Traditionalist Urbanist

Pope Pius X once said that the true friends of the people are neither the revolutionaries nor the innovators, but the traditionalists. This quotation sprang to mind the other day when I saw a little video on urbanism produced by Alain de Botton. In it, de Botton explores six principles for making a good, beautiful city. As usual, he is a bastion of sensibility, pointing out that we may not say that beauty is objective but few people vacation in Frankfurt or Birmingham. We instinctively are drawn to and swept up in certain "beautiful" cities that exemplify the points de Botton brings up.



The video, posted on ArchDaily - a prominent online architecture outlet - aroused a bit of criticism from the commentariat, who alleged that de Botton has nothing new to say. I would agree. De Botton is not advocating some sort of novel urban theory - the 20th Century is littered with failed urban utopias. Instead, he is pointing out that the successful characteristics of Paris or Barcelona can and should be exported and even demanded by the population. We know we like these places so why do we let those in power say that all is subjective and any development is inherently as beneficial as any other development? The world is becoming rapidly more urban, the question is whether we will demand the tried-and-true planning methods that have sustained and delighted humanity for thousands of years or else be seduced by the dollar and all of the revolutionaries and innovators it motivates.

A few old things

As far as Middle Western cities go, Grand Rapids and its historic building stock fared decently during the destructive period of "urban renewal" during the 1960s, when the historic centers of small towns and large cities alike were gutted in the name of progress. Notable losses include the old city hall and courthouse, in addition to several commercial blocks dating from the 1870s and 1880s. Yet, many buildings were spared, leaving downtown with at least a handful of intact historic street-scapes.

This past weekend, I had the good pleasure of having to town several architecture colleagues from Ball State. We had an enjoyable time wandering about town, looking at buildings, and taking photos. Here are a few that showcase the architectural heritage of which I speak, alongside other landmarks.

Ottawa Street, looking south

Monroe Center Avenue, looking southeast

Corner of Ionia and Weston, looking northwest

Yesterdog, the city's quintessential foodstop

Meyer May House by Frank Lloyd Wright

The Basilica of St. Adalbert, with its recently installed illumination

Thoughts on ArtPrize, Three Years On

This past weekend I was home (yet again) and paid another visit to downtown Grand Rapids. It was the final weekend of the annual two-and-a-half week spectacle known as ArtPrize. Founded in 2009 by Amway heir and entrepreneur, Rick DeVos, ArtPrize is a radical and profound community event. Open to any artist that can find a venue (in the defined downtown district), the competition is voted on by the general public and comes with a $250,000 grand prize - the largest art prize in the world. The event has energized Grand Rapids intensely - estimates say that it has a $7 million dollar economic impact each year, and that this year 400,000 people visited.

All that said, however, ArtPrize has its detractors. Many claim that because of its democratic voting process and open-to-all mentality, good art is not necessarily rewarded. There was considerable outcry from the so-called art snobs when the top ten were announced this year. They were, in my opinion, not the best entries. Others claim that ArtPrize is nothing but a huge publicity stunt for Grand Rapids.

However, my opinion is that the democratization of art is a good thing - especially in our current economic times when the arts are the first to see the axe in federal, state and local budgets. Since ArtPrize is essentially free for artists (aside from material costs), there is no downside to creating good art, even if it does not win in the end. Even if a certain piece of art is only seen by a fraction of the ArtPrize crowds, it can still have an impact on a viewer's thinking. I have had this experience many times.

Of course, it's the large, showy, cool pieces of art in prime locations that will always win the competition. I hate to burst that bubble for all of you, but simple math seems to support me here. If you have a good location, you increase views of your art, leading to an increase in votes for your art. Perhaps this where a possible improvement can come in - having venues be more discerning in what pieces of art they allow to be displayed on their premises.

In any event, the competition was never meant to be an end-all decision on the merits of any particular art - Rick DeVos said as much when he ignited the competition three years ago. It's purpose was to create a huge public forum for discussing art. In that respect, any ArtPrize event will be a success. It has generated a huge public response every year from a variety of media outlets, and, given the ever-changing nature of art, this will likely continue.

Yet another lens through which to view ArtPrize is its effect on Grand Rapids' image as a city. Young people are attracted to cities with vibrant urban life. In order to stop the Michigan brain drain, cities like Grand Rapids need to get serious about their urban strategies. Young people, having by and large lived most of their lives in soulless suburbs, want someplace to live that has vibrance and excitement. Now, of course, economic development of a city cannot happen overnight, and cannot happen simply on the back of a two-week event each year. However, events like ArtPrize can get people interested in downtown. People have to love a place before they will want to change it for the better. ArtPrize is a way to help people fall in love with all that Grand Rapids has to offer.