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Contact:
erin elder
928/443-5626
speak_voraciously@hotmail.com
http://students.prescott.edu/pbp
or Karlyn Haas
Prescott College Advancement Office
928/778-2090 ext. 4503
pr@prescott.edu
BILLBOARD ART COMES TO PRESCOTT
"Unwanted Children Will Grow Up and Want Revenge," a large-scale
art piece that will soon be displayed on a billboard on the corner of Montezuma
and Carleton in downtown Prescott, lends itself to many interpretations.
 Even before being unveiled, the image has stirred up controversy in Prescott,
and that was just the point.
The billboard, along with a large wall hanging on Gurley St. and 33 posters
scattered around town, is being brought to the area by Prescott College student
erin elder as part of her senior project in the Arts & Letters and Integrative
Studies programs.
"The mission of The Prescott Billboard Project is to bring together
artists from across the globe to create public artworks addressing important
social issues of our day," said elder, who is studying political thought
and peace studies and contemporary visual arts.
"I believe that the arts are an essential part of any community. Art
provides an aesthetic that helps cultivate pride. Arts are a means for creating
a collective identity. Art is often controversial in venue, aesthetic, or
interpretation, and this very controversy is powerful in creating community-wide
dialogue. I believe we are visually overwhelmed and that public space is
consumed by commercial advertisements. Choosing billboards as a venue is
a move to take back public visual space and to create a public forum for
education and communication through artistic expression."
In January, elder put out an international call for entries detailing specific
themes, words and concepts that could be artistically and intellectually
interpreted. These included "natural," "privilege," "other," "alienation" and "good."
A panel of seven Prescott judges representing various social, organizational,
economic and commercial interests scored the 85 entries based on their impact
and effectiveness, mechanics, diversity, audience and communication style.
"We decided 'Unwanted' was the image that had the most potential interpretations.
It lends itself to many different issues. We thought it would spark a dialogue
in the community that wouldn't fall flat."
While the long-term goal of elder's project is to establish a public arts
program involving the City of Prescott and Prescott College, in the meantime,
she does not mind the controversy and dialogue her project has sparked.
"I hope this project creates a dialogue either among individuals or
the images and oneself. That's why I think controversy is exciting
-- it gets people talking. That's how change happens and community
is made. I hope
people start talking about art and its value and how to keep it alive."
Portions of The Billboard Project will be popping up all over town for the
next several weeks. The entire project is on display through May 10 at Gallery
Beyond Words on 204 N. McCormick St. and from May 17 -19 at The Artery on
111 N. McCormick St. For more information and dialogue, visit http://students.prescott.edu/pbp.
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