Indicators Your Public Art Policy May Need a Professional Overhaul

            “Mediocrity is never an accident; it is always the result of policy.”

This checklist was compiled after reviewing a Maryland municipality's public art policy as expressed in its handbook, and noting the most obvious gaps. It serves as a quick gauge to determine how closely the public art program and policies of a municipality align with established professional standards, and underlines the need to engage a veteran public art consultant with deep policy expertise when developing public art policy. Does your program meet these essential indicators? If not, your public art policy may be due for a comprehensive professional overhaul!

Policy and Governance

1. Clear Definition of Public Art: Establish a clear, inclusive definition of what constitutes public art to ensure consistency in funding and support.
2. Defined Core Values: Specify core values such as artistic excellence, diversity, public engagement, education, accessibility, innovation, transparency, and stewardship to guide the program's success. Tip: Do not confuse core values with program goals.
3. Vision and Mission Statement: Articulate a clear vision and mission statement that aligns with broader cultural and urban planning goals.
4. Conflict-of-Interest: Implement a formal conflict-of-interest policy to ensure transparency and integrity in decision-making. Develop comprehensive policies to avoid conflicts of interest and manage common turf tensions within the cultural sector in your work.
5. Policy Accessibility: Ensure policy documents are easily accessible and understandable to the public, reflecting professionalism and public transparency.
6. Consistent Guidelines & Structured Decision-Making: Develop structured policy guidelines to maintain consistency in public art initiatives. Make decisions within a consistent policy framework.
7. Role in Urban Regeneration: Recognize and articulate the role of public art in social engagement and community revitalization using high-quality research data.
8. Revision Mechanisms: Include provisions for regular policy reviews and updates based on new developments and feedback.
9. Professional Affiliations: Establish affiliations with professional art institutions and recognized art councils to gain expertise and credibility.
10. Annual Reporting: Produce and publish annual reports assessing the effectiveness and impact of the public art program.
11. Crisis Management Plans: Develop clear plans and protocols for managing vandalism, damage, or other crises affecting public artworks.
12. Panel Composition: For any advisory panel that approves or recommends public artworks, a preponderance of panel members with professional experience or training in designing for the built environment, large-scale design, and crit panels. While administrators can be members, they are explicitly not representing their institutions but serving the public. Arts administrators need training and experience in the arts. If selected solely by virtue of their title or positions, they can serve as community members. Panelists must understand their limited roles and defer to expertise.
13. Deaccession Policy: Implement policies for the removal or relocation of artworks that no longer meet the City's needs or have deteriorated.
14. Broad Decision-Making: Seek broad expert advice or review to incorporate best practices and innovative ideas in decision-making.
15. Clear Policy on Artistic Freedom: Develop clear policies protecting artistic freedom to prevent censorship and undue influence over artistic content.
16. Mechanism for Artist Feedback: Create opportunities for artists involved in public art projects to provide feedback, improving future project management.
17. Public Feedback Utilization: Effectively incorporate public input into decision-making processes to ensure community support and relevance.

Stakeholder Engagement, Inclusion and Community Involvement

1. Stakeholder Engagement: Involve cultural organizations, community groups, expert advisors, and local artists in the policy-making process.
2. Public Participation and Feedback: Engage the public in participation and ongoing feedback to ensure community support and relevance.
3. Collaborative Partnerships: Promote and engage in cooperation and collaboration with local artists, community groups, educational institutions, and other stakeholders. Guard against a zero-sum game mentality among cultural organizations.
4. Interactive Art: Foster interactive public art to provide opportunities for education, engagement, and participation.
5. Support for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Explicitly prioritize, address and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in governance, artist selection, and project types.
6. Environmental Considerations: Integrate environmental sustainability into the selection, creation, and maintenance of artworks.
7. Effective Public Relations: Develop effective communication strategies to promote public art installations and engage the community.
8. Strategic Planning: Align public art policy with broader City planning and cultural strategies to enhance integration and synergy.
9. Engaging Young Audiences: Include initiatives specifically designed to engage children and young adults, enhancing educational impact.
10. Effective Use of Digital Platforms: Utilize digital platforms and social media to promote public art and engage with the community.

