction we have seen in North America, that other truth we have not been facing up to, is ther destruction of our infrastructure through lack of maintenance. We have been spending on new, new, and new ...... but not on repair, repair, replace.

No one seems to be facing that reality in all of this.

The article states, near the beginning:
"The work will see new cenotaph put in place, an area for public art, and a new entrance that is accessible for all."

It then restates similar thoughts later with the statement:
"The design will see the existing cenotaph replaced, a ramp added for wheelchair access, improved lighting, benches, lower landscaping and a space for native art."

Bringing that all together it could read as follows:
The design and subsequent work will see the cenotaph replaced with a new cenotaph, an area for public art with a space for native art, a ramp added for wheelchair access to create a new entrance that is accessible for all, improved lighting, benches, and lower landscaping.

It will be interesting to see what they come up with for "native" art, since most of the "native" art used in public spaces in Prince George is not native to this region.

As many local Aboriginals will agree with, we are being inundated with Coastal Native art.

I wish someone would take some time to research and develop modern variations of traditional local art.

BTW, I hope that the space in front of City Hall will not be ruined with all of this. It was a nice, restful oasis of green in a downtown which lacks green space.