Of, By and For Parking Tickets

Nestled between the offices for the Cambridge Arts Council on the second floor of City Hall is a wide open room, minimalist enough to walk by without noticing. But this room contains “Of, By, and For,” an exhibition of new projects commissioned by the Cambridge Arts Council. The projects have started to draw local and—in the case of the new arts initiative “Crossing Non-Signalized Locations”—national attention.

According to Daniel J. Peltz, Associate Professor of Film/Animation/Video at Rhode Island School of Design, the project grew out of an intensive residency over the winter after he had been asked by the Arts Council earlier this year to propose a public works project for the city. “Crossing Non-Signalized Locations” was an attempt to redefine the relationship between the parking authority and the residents of Cabmridge.This includes poetic street signs (“If you’re reading this sign, you’re reading this sign”); parking boots made of stuffed fabric; “10,000 Excuses,” which collects electronic parking disputes into one image; and parking ticket envelopes depicting a cartoon traffic officer and women doing yoga to give and receive the ticket. The envelope, while still relatively new, is the initiative being met with the most controversy. “Right now, it is largely sensational,” said Jason Weeks, Executive Director of the Cambridge Arts Council. “But early responses have been good. People are interested and intrigued by it.

”But according to other media outlets, the response from Cambridge residents hasn’t been so warm; United Press International ran the story under the headline “Motorists not calmed by yoga citations” on Sept. 21. “One thing I’ve noticed is that people don’t look very closely at the figures,” Peltz said about the recent negative press. “I think I would look at the two characters, look at what are they doing.”

“I might even try it out,” Peltz added. “But that’s just me.”

The project will run until Nov. 17.