Who takes care of the maintenance of the art in public space? Who makes sure that the images do not overgrow and takes action when the art that defines the cityscape is destroyed by vandals? In the municipality of Groningen these are Diana Lourens, art manager of Kunstpunt Groningen (formerly Centrum Beeldende Kunst) and technical specialist Jan Pehoor of Stadsbeheer. Thanks to their intensive collaboration, art remains in the city as we like to see it: a special and beautiful part of the environment. "Images must not only be easy to maintain, but also 'vandal-proof'."
What does your work entail?
Diana Lourens: “We manage and maintain the works of art in this municipality. These are both the old works and the new ones that have yet to be completed.”
Jan Pastoor: “We make sure that no mistakes are made when new art commissions are commissioned in the municipality. It must be manageable and maintainable. For example, can you get to every part of the artwork? Sometimes an image is much easier to maintain if a small detail is changed. It also has to be 'vandal-proof'.”
Lourens: “Usually there is a ten-year contract for a new work of art. This will contain a paragraph about maintenance, which becomes our responsibility as the owner, in consultation with the artist. We also pay attention to the environment and how the artwork fits into it. The city changes over the years and we respond to that. Any relocation of artworks is also part of our work.
“We hope that people will accept the work as part of the neighborhood and see it as added value. That is why we also try to make our work transparent: we give lectures at schools, for example. We show pictures and do a quiz with the children. They stand out a lot! We once held a competition and the winner was allowed to ride in the boat that we use to maintain the fountains. They will never forget that!”
How many works of art do you manage?
Lourens: “There are more than five hundred works of art in the possession of the Municipality of Groningen. Sometimes we also help with works that we do not own, for example by advising or taking orders from the surrounding municipalities. Every once in a while a school or company adopts a work of art. For example, NBK Noord has adopted the Peerd van Ome Loeks. Maintenance is then done in consultation with us, but they carry it out.”
How did you get into these jobs?
Pastoor: “I had been working for the municipality for much longer. I was involved in civil art for thirty years. When repairing bridges you often do the same jobs. But art continues to give energy, I already noticed that in my predecessors in this position. Whenever a restoration or relocation has to be done it is almost like the first time because it is different every time. It remains a challenge!”
Lourens: “I studied art history with a specialization in sculpture, and I was rather practical. I was just writing a thesis about the Icelandic artist Sigurður Guðmundsson when it turned out that he was going to put a sculpture in the square in front of the UMCG: that granite head. After my studies I worked at a theater company, until a job became available at the CBK, which is now Kunstpunt. That seemed great!”
What happens if a work of art is damaged?
Lourens: “Dettie Veltman of Kunstpunt Groningen (formerly CBK) does an inspection twice a year. She has twenty routes in the city and if something is wrong she informs me. Nor is a building with art attached to it just being demolished: we hear about this via a signaling system. In addition, we often receive reports from neighborhood residents or neighborhood management. For example, if a swastika appears, we can have it removed very quickly. If we can, we repair the work on site, otherwise it will come to Stadsbeheer.”
Pastoor: “In our workshop we do minor maintenance, such as work on the fountains. We outsource major interventions to specialists.”
Lourens: “That large work is always in consultation with the artist or the heirs. There are certain restorations that can only be done by a few people. Red copper, for example, is hardly ever used in new works of art these days, and hardly anyone has mastered this technique. Then we look for artists from the older generation who still have the skill.”
What kind of maintenance do you do?
Pastoor: “We often have to remove algae during periodic maintenance.”
Lourens: “Yes, it is often the greenery that needs to be cleaned. We also remove graffiti and repair masonry, and repaint if necessary.”
Pastoor: “The paint layer must be kept up to date to protect the work. During major maintenance, the work can be really damaged, for example because a car has run into it. Vandalism also occurs. Thieves like to steal bronze, so they put a saw in a statue.”
What's so exciting about your job?
Pehoor: “I have the best job in Groningen!”
Lourens: “I also have the best job in Groningen! We can restore the art and make it beautiful. I see it as a collection, as the heritage of the future.”
Note: This article has been translated using Google Translate