<p><a href="mailto:stephanlj@interlochen.org"><em>By Linda Stephan</em></a></p> <p>Tuesday the Petoskey Downtown Management Board will entertain a proposal that would push forward plans for public art downtown.</p> <p>The city has long had plans that call for more public art but Marty Scott says little has been done. Scott, who co-owns a downtown art gallery, is offering to take over the project and hoping to secure the blessing of the DMB.</p> <p>"We already had a smattering of things: a few sculptures," Scott says of downtown. "We have some murals on the sides of buildings. For a little while we had some pretty nice graffiti art on the side of one of the buildings.</p> <p>"I'd like to see more of that, of all those things," he says. "I'd like to experiment with some ways to do things other than sculpture and painting, some other art forms."</p> <p>Scott says he wants public art displays to be works specifically of northern Michigan artists and he thinks more public art would elevate the city's status as a tourist community that celebrates art. As proof he points to recent kudos for the city in a national publication.</p> <p>"They made a big deal out of our art and art institutions in town and we think it's a big attraction for our locals and our tourists who come to visit us," he says.</p> <p>Scott says it's also important that the city should seek public input on the types of art chosen. </p>
Petoskey Gallery Owner Pushes For More Art Downtown
