Phoenix Office of Arts
and Culture
Public Art Program
Frequently Asked Questions
The city of Phoenix Public Art Program is one of the most active and diverse municipal art programs in the United States. More than 120 projects have been completed since 1986 and approximately 60 more projects are currently in various stages of implementation. Below are some frequently-asked questions about the program.
Q: What
is the City of Phoenix Public Art Program?
A: The Public Art Program was established by the Phoenix City Council to
acquire the highest quality artwork, create community landmarks that foster
civic pride, and incorporate community input into the design of shared urban
public spaces throughout the city. It also offers professional development
opportunities to Arizona artists. Visual artists work with architects, engineers
and city planners to design the city’s built environment under the
program.
Q: When
was the Public Art Program established?
A: The program was created in 1986 through an ordinance that allocates up
to one percent of the city’s annual Capital Improvement Program to
public art projects.
Q: Where
does Public Art funding come from?
A: Public art is funded through capital funds used to build city projects
like libraries, parks, sewers and fire stations.
Q: Can this
designated funding be used for other purposes?
A: No. The capital funding designated for the Public Art Program must be
used for public art projects. Capital funds cannot be used to pay for city
operating costs, or to hire more city workers, such as librarians, police
or firefighters.
Q: Which
City department oversees the Public Art Program?
A: The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture oversees the program – phoenix.gov/arts
or 602-262-4637
Q: How are
artists selected?
A: An open artist call is the most common method of selecting artists. Through
open calls, artists are made aware of the opportunity to apply for specific
public art projects. This ensures the broadest possible access to the city’s
public art opportunities. For each new public art project, artists are recommended
by a panel that includes artists, arts professionals, staff from the funding
city department and representatives of the community where the project is
located.
Q: What
is the panel’s role?
A: The panel screens applicants for the quality of their past work, their
suitability for the project being developed and evidence of their ability
to work well with the community and other design professionals. Selection
panels can recommend an artist or team for the public art projects after
reviewing the talent pool, or they can develop a short-list of finalists
to present project design concepts. The panel then reviews these initial
concepts and interviews the artists before making a final recommendation
for the project.
Q: What
occurs after the panel makes a recommendation?
A: The panel’s recommendation must be reviewed by the Phoenix Arts
and Culture Commission, a 28-member volunteer citizen advisory board and
approved by the Mayor and City Council before the artist(s) can be placed
under contract and begin work on the project.
Q: How can
Phoenix residents participate in the Public Art Program process?
A: Artists work directly with city residents and other stakeholders to create
projects that contribute to Phoenix’s unique sense of place. Community
meetings are held wherever projects are being developed, so that residents
can share their values, thoughts and insights with artists. Whenever possible,
artists use the information they gather at public meetings to develop their
designs.
Q: Where
have art projects been placed?
A: Over the past 21 years, artwork has been placed in a wide range of public
facilities and spaces, including neighborhood parks, community centers,
bridges, plazas, streets, canal banks, overpasses, recycling centers, aviation
facilities and other important civic features. Information about completed
public art projects throughout the city can be found at phoenix.gov/arts.
Q: Have
any projects received special recognitions?
A: The Public Art Program has garnered numerous awards for design excellence,
including two Design for Transportation Awards from the U.S. Department
of Transportation and the National Endowment for the Arts. In addition,
the program has been honored with several Valley Forward Association Environmental
Excellence Awards, including the 2003 President's Award. It has also been
featured in prominent articles in The New York Times, Newsweek Magazine,
The Wall Street Journal, Art in America, The Atlantic Monthly and Landscape
Architecture, among others.
Q: How are
projects picked?
A Each year, the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture works with other city
departments and the Mayor and City Council to develop the annual Public
Art Project Plan. The plan identifies capital improvement projects throughout
Phoenix that offer the best opportunity for artwork that provide the greatest
public benefit. Projects are sometimes concentrated in specific areas of
the city where multiple capital improvement projects are underway.
Q: Does
the Arts and Culture Commission play a part in this plan?
A: Yes. The yearly Public Art Project Plan is reviewed and recommended by
the Arts and Culture Commission, which then presents the plan to the Mayor
and City Council for review and approval. Budgets for individual projects
range from $10,000 to more than $2.5 million. The total budget for each
project includes the artist’s contract amount (which generally covers
design, fabrication and installation) and the administrative costs for the
project.
Q: Where
are the opportunities for Arizona artists?
A: The Public Art Program is committed to providing opportunities for Arizona
artists. More than 50 percent of the projects in the annual Public Art Project
Plan are designated solely for Arizona artists, or include teams with an
Arizona member. Arizona artists are also eligible to compete for city of
Phoenix public art projects that involve national competitions. Many Arizona
public artists get their start with Phoenix public art projects and go on
to compete successfully for projects nationwide, thus advancing their careers.
Q: Why don’t
you make all public art projects available only to Arizona artists?
A: As the nation’s fifth largest city, it is essential that Phoenix’s
public art collection include
works by both Arizona and national artists. As an analogy, would we want
to only collect the work of Arizona authors in our public libraries? Public
art programs in other major U.S. cities also provide opportunities for both
in-state and out-of-state artists. We hope that Arizona artists will have
the same opportunities in other cities as we provide to artists from other
states.
Q: I don’t
like some public art. What can I do?
A: Nationwide, the best public art often sparks controversy. Many artworks
that are initially met with mixed public reaction eventually become accepted
as part of the cultural fabric of the community. Historically, it's been
discovered that for every resident who dislikes a piece of art, there is
another who is favorably disposed to it. Public art is about community engagement
and dialogue. If you would like to become involved in the public art process,
please contact the Office of Arts and Culture, 602-262-4637.
Q: Why should
I care about public art?
A: Public art can be a change agent for the community. It creates and enhances
neighborhood and community identity. It enhances the visual landscape and
character of the city. It turns ordinary spaces into community landmarks
and promotes community ownership of the city’s infrastructure. It
promotes community dialogue, and, most importantly, it is accessible to
everyone. This includes access to the creation process and to the content
and meaning of the artwork.
Q: If the
city has budget problems, why do you still do public art?
A: While the city’s operating budget is challenged from time to time,
new and expanded capital infrastructure is still needed to meet the needs
of our growing community. Public art projects are part of the city’s
Capital Improvement Program. As public amenities are designed and constructed,
artwork is integrated to enhance those amenities. This enriches our built
environment and creates a more visually interesting city. The public art
process also provides opportunities for citizens to have input into the
design of shared urban public spaces.
Q: How does
art benefit the public during difficult economic times?
A: The selection and construction of art projects contributes money into
the economy by creating jobs. Although some of these jobs may be temporary,
they provide unique employment opportunities for individuals interested
in working on art projects and other public works designed through collaborations
with engineers, landscape architects and architects. People coming to see
major new works of art also contribute money to the economy through local
sales tax.
Q: Is Phoenix
the only place with a public art program?
A: No. Many of the valley’s neighboring cities have public art programs.
Phoenix is among more than 300 publicly-funded public art programs nationwide.
Q: Is government
funding of the arts new?
A: No. The U.S. has a proud history of government support of the arts, dating
back to the 1800s when Congress began funding the creation of murals, paintings
and sculptures for the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Government arts
support expanded in the 1930s, when the Works Progress Administration funded
public infrastructure and art programs to create jobs by building a wide
range of essential public works during the Great Depression. The city of
Phoenix is proud to have a successful Public Art Program that involves residents
and artists in the process of creating a more beautiful city.
For more information regarding the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture and
the Public Art Program, or to view a map of more than 120 completed public
art projects, please visit phoenix.gov/arts or call 602-262-4637.