Bike art is just one part of the story of Punta Gorda, Fla. (Lou Brancaccio/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — It’s time. No really, it’s time.
Time to promote Vancouver for what it really is. OK, I get the perceived problem. Many believe we have to first figure out what “it” is before we can promote it. But maybe the real problem is we’re over-thinking the whole dang thing. Maybe — just maybe — we don’t have to figure “it” out. Let me explain.
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I sneaked away for a few days and ended up in the warm sunshine on the Southwest Florida coast. It’s a pretty little place called Punta Gorda. Filled with brick streets, boutique shops and beautiful parks. And did I mention bikes as art?
Yeah, bikes as art. Way cool.
Oh, the bikes are real. Somebody rode these bad boys once. But today they are art.
Now, look, Punta Gorda is not the bike capital of the world, although plenty of cyclists take advantage of its moderate temperatures and miles of paths. Still, it’s only a piece of its makeup. So the locals went with it.
Bikes do not tell Punta Gorda’s story. They are simply part of the story.
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As many of you know, displaying public art is not unique to Punta Gorda. In fact, many cities have done this.
Chicago was actually one of the first to do it in the U.S.
Fiberglass cows were painted and decorated by local artists. Then they were placed around the city. How they were painted would often reflect local culture.
Later, the cows were auctioned.
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In Punta Gorda, according to urban planner Mitchell Austin, the bike art was a public/business venture that was born from residents.
“It was organically generated by citizens,” he said.
Unlike some cities that auction off the art, Punta Gorda’s idea is to simply keep the city beautiful with public art.
• • •
So what do we do in our beautiful city?
Look, I get that Vancouver has an identity crisis. You know, “Vancouver, not B.C.; Washington, not D.C.” Blah, blah, blah. But rather than searching for the silver bullet (hint, it’s not out there) … just do something that’s focused!
Sure, I realize we have this modern art thing going now. Heck, me and Kolchak love monsters coming out of the sewer system. But that stuff has zero connection to us and our identity. We need some core connection.
Chicago — for example — was once considered the stockyards of the country with countless cows passing through. But cows do not define Chicago.
So where do we begin? Could it be clown art? Nah, we’ll leave that for the county in case they want to play. Seriously, what is it? Clark College has its Penguins. WSU Vancouver has its Cougars. What about rotating high school mascots? I can see the Storm now. Maybe something from the trading post? Or the history of the Native Americans.
Someone should take on this project and make it happen.
And I’m sure Punta Gorda officials would be happy to help. Coincidentally, we have something very much in common with Punta Gorda, as Austin pointed out to me:
“It’s Punta Gorda, not Belize.”
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