Q+A with Elizabeth Van Riper

As chairwoman of the city’s Public Art Committee, Elizabeth Van Riper helps advise the City Commission on how to use developers’ funds to add fine artwork to the public realm. Right now, the board is in the middle of one of its most ambitious undertakings: gathering art to place in the center of the roundabouts planned for U.S. 41 and downtown Sarasota.

We talked to Van Riper, an artist herself, about the importance of artwork in civic spaces — and the challenges of selecting art designed to appeal to an entire city.

Q: Why is public art important for a city like Sarasota? 

A: I think it tells a story about the culture of the community. It’s an opportunity for a community to express its investment in the cultural landscape beyond buildings and green landscaping. 

As Sarasota has an authentic history as an art community, the sharing and making available to the entire population the experience to participate and view and explore large-scale public art is huge. It differentiates Sarasota from any other community in many respects.

What we’re working on now, which is exciting for the whole community, is the opportunity to put large-scale, museum-quality public art in each of the roundabouts. The roundabouts are going to be distributed as our gateway. When people arrive from the airport, when they arrive coming down U.S. 41, they immediately know they’re arriving someplace that values culture and art.

Q: How significant will that project be for the city?

A: There are lots of communities that have public art. Our community — with the roundabout plan that has been put together — we will be the first city in America to make that kind of a presentation of permanent, museum-quality art. If you will, a Sarasota collection of contemporary art, viewable for free to the entire community and anyone who comes by. It’s an outdoor museum opportunity, which is really huge — making fine art much more accessible. 

Q: As construction picks up, how does that impact your work?

A: We are obviously reaping some of the rewards of our new state bird coming back, the (construction) crane. We are hoping the funding will be allocated with a broad perspective for what our city’s goals are.

While we can’t say, “You have to do this, you have to do that,” we would love to encourage (developers) to think in terms of the broad potential for the city’s image, which, ultimately, will help their projects. It’s an overall impression and experience that visitors and residents will have.

Q: Art is such a deeply personal thing, and opinions can vary from person to person. How do you work on obtaining art intended for the entire city to enjoy?

A: That’s a Pandora’s box. I think the selection committee (for the roundabout art) is being made up of a diverse group of people that — in their best efforts — can select what they believe is original, intriguing and substantial enough to carry the mission. We’re never going to please everybody, but the bottom line is even if they don’t like it, it creates a dialogue.

Q: What level of public involvement does the committee currently see?

A: Our meetings are published in the newspaper and online, and very often no one is there. But you can bet — when something is placed — there are letters to the editor, there are phone calls, there are threats and all kinds of controversy. It’s all in hindsight. They have an opportunity to participate, and we would love them to participate and make meaningful contributions and ask questions. We don’t have all the answers. We welcome that.

Q: What made you want to participate on the Public Art Committee?

A: I love Sarasota. There is no other community I could imagine living in. Coming here, I didn’t think I was a Florida person. Sarasota is a unique animal on so many levels. Not only is art exhibited here, sold here, but it is made here. That’s a big difference in terms of the texture of the community when it is people making art in this community. I really like the idea of promoting that part of our community.