Skip Navigation
MaineArts Home | Table of Contents | << Previous Article | Next Article >>
 Sphere, Aaron Stephane, SeDoMoCha Elementary, Dover Foxcroft, ME, Aluminum and Maple, 2007  Shoshannah White's Percent for Art Commission is delicately installed at the Bioscience Research Wing at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.  The artwork brings the internal workings of the facility to the external world. White's installation works both with imagery based on the research being conducted in the Research Wing and with the architecture of the building.  Jeff Kellar and Judy LaBrasca, Drawings in Space, MSAD#55, Sacopee Valley Middle School Percent for Art Installation, Wood with clay pigment, 2007 PDF of this Article (2.7MB) |
IN THE PAST, AMERICAN ARTS-SUPPORT often promoted "exclusive" events such as symphonies, operas, museum exhibitions and traditional theater. Public art also reflected this kind of classical expression in Romanesque civic monuments and creations expressing traditional influences. In the 1960s the National Endowment for the Arts was established, and soon state art agencies were created to improve regional disbursement of arts funds. State arts organizations had better communication with constituents and soon recognized that many Americans were not appreciating the kind of art that was being funded. Regional arts agencies began to shift funding to improve support for projects with greater regional significance. An ongoing evolution within and between state arts agencies followed, changing the relationship
between organizations, artists, audiences and the general public.
In a 2004 Wallace Report entitled State Arts Agencies at a Crossroads: The Search for Public Benefit, Dr. Julia Lowell, an economist at the RAND Corporation, comments on the schism between the kind of art that gets funded and the kind of art people appreciate. "[There is] a growing mismatch between the grant-making role and structure of many state art agencies and the cultural and political realities they face. And even though many state art agencies are trying to reach beyond their traditional grantee constituencies, the perception - if not the fact - that state art agencies primarily serve artists and arts organizations rather than the broader public is yet to be overcome." She goes on to cite positive steps taken by several agencies
including the Ohio Arts Council, "…condensing 24 previous core areas to five built around a particular desired outcome: sustainability, innovation and access, arts learning, individual creativity, and building capacity. Previously, grant eligibility was based on organization type; now it's based on the public benefit of the grant."
Lowell's observation about arts agencies seeking broader relevancy through public benefit is a sign of the times. It is a manifestation of the increased awareness of interrelated networks. In Richard Florida's Rise of the Creative Class the "Creative Economy" paradigm is explored, relating arts to economics to several other factors in a network that leads to civic improvement. Lowell has a similar thesis, but focuses more on the roll of state agencies in the equation. Her conclusion is that innovation in operational mechanisms are necessary for arts agencies and artists to maintain relevance to the broader public. She cites how many agencies are beginning to view potential projects by not only financial need and the caliber of the project, but by how it will deliver something specific and beneficial to the general public. Her assertions imply that the disconnect between modern needs and traditional mechanisms of arts support can be remedied by greater consideration given to the public impact.
What this means to artists and art agencies, is that many of the mechanisms already in place for evaluating Public Art are spreading through other programs. This could be good news for artists familiar with the Public Art process and frustrating for artists unfamiliar with its workings. It doesn't help that Public Art programs are often poorly defined because of the broad definitions of both "art" and "public." However, a primary constituent to successful Public Art is the way creative partnerships and community collaborations are formed. This is not to say that Public Art should not be challenging or needs overwhelming approval for relevance, but rather community advocacy has always been important in creating and sustaining public work and that the benefit of public artwork will face detriment if a community feels alienated from it.
Maine is ahead of the National trend in assessing arts awards with public benefit as a criterion. Maine's Percent for Art program is one of the oldest in the country, and is rich with experience. The cooperation between different programs within the Maine Arts Commission has allowed other programs to gain from Public Art's venerability. The 2007 Schoodic Sculpture Symposium was an example of funding a project with great merit, not only in itself, but because it created relationships with international the artists, the National Park Service, The Maine Arts Commission, Humanities Council, and local municipalities where sculptures were placed. The merit was not only in the creation of work, but the collaborative method in which the work was created. Of course, the Maine Arts Commission continues to support a wide variety of projects and will increase opportunities for many kinds of art projects.
 Window Transom Detail, Nancy Gutkin O'Neil, Glass, silkscreen, hand painting, Department of Conservation, Williams Building, Augusta, ME, 2007 |
 Situate, Aaron Stephane, Farewell Elementary School, Lewiston, ME, Bronze, 2007  A Detail of The School by the River Gordon Carlisle, Washington Community College, Calais, ME 04619, Enamel on wood and canvas, 2007 |
MaineArts Home | Table of Contents | << Previous Article | Next Article >>