Going Public & Taking It to the Streets!

The Arts Culture and Local Artists:

Have you ever considered taking your artwork and creativity outside the confines of your private imagination factory and bringing it “to the streets”? Now, more than ever before, local municipalities, agencies, arts councils, and businesses are becoming aware of the power of art and the function of public art to promote good will and sometimes even safety in their communities and cities; to generate a more prosperous economy; to invite in more tourism; and to feel proud of not only supporting the arts and culture but also the local artists in their midst.

Public Art & Its Benefits for All:

In my humble opinion, public art can be defined as such any time you bring art directly in touch with the public outside of a standard art exhibition or art fair. It could be a large public sculpture commissioned as a memorial; a light, color, and music-infused wall at an airport that reacts to movement; a mosaic mural on the side of a small office building; a temporary installation at a neighborhood park; or as part of a social statement projecting from a gallery window. In addition, public art can be immersive experiences and active community engagement can be built in as part of the project. Live art events, exhibitions held in surprising indoor or outdoor places, legitimate graffiti art and artistic stickers, stencils, and posters become part of the colorful world of street art. All of the above exist outside of the rarefied gallery setting, to meet everyday people, workers, commuters, and families where they are.

There are many good reasons and benefits for visual artists, both painters and sculptors, to do public art: everything from generating part of your income this way, to learning to work as a team with public officials and the community, to general exposure and publicity for you as an artist, to building up your resume/CV. It is also a great way to serve the community, to practice public speaking, to offer to coach and teach young people in your neighborhood and to get future work and commissions. Done the right way, public art benefits all. Kids are naturally creative and many parents are looking for ways to involve their children in art and art appreciation. Going to public art events and looking at art in the public square is a great beginning. Art speaks to our humanity. It can be educational and also bring hope, healing, and entertainment, especially in hard times like the current crises we are all experiencing.

Who Are the Sponsors & Funders of Public Art?

Where I am In Florida, many local towns and city governments will announce and sponsor public art projects. Most times they are looking for specific themes or media. There is a budget in many local municipalities for public art projects and events with a variety of project budgets ranging anywhere from $1,500 to over $100,000. Some are only looking for local artists and others are putting out a call for all artists nationally to apply, depending on the project. Some places actually have a “1% for Art Policy” so that real estate developers wanting to build large complexes in that locale need to contribute 1% of their budget to buying art for their property and/or commission artists to do public art for their spaces and places. Sometimes, the local municipality and a developer or business will collaborate and sponsor a project together. Local arts councils are also a good place to get on their mailing list and cull through their websites for calls to artists and announcements about upcoming projects.

There are also private ways to do public art. Approaching a local business with some ideas to enhance one of their walls, inside, or outside, is a good way to learn sales and promotion skills and add to their sales and business promotion and customer relations. Negotiating a reasonable budget for your time, getting an agreement in writing, upfront money to buy supplies and rent equipment is a smart idea.

What Do Typical Applications Look Like?

In formal applications there are both RFQs (“Request for Qualifications”) and RFPs (“Request for Proposal”). RFQs is where you submit the usual-- approximately 10 images of your artwork, sometimes including detail shots as necessary, your resume, a general artist statement, sometimes a short artist bio, and an image list of further information about each jpg submitted. Occasionally, they may ask you to write a couple of paragraphs about how your work suits the theme of their project or how new work would suit the theme along with any experience you have had previously with the scale of the project, the medium used, and/or other relevant details. In an RFP (“Request for Proposal”), which is a bit less common, you would actually submit all or some of the above with an actually rendering/sketch of your idea for the public art project along with a longer description of your intention including your implementation plans and a budget.

The Selection Process:

There are several ways that sponsors do the selection process. It may be one tier or two-tiered. A committee may first choose finalists for the project. The finalists are actually paid an honorarium or stipend to then create a more formalized concept with proposal to then be chosen as the “winner” to carry out their vision for the project. They will then get paid or in several partial payment s with deadlines to begin the fabrication of their art piece. Sometimes in the course of the selection process or even once you have been declared the winner, you may meet with a committee to present more specific details and schematics of your work. I, personally, have done both RFQs and RFPs, I have been a paid finalist for several projects and I have been the winner for others. There is a balance of artists’ experience, the quality of their artwork, the relevance to the theme of the advertised project, and the capacity of the artist to bring it to fruition. Some public art projects are even looking for emerging artists to submit while others ask for examples of past public art projects, professional references, and more experience over all.

Winning & Doing:

Once you win the competition, make sure that you understand the process going forward. Are there meetings with community stakeholders to get their input or even their volunteer hours to help you? Are there half-way mark deadlines to submit or show your process? Which departments of the agency will you be working with regularly and who is your main “go-to” person that you can be in touch with. Also make sure that you stay within budget both for their sake and for yours. Are you getting materials at a decent discount, are you leaving enough money aside to pay yourself both for your design and concept along with the hours of labor it will take you to finish this project? What is realistic to expect from yourself in doing this?

Adding Related Events:

Designing and adding related events to your project either in the creative process part or once it is completed is a very exciting and desirable aspect for many municipalities. Inviting the community to help choose the colors or paint the stripes on a piece; offering to do an artist talk or tour; giving a demonstration or a class related to the theme of your artwork... These are all ways to extend your reach and effectiveness as a public artist who wants to engage the surrounding area in your process.

Document! Document Document!

Don’t forget to document both your process and the end result!!!!! If there is money in your budget, even hiring a photographer to make videos, reels, and stills of you at work, related events, the work in progress, the environment and context of where the work will be installed, are all important. I have done that to good effect and my photographer went even further and made some reels with background music for me that I didn’t even expect and made the project truly come alive to viewers both during and after the fact.

Research, Resources, & Subscribe to Newsletters!

Lastly, it is important to spend bunches of time online, researching calls for arts, announcements, and reading local news and art news. Since moving to South Florida seven years ago, I started researching the major arts organizations in my town, my county, my region, and even in my state to know who the “major players” are in the non-profit art world from arts councils, departments of cultural affairs and art in public places, to alternate galleries and organizations committed to the flourishing of local art and artists. Originally I was applying for out-of-state projects as well but learned quickly that building a resume and reputation closer to home was more worthwhile, and easier on all fronts. If you can think like a ripple effect, start closest to you from local businesses to art schools and artists organizations, begin to collect business cards and subscribe to mailing lists and newsletters. Soon you will start filling your calendar with public art and grant deadlines and be on your way!