As Port Moody ponders a new future for its reputation as the “City of the Arts,” it’s putting a hold on the acquisition of art pieces using money contributed by developers.
Council unanimously endorsed a motion last Tuesday, Sept. 24, put forward by Coun. Kyla Knowles to pause the use of funds from future developments toward public art.
Instead, the money will go into the city’s public art reserve fund until council and staff can develop a more formal plan on how it should be used. The moratorium doesn’t apply to development applications already being considered by the city.
In a report, Knowles said a key recommendation of council’s task force on arts and business that was struck by Mayor Meghan Lahti early last year is widening the scope and breadth of arts programming that can be funded by the city’s public art reserve.
Knowles said that could include using the money in the reserve to help pay for public festivals or other new programming.
“It would allow us to [find] active art spaces, initiatives and experiences,” she said. “Currently, the money is just used to fund static art pieces that require regular maintenance and cleaning over time.”
Knowles said with several more development applications poised to come to Port Moody, the city has a unique opportunity to make the public art money they’ll be asked to contribute more dynamic.
“We need to increase our options, become more nimble as a community to better embody our reputation as the City of the Arts.”
Coun. Callan Morrison agreed.
“There is so much more to art than just static art pieces,” he said.
Lahti’s suggestion the formulation of a new public art policy could be accelerated by moving discussions to council’s strategic priorities committee was also approved by councillors.
“If we want to review that policy, we should do that before long,” she said. “We can expedite those conversations.”
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