Bobby Levin sits atop beach art in Virginia Beach. Photo credit: Inside Business.
It seemed like such a great idea: Commission painters to adorn Virginia Beach’s lifeguard stands with bright, crowd-pleasing art, and then pay for the initiative by selling sponsorships. “Between 42 lifeguard stands and 37 containers over a 3-mile resort strip, you’ll effectively have one fixture every 75 yards,” Bobby Levin told city officials, as re-told by the Inside Business. “You’ll have created a gallery on your beach.”
The city’s Resort Advisory Commission loved the idea, which is reminiscent of the psychedelic lifeguard towers in South Beach, Fla. Levin didn’t have any trouble lining up artists, but the business sponsors have been slow to come by. So far, there have been only three takers, for two stands and one storage container.
Oh, well. Levin has several prospects in the pipeline, but he concedes that the idea may take longer to lift off than he expected. Regardless, Project LifeguART is a worthy idea. It’s low cost and poses no risks to taxpayers — the risk is borne by Levin and his company — but it provides great public benefits. Public art brightens up the beach and creates helpful landmarks for walkers up and down the strand. So, here’s three cheers to Levin and the Resort Advisory Commission for taking a chance. Let’s hope they take even more.
— JAB
