Urban Ugly

I know these things about urban decay:

It doesn’t happen quickly but inches up on a city block by block.

What I call “visual ugliness,” someone else argues “part of business.”

Pride of Place depends on obsessive attention to detail.

Almost always, the people who are most attuned to visual cues – ARTISTS – are too busy or too self-absorbed to take on the Crisis of Ugly.

Finally, yes, there are grave problems of homelessness and hopelessness in ours and every other city, but Beauty and Stewardship of our Environment lifts across economic and social lines.

These are a few photos taken ONLY along East Avenue, our Grand Entrance to Downtown Rochester, terminating at the Liberty Pole, our city’s “living room,” with one or two along University’s Neighborhood of the Arts directly behind the George Eastman House, one of our cultural jewels.

As you see, I'm not a big fan of painted fiberglass objects: horses, animals, benches, et.al. At first, they are fun - for about one summer. They have a bad habit, however, of becoming permanent - decayed or not - and what was "fun" quickly morphs into bad streetside clutter. The worse part: people feel they've spent $$$ on public art. They have not. It's kitch. Please support artists! Buy the real stuff!