Phew! Art, art, art and more art... a useful discussion

Not long ago a comment came across my radar having to do with the tearing down of buildings in a town, frankly, people, or more exacting, enough people, stopped caring about long ago.

​Tearing down St. Stephen's and maybe the Odd Fellows buildings are the result of the powers that be not giving enough early enough to make sure the decay didn't become fatal.

The 7 Ps principle applies – Proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance.

If we want things to last we have to give a crap, and not waver in this.

​Europe is full of centuries old buildings.

Why?

Well, because they've been around for centuries for starters.

But more importantly, it is because they have taken the steps to preserve them. Hell they even preserve the ruins.

Because they give a shit!

The comment I read under one of the post was something akin to saying Oil City has become artsy, but there is no longer any "useful" things downtown. It alluded to tearing down buildings instead of bringing "useful" things to town is bad.

As an artist, this was a punch to gut with a counter to the chin followed by a knee to the groin.

Nothing useful?

​First, art is perhaps the most useful communicative device we have.

​Pictures replace words to indicate bathrooms. Graphics help us locate pathways to hospitals. We drink from glasses and cups made by designers.

Art is the difference between a fast food burger assembled from buns likely made days earlier, meat shipped frozen, perhaps even cooked weeks ago, ketchup squished out of a hopefully recently clean plastic bottle and a wimpy pickle to a burger  prepared by a trained chef who's honed their understanding of seasoning and flavor. It difference between living and just getting by in life. 

Now the commenter didn't deserve our artsy wrath, but they did bring up a point that needs to be discussed.

What is "useful" stuff in a community?

​Do we need more dollar stores? Those tend to pop up in droves in areas where the median incomes have been on the down slope. 

Or do we need an active, growing community of people sharing what their passions are?

Oil City is a great place with a growing contingent of people dedicated to their craft – whether it is world-class coffee; sustainable farm- to-table thinking; creating individually, creating together and supporting other creators; grassroots publishing for  emerging writers; or baking sweet treats and feeding less privileged.

So what does any of this have to do with these photos?

They're from two recent events that show arts and the arts community are not giving up on the hope for a city mostly abandoned by the oil conglomerates. A city that has not only more life in it but a fresh take on what life can be.

The 2026 Wearable Art Fashion Show in Pipeline Alley was a fun way to showcase expression and come together as a community exalting in the glory of place and time, and a message of shining hope. 

Mural Fest was the same with the idea of producing sustainable art to be enjoyed for years – a gift to all who pass by.

​These two events and Oil City's upcoming Allegheny River Music and Arts Festival are indeed useful. They not only give the city a chance to show off its wares and that within a community there is energy to be harvested for the betterment of humankind. 

And what could be more useful than that?