Welcome the $30,000 Soapbox sculpture as the city's newest piece of public art.
City council approved the controversial purchase Monday night, but not without a little blowback from one city resident about the sculpture, which is comprised of three colourful boxes located outside of city hall.
During an emergency deputation on the matter, prior to councillors approving the acquisition, longtime Barrie resident Sean Barton called purchasing Soapbox "frivolous and wasteful spending" and an "unnecessary expense," particularly when there are city residents bordering on poverty.
"If city council spends residents' money recklessly or frivolously, it reflects very badly on councillors and the city, and gives the impression that the politicians who make such decisions are out of touch with reality," Barton said.
"There are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of homeless people in this city, some of whom are sleeping rough tonight outside within walking distance of this building," he added. "The amount of money being spent on these crates could have paid for one or two families ... to get them out from poverty and excessive housing costs."
Coun. Mike McCann asked Barton whether he thought the same way about all public art, using the iconic Spirit Catcher along the city's waterfront as an example.
Barton said he doesn't put the Spirit Catcher in the same category, because it's "big and bold. You could put that on a postcard."
If the city is eager to spend money on public art, Barton added he would prefer it came from a local artist.
Amid the debate, Deputy Mayor Barry Ward said politicians "are the last people" who should be deciding on art, decisions which he said should fall to the Barrie public art committee which was struck to oversee such matters.
The controversial piece is doing exactly what it's meant to do, he added.
"One of the purposes of public art is to create a discussion and get people talking, so this may be the most successful piece of public art we've ever had in the City of Barrie," Ward said. "It's very clear that everybody is not going to like every piece of art."
Public art committee member Carol-Ann Ryan said the local group put together a proposal to commemorate Canada 150 that she says was less expensive than what other municipalities have done. They brought five pieces of art to the city, including Soapbox, which was one of the main pieces. The committee then chose to purchase the sculpture as a "legacy piece."
"The Soapbox is, quite literally, what it appears to be," she said. "It is an artist's design replication of soapboxes made out of aluminum and powder-coated and painted. They refer back to that old-fashioned saying 'get up on your soapbox'. They recognize freedom of speech and freedom of expression, fundamental Canadian rights."
However, Coun. Sergio Morales, who called Soapbox an "enjoyable" piece, presented a motion to terminate the lease agreement effective immediately. He also sought clarification from city staff on the agreement with the artists. Staff noted their interpretation of the agreement was that it was on a lease-to-own basis.
Ward said just "because we don't like it" is not a valid reason to cancel the deal.
McCann, who's a member of the public art committee, admitted he doesn't like the Soapbox piece, but added council has to trust the people to whom they are delegating the responsibility. He doesn't want to see council micromanage the committee to the point its members get fed up and leave.
Coun. Gary Harvey said he wants to avoid the city getting into a legal battle with the artists if terms of the deal are breached.
"We could be getting into a larger legal bill than $15,000," he said, referring to the amount of money still owed to the artists.
Morales' motion to kill the agreement failed and council eventually approved the purchase.
At last week's general committee meeting, councillors gave initial approval to purchasing Soapbox, which is being leased at $5,000 per year. So far, the city has paid $15,000, with the next payment due in October, on a lease-to-own agreement, with the money coming from the city's public art committee.
There was also discussion over the agreement with the artists and whether the sculpture was being leased, or whether it was on a lease-to-own basis. Ryan referred to it as a financed purchased, as opposed to lease-to-own.
"That's why the payments have gone out in part over a period of time," said Ryan, who reiterated the money to cover the Soapbox purchase comes from funds already allocated to the committee.
In 2015, council approved $25,000 for the public art committee to create the permanent placement of public art.
To acknowledge the 150th anniversary of Confederation two years later, the committee organized a temporary public art exhibition.
At that time, council approved the installation of temporary public art displays, including Soapbox, to attract people to the downtown and encourage them to visit public spaces.
Following the exhibition, the committee saw an opportunity to maintain a "legacy piece" from the project. Soapbox was chosen "for its durability, ease of maintenance and because it represents the fundamental Canadian right to freedom of speech," Amanda Dyke, the city's culture officer, said in a staff report.
The city has been leasing Soapbox, which is located in the city hall courtyard, since the fall of 2017. It was created by the Minden-based artistic team of Chris Hanson and Hendrika Sonnenberg. The artists' work can also be found on the Halifax Pier and in Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, N.Y.
The Soapbox piece was installed in the fall of 2019 following the city hall courtyard's repaving. It also provides a place for people to take seat while lacing up their skates at the Circle at the Centre or to take a break.
