Plans for 2020-themed art may be delayed in La Crosse

The idea of commissioning local art inspired by the COVID pandemic is still being discussed at La Crosse City Hall. 

Members of the city arts board could decide next month on whether to pay area artists to create works reflecting America during the year 2020. 

The board asked for suggestions during the summer, and board member Dillon McArdle says the art could be about any subject in this year’s news.

McArdle says those topics could include “the impacts of COVID-19, the racial injustice, basically anything that’s been happening since March.”    

The city arts board had planned to spend $12,000 on grants to artists for the project, partly to help them make up for income lost during the pandemic. 

But staffer Dan Trussoni from the La Crosse park department says taking care of existing works around town should be a higher priority than new artworks.

A few weeks ago, the Eagle sculpture and pedestal in Riverside Park were removed to fix corrosion which has occurred during 30 years on display.

Any decision on the 2020 art project is likely to wait until after a virtual public listening session by the arts board, planned for next Wednesday.