Visual Pollution?
The Defacing of Minneapolis
by Mark Hayden
Minneapolis was recently ranked as the most underrated tourist destination in the United States by Travel + Leisure Magazine. The eclectic nature of the city combined with its small town feel and cultural diversity are an attractive alternative to the mega cities of the East and West coasts. Many people are noticing the thriving arts community consisting of world class theatre, music, architecture and visual arts. Minneapolis has excellent design schools and galleries along with the more formal Walker Art Center and Minnesota Institute of Arts. Local developer and art collector Ralph Burnet has given everyone the pleasure of viewing works from his personal collection at The Chambers Hotel Minneapolis. The quality and value of the artwork Burnet generously makes accessible is of such a calibre, most owners of other such pieces would only allow members of the “art elite,” close friends and possibly heads of state to view. “Visual pollution,” maybe the one chasm the City of Minneapolis needs to fill before it can be named a “highly” rated international city as opposed to “underrated.” The City funds a Graffiti Task Force to try and clamp down on said pollution, but the most egregious offender is not a maverick tagger or “dangerous” gang of dedicated art renegades. This dubious honor goes to a media conglomerate known on the streets as Clear Channel. Apparently the city does not want to force them dip in to their multi-billion dollar revenue stream, (2005 third quarter revenue of $2.7 billion*), to keep billboards in a respectable condition unless there is a client willing to spend thousands of dollars to display an advertisement.
Looking north from the corner of Nicollet Avenue & 18th Street
Clear Channel Billboards above Olive Hair Salon & the offices of Massive Communications Media
As I traverse the city, viewing its skyline, quite often my precious eyes are exposed to visual toxins of these not so beautiful brown structures. There are numerous examples of Clear Channel polluting both residents and visitors to Minneapolis and it is a disgrace to the city and state. We don’t have to kowtow to Red McCombs anymore!
Looking towards downtown on Nicollet Mall, just north of Franklin Avenue in October, 2007
Maybe it is my own selfishness, but with a degree in Fine Art I want to see such spaces used in a more aesthetically pleasing manner. Am I the only one to ponder how this blatant source of “visual pollution” has not been addressed at any level of government in Minnesota?
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_Channel_Communications