Public Art

Patrick Corrigan: first-time Percent for Art awardee

The following is taken from an interview with the artist


	Photo courtesy of Pat Corrigan

As a first time participant in the Percent for Art program, how did you find out about the opportunity to apply?

I was contacted by a friend who thought that I might be interested. I was interested, so I applied.

Was the application process difficult?

Not really. As a working artist, I'm familiar with what application processes are like. This one was fairly easy.

When you were selected as a finalist did you have enough time to put together a proposal?

Yes, plenty of time.

Was the interview process intimidating or challenging in any way?

I'm always intimidated by the idea of sitting in front of a group of people and talking. Add to that the obvious jury-like situation and it gets even worse. It wasn't so bad though. Everyone was friendly, and the questions that were asked of me were valid ones as far as I can remember. I'm not sure about the answers I gave though. I remember feeling that I had some convincing to do with some of the committee members. That was challenging.


	"Molecules" by Patrick Corrigan. House Paint and Oils on Panel. 7' x 4'. 2001.

What did the committee ask you to create, and did you feel your work was compromised in any way by their request?

The committee asked me to come up with a proposal for a piece of art that would go in one of several likely spaces in the high school. To me, the word "commission" implies compromise, so that is a given.

What was the commission amount, and do you feel you are receiving fair market value for your work?

I pretty much picked the biggest space there was, so naturally the commission amount that I asked for reflected this. Originally, I based my "fee" on the simplest scale I could think of... I took the average of what I sell my paintings for per square foot and used that as a guide for pricing. It seemed fair to me. It turned out to be more than the budget allowed for, and we ended up looking at other, smaller spaces within the same building. I think that the Percent for Art committee knows what art can cost, and they seem as fair as they can be with the money that they are given and the artists that they work with.

Does this initial involvement with the programs at the Maine Arts Commission encourage you to apply for any of our other programs?


	"Wigwag" by Patrick Corrigan. House Paint and Oils on Panel. 7' x 4'. 1999.

Yes. It's a good program as far as I can see.

Will you apply for another Percent for Art project?

I think so. I'm aware of another one that I'm looking into right now, actually.

What do you see as the advantages or disadvantages of this program to an artist?

Advantages? The chance to express whatever you decide to with your art in a public place, and get paid for it. We have a president who wants to spend another billion dollars on top of what NASA is already wasting on space projects that have questionable results. This country also throws billions of dollars at anything military. It seems insane to me. Yet any kind of public arts funding is sure to be ridiculed by the ruling class until people decide it is worthy of even the most meager of government allowances. When an artist in America goes into his or her studio and emerges with publicly funded art, that needs to be noted and should be seen as a worthy achievement.

Disadvantages? I've thought of what those might be and didn't come up with any serious ones.