From the moment they were fixed in place, the trio of unique sculptures recently placed at the Athabasca riverfront have been a source of debate. The rock-like sculptures, placed to commemorate the town’s 100th anniversary, have been met with mixed reviews in public forums like Facebook.
Mike Gismondi, who was a part of the committee that applied for the federal grant that made the sculpture possible, has responded to some of that criticism by acknowledging that art is meant to inspire discussion.
Art is inherently subjective. As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. No painting or sculpture will ever receive rave reviews from every single person on the planet. One man could look at the famed Mona Lisa and see a masterpiece, while another would see something he wouldn’t hang in his living room if you paid him.
The same can be said of books, poems, songs, movies, or any form of artistic expression we use in our society.
The members of the committee surely knew that their decision would be unpopular with some. Even if they had given the project to a local artist as some say they should have, that artist would then have produced a piece that some would love and others would hate.
Gismondi says that the idea behind the project was to create a piece of art that would reflect the long and storied history of this area in some way. Visual representations (and in this case, abstract ones) are tricky. Some people will see the point an artist is trying to make, while others will scratch their heads.
If you’re one of the head scratchers, you can at least take comfort in the fact that the sculptures aren’t in your yard.
