Even before being unveiled, the image has stirred up controversy in Prescott, and that was just the point. I believe that the arts are an essential part of any community. Art provides an aesthetic that helps cultivate pride.
Arts are a means for creating a collective identity.
Art is often controversial in venue, aesthetic, or interpretation, and this very controversy is powerful in creating community-wide dialogue. I believe we are visually overwhelmed and that public space is consumed by commercial advertisements. Choosing billboards as a venue is a move to take back public visual space and to create a public forum for education and communication through artistic expression. In January, elder put out an international call for entries detailing specific themes, words and concepts that could be artistically and intellectually interpreted. A panel of seven Prescott judges representing various social, organizational, economic and commercial interests scored the 85 entries based on their impact and effectiveness, mechanics, diversity, audience and communication style.