Public Art Information

The information provided in this page is useful for understanding setting up, directing and concluding the Percent for Art process.

The law and contracts

Percent for Art Act, Rules and Sample Contract (87 kb PDF*)

For Artists

The Maine Arts Commission publicizes public art opportunities in the Opportunities Directory and in the Percent for Art section. To receive public art information automatically via email you can create a MaineArts.com account, and join the Artist Opportunities listserv.

To apply for Percent for Art competitions you should obtain the prospectus which provides background information about the site, describes the potential locations for artwork and gives instructions for applying. Prospectuses change from call to call, current prospectuses can be found in the Percent for Art section and in the Opportunites Directory.


	Situate by Aaron Stephan. Sculpture. 2007 Percent for Art project at Farwell Elementary School.

Each proposal requires a current concise resume, letter of interest from the artist indicating ideas, a rough budget outline, and specifics about the example images if needed. The purpose of the letter of intent is to help the committee understand the proposed artwork and explain how it will connect with the location and the community – it should be brief and specific.

When a proposal is selected, the artist will be asked to develop the idea in greater detail for a second round of evaluation. You can visit the Percent for Art Directory to see examples of completed percent for art work in Maine. If you need assistance with your artist’s resume or letter of interest you can go to the Artist Resource section. If you are selected for a commission you will be required to sign a contract. Payment is usually made in three installments; one at the contract signing, one halfway through the project and one after the work is installed and documented.

The following forms may be useful if your submission is selected.

Introduction to Percent for Art (90 kb PDF*)
Travel reimbursement/ Artist fee form
Final documentation/ maintenance form (40 kb RTF)

For Contracting Agencies

The Maine Arts Commission and the agency overseeing the project (such as a school administration) collaborate throughout the process to commission the best artwork available. The process begins with the agency choosing to participate in the Percent for Art program and notifying the Maine Arts Commission. From there, the members of the art selection committee are appointed. The contracting agency is responsible for contacting the architect and appointing two voting members for the committee. These people should have an interest in the arts and at least a basic artistic vocabulary and be prepared to represent the site at meetings. This representation includes communicating with the final deciding authority throughout the process so unfortunate surprises are avoided. The Maine Arts Commission is responsible for appointing two committee members to represent the aesthetic concerns and better involve the arts community of the region. The committee usually meets three times over six month to select the artists with a total time commitment of about 10 hours. At the end of the process the committee recommends their selections to the deciding authority. The Maine arts commission helps administer the meetings throughout the search process.


	The Nature of Maine by Nancy Forster-Holt Photograph. 1997 Percent for Art project.

The art selection committee's responsibilities are described in "Art Selection Committee Duties”(39 kb PDF*)

The contracting agency should print a copy of the budget report form. It will be needed at the conclusion of the process.

Introduction to Percent for Art (90kb PDF*)
Art Selection Committee Duties (39 kb PDF*)
Model Forms (70 kb PDF*)
Percent for Art Budget Report Form (38 kb PDF*)
Percent for Art Budget Report Instructions (46 kb PDF*)
Percent for Art Evaluation Form (43 kb PDF*)

* PDF documents require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

For more information contact Alison Ferris, assistant director, at 207/287-2710 or alison.ferris@maine.gov.