Artistic Standards and Selection

1. Objective Review Criteria: Establish clear, objective criteria for reviewing proposed projects to set expectations for artists and applicants. Prioritize artistic excellence and merit, cultural relevance, and site-specificity to maximize the cultural impact and sustainability of public artworks. Require specific, defined project goals.
2. Challenge Artists to Do Their Best Work: The design professionals on the review panel should be qualified enough to engage in a spirited conversation with artists to ensure artistic and practical decisions are well thought through. Establish standards that uphold a baseline of artistic merit, maintaining high-quality public art.
3. Balanced Artist Representation: Pursue a balanced approach that includes regional, national, and international artists to diversify artistic perspectives and provide the best art for the public.
4. Rigorous Policy Development: Develop public art policies with professional rigor to ensure comprehensive and effective guidelines. Policies should dynamically evolve and adapt to new trends, community feedback, and past project outcomes.
5. Iconic Artworks: Include iconic or landmark pieces in the public art collection to serve as cultural symbols and attractions.
6. Diverse Art Forms: Embrace a variety of art forms, including digital media, performance art, site-integrated art, sound art, earthworks, and ephemeral art.
7. Diverse Aesthetics: Ensure artworks represent a diverse range of aesthetics and perspectives, reflecting an inclusive decision-making framework.
8. Quality of Selection Process: Assess the quality of applicant organizations' artist selection processes during project reviews.
9. Support for Experimental Art Forms: Support experimental or unconventional art forms to enrich the diversity of artistic expression in public spaces.

Implementation and Maintenance

1. Implementation Strategies: Develop detailed implementation plans and strategies for public art projects to ensure timely and effective execution. Coordination and leadership from one office is often key.
2. Strategic Site Selection: Select sites strategically to maximize the visibility and relevance of public artworks.
3. Technological Adaptation: Incorporate and adapt to new technologies to enhance the interactivity and accessibility of artworks.
4. Thematic Continuity: Consider thematic continuity to enhance the cohesiveness and identity of community public spaces.
5. Long-term Sustainability: Focus on artistic excellence and merit to ensure the cultural impact, community engagement, and legacy of public artworks.
6. Realistic Budgets: Allocate sufficient budgets for public art projects to cover high-quality materials and skilled labor.
7. Sustainable Funding Models: Develop sustainable funding models for public art through strategic financial planning.
8. Effective Budget Allocation: Strategically allocate budgets to maximize the impact of financial resources—generally speaking, fewer artworks with larger budgets.
9. Maintenance Guidelines: Establish formal guidelines for the long-term maintenance and conservation of artworks to sustain public art. Develop expertise in this work.
10. Inventory and Assessment: Maintain an inventory of public art, including outstanding maintenance needs and assessment schedules.
11. Art Maintenance Capacity: Align the acquisition of new artworks with available resources for documentation and maintenance resources.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

1. Artist Intellectual Property Protection: Clearly address copyright, artist recognition, and other intellectual property concerns to protect artists' work and rights. Safeguard artists through policies ensuring fair compensation and protection against unauthorized alterations.
2. Legal Frameworks: Include comprehensive legal provisions to protect the rights of the municipality including promotional, marking and non-commercial uses.
3. Risk Management: Develop clear policies for managing risks associated with public art projects, including safety and liability concerns.
4. Professional Contracts: Draft professional, best-practices contracts with artists and suppliers to avoid misunderstandings and legal issues.

Evaluation and Improvement

1. Evaluation Metrics: Implement mechanisms to evaluate the impact and success of public art projects to improve future initiatives.
2. Artistic Quality: Establish standards to ensure a baseline of artistic merit, maintaining high-quality public art.
3. Data Collection: Systematically collect data on public art installations, usage, and public perception for informed decision-making.
4. Implement Lessons Learned: Integrate lessons learned from past projects into future initiatives to enhance effectiveness.
5. Training for Committee Members: Provide training for Public Art Commission members in art, public policy, and community engagement to achieve optimal outcomes.
6. Professional Development: Offer continuous professional development opportunities for members and staff involved in public art projects. Ensure they have access to the resources to keep them up-to-date on best practices, standards, trends, and advice in the public art field.