$880,000 for Art Work on Captial Blvd bridges in Raleigh

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$940,000 for art work on bridges? Waste of money or not, folks need to look at the road not the bridge art.

The city of Raleigh paid $80K to an artist in Seattle,WA for the designs and $880K for DOT for materials and the installation of the art. City Manager says “And for a relatively small amount extra, they can really become iconic and identifiable touchstones for the community.” The two bridges and roadwork cost the city $36 million.
More wasted funds, just like that $75,000 steel 'art' on Capital Blvd. before the Wade Av. exit in the median, the artist died but his wife completed the project over 25 years ago, it has solar panels to catch the sunlight. Totally useless.

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Somebody got paid to design that junk? Cities used to hold contests at schools to get "art" designs.

For the better part of a million dollars in construction costs, the "art" had better include precious metals and gemstones, otherwise somebody in government is making one of their relatives rich at taxpayer expense.
 
12151791 said:
What, no graffiti artists in Raleigh.
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Exactly. Some are actually quite good. Some free cans of paint and they'll donate their time. :D
 
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I love bridges. They should spend the money on the front end on the design of the bridge itself.

Rather than build an ugly one and then covering it with "art". Well designed structures are public art on their own.
 
gc70 said:
Somebody got paid to design that junk? Cities used to hold contests at schools to get "art" designs.

For the better part of a million dollars in construction costs, the "art" had better include precious metals and gemstones, otherwise somebody in government is making one of their relatives rich at taxpayer expense.
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Most likely steel from China.
 
WTF?

I bet it they used white paint and skipped the solar panels they might have been able to hire 6-7 cops, paid the HR costs, medical, life insurance and so on.

What a shame!
 
I guess I am just realizing that they paid this "artist" for an actual bridge design.
Not clear if it is a turd being "polished", or if its a whole new bridge.

Please forgive me, but I have to rant on this hard. I just can't help myself.

This "designer" has a BA in Art. That's fine, but public bridges and such deserve experienced Civil and Structural Engineers whose understanding of form and function are based on Physics and study of the history and use of bridges, and many years of experience. If the public has to pay, they should be paying for top professionals because they are going to be stuck looking at this thing and using it for many years.

There are people who are passionate about civil engineering all over just dreaming of a project like this. You have an open design competition or something. Even this moonbat artist from Seattle can submit this trash. She'll get slaughtered.

On this particular bridge: It's terrible. It's even worse than we thought when you see the whole view of it. It boggles the mind....and turns the stomach.
Look at it! Just LOOK AT IT!! It looks like a cheap wedding cake. Like "my darn sisters cousin took a cake class and is making one fer muh weddin'. I mean, wth? What is that ugly pattern/print stuff? Tiles? Paint? Why is it arbitrarily applied to the sides of the abutments? Or anywhere? What are those dumb medallions for? They look suspiciously like a hammer and sickle.
Hopefully a group of graffiti artists will quickly deface it. It deserves it. It begs for it. It would IMPROVE it. I would leave boxes of krylon laying around, given half a chance.

It's arrogant. Because to suck that bad and be so unaware of it is special mixture of arrogance and ignorance. To think you are as good or better than somebody who has spent a career doing it. "I have never designed a rowboat but feel confident the US Navy should go ahead and let me design their next warship and pay me lots of public money to do it. I have a BA in art!!" Sheesh! And, who built/drew that 3d model? What's that grey crap in the middle of the road? Is that supposed to be an island? Or a Trex? Maybe it's her logo? It looks like maybe it's time to upgrade the Commodore. Used Mac Minis are like 200$. Think of the savings on floppy discs!

I realize most people don't care, but take a good look at the two images below:
One should be pleasant to view. It is well considered, has good proportions, and even after many many decades it still looks great. The span looks comfortable and not over engineered. The abutments look confidence inspiring. You could cover it with bad graffiti and it would still look good! This was designed by someone who has experience and wanted to do a great job for the public. Someone who respected their clients.

The other one should look totally stupid. Because it is. And it is never going to look any better. It will only get worse. It was designed by someone who has none of the qualities listed above.

But, you do have to have eyeballs to see it. But even if you are blind, you should smell the ugly just wafting off the image.


Screen Shot 2020-07-27 at 2.38.57 PM.png

Merritt-Parkway-Bridge-31-1024x719.png
 
This is what I see every time I look at that bridge.


910e274f37bfae4795942a9200421f3b.jpg
 
Bridge to bankruptcy

I grew up in Raleigh and it wasn't bad in the 70's and 80's.I can't tell you how much I loathe going back.
 
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NKD said:
I guess I am just realizing that they paid this "artist" for an actual bridge design.
Not clear if it is a turd being "polished", or if its a whole new bridge.

Please forgive me, but I have to rant on this hard. I just can't help myself.

This "designer" has a BA in Art. That's fine, but public bridges and such deserve experienced Civil and Structural Engineers whose understanding of form and function are based on Physics and study of the history and use of bridges, and many years of experience. If the public has to pay, they should be paying for top professionals because they are going to be stuck looking at this thing and using it for many years.

There are people who are passionate about civil engineering all over just dreaming of a project like this. You have an open design competition or something. Even this moonbat artist from Seattle can submit this trash. She'll get slaughtered.

On this particular bridge: It's terrible. It's even worse than we thought when you see the whole view of it. It boggles the mind....and turns the stomach.
Look at it! Just LOOK AT IT!! It looks like a cheap wedding cake. Like "my darn sisters cousin took a cake class and is making one fer muh weddin'. I mean, wth? What is that ugly pattern/print stuff? Tiles? Paint? Why is it arbitrarily applied to the sides of the abutments? Or anywhere? What are those dumb medallions for? They look suspiciously like a hammer and sickle.
Hopefully a group of graffiti artists will quickly deface it. It deserves it. It begs for it. It would IMPROVE it. I would leave boxes of krylon laying around, given half a chance.

It's arrogant. Because to suck that bad and be so unaware of it is special mixture of arrogance and ignorance. To think you are as good or better than somebody who has spent a career doing it. "I have never designed a rowboat but feel confident the US Navy should go ahead and let me design their next warship and pay me lots of public money to do it. I have a BA in art!!" Sheesh! And, who built/drew that 3d model? What's that grey crap in the middle of the road? Is that supposed to be an island? Or a Trex? Maybe it's her logo? It looks like maybe it's time to upgrade the Commodore. Used Mac Minis are like 200$. Think of the savings on floppy discs!

I realize most people don't care, but take a good look at the two images below:
One should be pleasant to view. It is well considered, has good proportions, and even after many many decades it still looks great. The span looks comfortable and not over engineered. The abutments look confidence inspiring. You could cover it with bad graffiti and it would still look good! This was designed by someone who has experience and wanted to do a great job for the public. Someone who respected their clients.

The other one should look totally stupid. Because it is. And it is never going to look any better. It will only get worse. It was designed by someone who has none of the qualities listed above.

But, you do have to have eyeballs to see it. But even if you are blind, you should smell the ugly just wafting off the image.


View attachment 233581

View attachment 233582
Click to expand...

Remember that bridge collapse in FL somewhere where they hired some social justice person or something wacky then it collapsed? I forget the whole story, but there were questions about the award process and who was chosen.
 
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I fairness, I had 1970’s basement carpet in my last house that could rival that bridge art, and also hide a crime scene.

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