The below opinion piece was submitted to The Chronicle, the local newspaper for Centralia and Lewis County.  For those of you not living here, it’s a VERY conservative county and this is the first of my multi-pronged campaign to introduce the concept of Public Investment in Art.  I will also be giving talks to local schools, business groups, and City Councils as permitted.

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Art can boost our local economy

A local artist recently opened a new art gallery downtown Centralia. Her name is Jan Nontell and the new space is “Rectangle Gallery”. This is an amazing collective endeavor taken on by many of the artists who are also involved with our annual ARTrails Studio Tour.

I’ve known Jan for many years and she is not only a wonderful woman, but as a ceramicist, jewelry-maker, and visionary, she has the ability to create amazing things (both in her studio and for our area).

But I’m not writing this to brag on Jan or her wonderful art.  I’m writing th is to verbally scratch my head and wonder aloud why.  Why are there so few signs of Art in Centralia / Chehalis?

It’s not as if art doesn’t exist here. Centralia is book-ended with The Fox Theater to the south and the Hub Bub and Evergreen Community Theater to the north. We also have evidence of past attempts (the faded, peeling murals come to mind). We even have our ‘Weird Washington’ Artist, Richard Tracy as you come into town!

You can say l have a bias.  I’ve been an artist for over 20 years, but you may also say that that makes me  an expert on the topic. I’ve explored many towns, large & small, both dying & thriving, and with all visits, I seek out art; it’s my way of exploring a new place.  I’ve also read many studies that reflect in research what I’ve discovered in my explorations:

ART SAVES CITES

I’ve literally talked with 1,000’s of people about Public Art over the years. The one question I’ve heard a lot has been, “my taxes paid for THAT??” Oftentimes the answer is yes, but people mistakenly equate the purchase of public art to be the same as buying a piece of art to decorate their own home using extra money.

Public art serves an entirely different role though!

Public art isn’t something successful cities add like crowns to show off their success, public art serves as a foundation on which to build.  Public art is a foundation on which we can build revenue, excitement, and civic pride!

We are Perfectly Situated between two, massive, art-loving urban centers!  Art gives people an excuse to come to a city and just wonder around. People visit shops as they wonder around; these people then buy things, hit local restaurants, and if we do it right, they spend the night in our hotels.

All of this activity adds to the tax base and then our cities can afford to add more art, or parks, or infrastructure, all of which attracts even MORE people.
Public art is an economic engine that helps to create a virtuous upward spiral of prosperity!

I wish Rectangle Gallery all the best with their new endeavor.  I think they will succeed because the artists involved understand something. They understand that Art is important and a beautiful way to attract visitors (and hopefully sales) for them and the area.

We have a good start: Beautiful Downtowns in both of the Twin Cities, wonderful restaurants, hotels, and independent shops; some even sell original art themselves! We need to begin a conversation about how our future success can include public art.

James Kelsey is a native Pacific Northwesterner & artist who has lived in Centralia since 2011.