HomeMy Public PortalAbout2023.02.23 Matt Stebbins for Public Art Advisory CommitteeMatt Stebbins
597 Thompson Ave #101
McCall, ID 83638
stebbins.matt@gmail.com
208.315.2183
23 February 2023
Bessie Jo Wagner
McCall City Clerk
216 East Park St
McCall, ID 83638
bwagner@mccall.id.us
RE: Serving on the McCall Public Art Advisory Committee
Hi, Bessie Jo!
I’m writing today to formally express an interest in serving on the McCall Public Art Advisory
Committee. I firmly believe in the transformative, illustrative, and illuminating power of art,
particularly in connection with and in building a sense of place, having seen it time and time
again in my own life.
I’ve worked with artists in numerous positions, commissioning artwork for events, helping them
get greater exposure (and helping viewers better connect with a place), and selling artists’ and
makers’ work at McCall Made. I want to be a bigger part of helping grow the public art in McCall,
especially as I see art playing a vital role in helping develop a sense of place.
I’ve also previously served on the Artist Selection Committee for the integrated artwork in the
new McCall Public Library. Working with Delta and the other members of that committee was an
honor, and I’d like to be able to assist with more public art projects in McCall.
I believe my connections to artists—both in McCall and across the Northwest—could be helpful
in getting the word out with future requests for proposals.
As a former educator, lifelong reader and patron of the arts, ghostwriter, developmental editor,
and author coach, one thread has long been at the center of many of my most powerful
experiences, and that is the power of narrative. Narrative breathes energy and life into
experience.
And nothing brings a narrative to life quite so well as art. Art—whether the written word, oral
storytelling, watercolor, textile, acrylic, mixed media, mosaic, sculpture, pottery, music, or
dance—all of it is fuel for the imagination, for wonder, for connection.
I’ve seen this at trail races, when sweaty runners eagerly grabbed stickers designed by local
artists with a sense of place in mind. I’ve seen this in libraries at story time, when children circle
around and fall effortlessly into the story—both because of the images on the page, but also the
rise and fall of a gifted storyteller ’s voice. I’ve seen this when traveling, in mosaics that remain
ingrained in my mind, whether a roadside mural in Montana, a corn palace in North Dakota, a
sculpture in New Orleans, or any number of other pieces of artwork that have built a connection
for me with that place.
I believe I can be an asset to the Public Art Advisory Committee in helping identify the proposals
that best connect with, and speak to, McCall’s sense of place. I believe I can also be an asset to
the Public Art Advisory Committee in helping the committee better represent and reach the
artists in this community.
Because I do set my own work schedule as a self-employed freelancer, I also have availability
that most community members of my age and socioeconomic status might not. All too often the
viewpoints represented in community meetings are not necessarily the most representative slice
of McCall residents because a sizable portion of (non-retiree) residents are working (often to
barely get by) or otherwise can’t get away at the time those meetings are held. I’d like to help
advocate for more of those voices and perspectives—voices that I feel are often
underrepresented in our town’s community dialog.
I look forward to answering any questions and hope to assist the Public Art Advisory Committee
as best I can. Thank you for your consideration, and thank you for all you do for the City of
McCall and public art in this town.
Sincerely,
Matt Stebbins