Commentary: Make the best of marketing those bunnies to tourists

I am currently on a mission to see all 50 states, and the buzz about the concrete bunnies at the Newport Beach Civic Center and Park got me thinking about my travels.

Before I go anywhere, I spend a great deal of time researching the destination for photo-worthy locations. Hearing about this bunny drama, I started to think about all the iconic statues and public art around the U.S. that I have visited in the last year, and I realized these bunnies represent a great opportunity for our city.

I am not dismissing the fact that they came at a big price, but like all shoppers know, having buyer’s remorse over something you can’t return is useless. We need to stop whining about the bunnies and start looking at how other cities turned their public art into something worth traveling to see.

These are just a few examples of U.S. cities that spent money on public art and statues that are now recognized around the country as landmarks.

The Green in Charlotte, N.C., is a park filled with public art and sculptures highlighting the world-literature theme the park embodies. There are large stacks of bronze books, a signpost that points to every city named Charlotte around the world, a giant fish fountain and the “brick kids.” On my trip to Charlotte, I went uptown with the sole purpose of taking photos in front of these iconic pieces, and I was not the only one.

At the Spokane, Wash., Riverfront Park, the Radio Flyer Wagon is a favorite backdrop for visitor photos. The park also has a garbage-eating goat. Yes, an ugly yet photo-worthy garbage-eating goat.

Austin, Texas, has the “Welcome to Austin” postcard painted on the wall of a building, and graffiti art around the city often forms the backdrop in photos shared on Facebook. Charleston, S.C., has the Pineapple Fountain at Waterfront Park. Kennebunkport, Maine, has the “Welcome to Kennebunkport” sign, and Savannah has the “Waving Girl” statue.

It is time to change our story. Turning public art and statues into an iconic travel photo background is not a novel concept, but it does require framing the story in a positive way. Let’s show visitors that our city is more than beautiful beaches and spectacular malls. Let’s show them that our city is a place of culture and community.

Let’s focus our energy on making our park filled with bunnies an iconic installation that visitors want to see, take a photo in front of and share with friends. Let’s start spreading the word about our bunnies as a unified community and make them into a cultural landmark known across the country.

TAYLOR HARKINS, who is traveling to all 50 states at age 26, lives in Newport Beach.