Lewes and greater Lewes are home to many creative people. We are fortunate also to have many people willing to put in time and hard work as volunteers to preserve and enhance what is special about where we live.
To that end, I applaud the work of the Lewes Public Art Committee. Under the direction of Cliff Diver, and now Heidi Lowe, each of whom brings decades of experience, education and deep commitment to the wide world of art, the committee has been fulfilling its pledge to provide opportunities for us all to learn about the qualities of public art that make it stimulating and effective in creating dialog in the community. While not everyone may like every project that has been mounted in the past few years, each has been thoughtfully chosen, with particular care for the history and future of our town.
For much of its history, Lewes was a working town in which public art was not a priority. Today, we have many more residents, and projects and proposed projects by a variety of individuals and groups, who have distinctive visions for what should be placed in the limited spaces available for public art.
The existence of the public art committee in Lewes means that we have a group of local experts who can be trusted to represent a reasoned, overarching vision for the use of space for public art in our town. They are qualified to vet projects as they are proposed to the city. Anyone not familiar with what this committee has been accomplishing on our behalf is invited to take a look at its website at lewespublicarts.org. We are lucky to have them.