Local artwork may be displayed downtown as part of revitalization

Representatives from several cultural and art organizations discussed ways to incorporate art into downtown with the Main Avenue reconstruction project slated for 2010.

The cracker barrel session was the third in a series that will be held each month.

Paul Dove led the discussion, representing the Park Rapids Lakes Area Arts Council, a non-profit community arts collective.

The group discussed having a committee to look at standards for art that would be displayed downtown. Also, the group had a discussion about having a broad theme for downtown. Artists could create new pieces of arts that could be changed each season.

Several examples of artwork used in revitalized downtowns were displayed in a slide show. Some of the ideas included having streetlights with banners and hanging baskets or having poetry stamped into the sidewalks.

The arts council will develop a plan for how to proceed and submit it to the Downtown Steering Committee.