Carl Zehr Square renovations

[danbrotherston]

I think there are other better solutions to this kind of issue. For example, inviting artists to actually create artwork on the bridge.

Pay more money for the artwork than it costs to clean? Probably worthwhile spending. But when the artworks also just gets covered in shitty tags... not so worthwhile.

An example I saw on UT a while ago (source):




And as an example closer to home, the large mural on the side of Grand Trunk Saloon has tags on it. Not as bad as the above example, but still there.

That is a shame...but taggers are often less willing to deface property that has artwork on it. Even more...when the community feels invested in the artwork and the space there are additional social pressures against those who would deface those things.

Even more...when those in the community who wish to do these things are engaged and provided a venue to express themselves constructively...they obviously stop with the negative behaviours.

I'm not saying it's a silver bullet, and it takes effort to get right, but it's a constructive empathetic inclusive solution, rather than an antagonistic oppressive and exclusive one.

Ultimately there are two problems here...a surface one...the bridge is getting tagged...and a deeper one...there are people in our community who feel so excluded and disconnected as to be motivated to tag parts of our community.