Repurposed parking meters raise money for more art in Ferndale

Parking meters, fixtures that are more nuisance than art, have been repurposed into artworks that will help pay for the installation of sculptures to grace the streets of downtown Ferndale, and the public is invited to vote on which sculptures to buy.

The Ferndale Downtown Development Authority wants to purchase two pieces that are currently on display in the city's ARTWN exhibit, which ends soon. To raise the money for the purchase, a party and live auction of artists' re-imagined expired parking meters was held June 21 at the Rust Belt Market.

The expired meter art is a way for the city to poke fun at itself over parking changes that have led to some complaints and ridicule. More than a dozen artists turned the old meters, which have been replaced by latest iteration of modern-day parking meters, into funny, whimsical, sarcastic, art. A final tally of the proceeds is still being taken, says DDA spokesman Chris Hughes, but somewhere between $3,500 and $18,000 is to purchase the sculptures that will leave Ferndale when the ARTWN exhibit ends.

The public can vote on which sculptures to keep by placing dollars in ballot boxes made out of paint cans with a picture of the sculpture of the top. The cans are located at businesses that were sponsors of the ARTWN exhibit. They will also be out at the Get Reel outdoor movie party Thursday July 18.

The top five vote-getters will go to a committee that will decide which pieces become permanent public art. The final picks will be made by December, Hughes says, as fundraising continues.

Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Chris Hughes, spokesman, Ferndale Downtown Development Authority