Editorial: Media city could use better looks

It’s a strange paradox: Burbank is home to one of the largest concentrations of artistic and media-oriented professionals in the region, and yet the only aesthetic benefits of this talent are the buildings in which they work.

For all the creativity driving local industry, the postcard of Burbank is unfortunately the Stalin-esque statue of Dr. Burbank at convoluted intersection through which drivers are so busy trying to make their turn lane they hardly notice.

That is, unless you count bygone-era business signs and quaint parks as public art.

And so when the Cultural Arts Commission, its formation approved by the City Council this week, takes its place at City Hall, it will surely have a blank citywide canvas from which to work. Let’s hope a vision for where we want to take this city’s aesthetic is formed quickly, and that the City Council gives the commission enough leeway and resources to see it realized.

Certainly, we could stand to put all the media talent here to work for the city in more ways than one.