Ad or art?

When is art not art?

When a piece of art is used to promote or advertise something does it cease to become art?

If the work of a gallery artist is placed on the side of the road to attract people to the art gallery, is it art or a an advertisement?

If a company employs an artist to create a piece of work to promote its activities, is it art or advertisement?

Those are questions which Cramahe Council may want to tackle when it receives the report from Heritage Cramahe about the proposed art the artists at the gallery wish to install on the boulevard in front of the Colborne Art Gallery.

The township sign policy does not allow promotional signs along the road.

The artists have pressed for support by declaring it both - art and a promotional device to attract visitors to the gallery.

If council chooses to allow it, then will everyone with an "artistic" promotion be allowed to set it along the road? And who will decide what is art and what is not?

The artists should be praised for trying to broaden their audience and increase visitation. But, when they are selling their art, how can they claim to be any different than any business trying to gain an advantage and increase sales by increasing traffic through their doors?

What will council decide?