Across the world, major historical centers – those that beg us to visit and awe at their beauty – from the many statues, squares, cathedrals, and museums of Europe to the national parks of our own nation and those of many others, they all have one thing in common. They are all publicly owned. Why? Simply put, the governments and people of these places felt it was not only necessary, but their responsibility to protect and preserve these from alteration and destruction.
My first and only trip to Europe years ago I was amazed by not only the public accessibility of art and abundant public spaces, but the public ownership and stewardship of them all. A rarity in the U.S. only to be observed in and which may separate the largest and oldest cities from the largely suburban individualized sprawl across most states, including our own. One could argue well how needed public space and art are for the vitalization and appeal of a community. Places where either are lacking, perhaps falling below some critical threshold, are obvious, bleak, and sad: not well-visited or well-loved…well-remembered.
If polled, I’d wager most Tallahassee citizens would agree that while there is some art in town it is constrained to private ownership, commissioned mostly by business owners and akin to marketing – or restricted to areas or media that is not broad throughout our community.
For instance, as beautiful as some of the electric boxes are around town, they do not belong in a square or a park or a public space or next to a bench where one can seek respite and enjoy the art for long – they exist in transience and therefore speak to how the city, the community at-large, has accommodated its art and, by extension, it’s public spaces. Tallahassee has an opportunity to remedy both, not just for the short term, but prospectively for generations.
As much as I disagree with the management approach to Railroad Square Art Park, I am thankful that it is there – grateful that this place was created. So many artists, business owners, shops, and people have come through Tallahassee and brought something more to it through the presence of this place that has nurtured them, their craft, their interest, defined their personhood.
Places like this that are public enough foster intensely culturally intrinsic values that cannot be preserved by private pursuit alone, that must have a broader belonging and participation. The only way to achieve not only the preservation of RRSQ but the presence of true art amongst our community, contributing to long-lasting beauty and reclamation from dull, poor city and building design, is for the community to own it directly. Public ownership for the heart of Tallahassee’s cultural center.
Sometimes public ownership is perpetuated as some boogey man – we’ve all been propagandized to believe that only private corporations can manage some forms of enterprise, but in this case, and as we all know, corporations make pretty crap art and are incapable of preserving a cultural resource that has throughout history needed and garnered massive public investment for curation and preservation.
So, it’s time to consider this for our own city. And what a draw this would be to not only people setting roots, or exploring tourists, but artists across the world – an American city that has enshrined a guaranteed place for art to be developed and protected. Railroad can be a place for artists to refine their skill, for boutique commerce and artisanry to thrive against a world pushing hegemonic, uniform, digital consumption. A place where localness and humanness are at the center.
The city and Leon County, along with the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency, have the tools to accomplish something spectacular here. While structuring, owning, and managing the commercial spaces might be tricky, it is not undoable – it would also be low entry to learning best practices in property management for the city.
The Council on Culture and Arts, I’m sure, would contribute to reviewing plans, scheduling events, markets, and re-launching the park. We have here not only the resources to make this a reality, but to imbue Tallahassee with something special, something that’s especially needed. Let us own our cultural center at Railroad Square.
Steven Broadway is a state-worker, a patron of many businesses at Railroad Square, and a friend of its artists.
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