About the Percent for Art Program

“The Oasis,” mural by Amirah Chatman (located at the BHRC), photographed by Mario Gallucci

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is the non-profit entity responsible for administering the Percent for Art programs of both the City of Portland and Multnomah County. This program directs two percent of the construction budget for all county-funded improvement projects toward public art.

The purpose of the Public Art Program (of which the Percent for Art is a part) is to integrate a wide range of art into public spaces in the community and reflect the diversity of artistic disciplines, and points of view. The program promotes education about the arts through its collection and related programming and serves to raise the public’s awareness of their environment and to expand their knowledge and understanding of the arts.

Through the Percent for Art Program, RACC advocates for artists and cares for the collection by:

  • providing opportunities for artists to advance their art forms.
  • developing a public collection of artworks with strong inherent aesthetic qualities.
  • encouraging early collaboration with artists on planning or design teams that contribute to the revitalization of neighborhoods and redevelopment areas throughout the region.
  • encouraging public dialogue about art and the various roles of artists.
  • encouraging the preservation of cultural traditions.
  • including public agency and community representatives in the selection process.
  • building the collection through gifts and donations.
  • ensuring proper cataloguing of the Public Art Collection.
  • providing proper display, storage, handling and maintenance of artworks in the collection.

The Public Art Advisory Committee

The Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) is the standing RACC committee that oversees the Public Art Program. The PAAC oversees policies, sets goals and provides curatorial guidance for the selection, placement and maintenance of works of art acquired through the Percent for Art Program and other public/private programs. Membership includes no more than 2 RACC Board members, the RACC designee on the Design Commission, and 6-8 arts professionals who are artists, architects, landscape architects, curators or individuals with considerable experience in the visual arts. The RACC Board Chair approves final appointments to the PAAC. Members serve 3-year terms with one 18-month appointment reserved, when possible, for an artist with public art experience. Meetings are held monthly.

The Selection Panels

Selection Panel Responsibilities:

  1. Develops the project’s goals, sites for artwork, and suitable art forms, taking into account goals and sites already recommended.
  2. Decides to commission site specific work, purchase works of art for the City/County Portable Collection, or commission temporary works that would be documented for
    future reference after the life of the piece.
  3. Determines a method for artist selection:
    1. Open Competition: Any artist applies, subject to limitations established by the Selection Panel or PAAC.
    2. Invitational: One or more artists are invited to submit proposals.
    3. Direct Purchase: A completed work of original art is purchased from submitted applications or other appropriate methods.
    4. Design Team: Artists are selected from an open competition if time allows or from RACC’s Design Team Roster.
  4. Narrows the selected artists through paid competitive proposals or interview.
  5. Reserves the option to make no selection from submitted applications and to reopen the competition or propose other methods of selection if no proposal is accepted.
  6. Approves all selections by a majority vote or consensus.
  7. Presents the semi-finalists to the PAAC for recommendation to the RACC Board for approval.
  8. Reports the finalists and their work to the PAAC.
  9. Approves artist’s final proposal and subsequent changes in concept or media during the duration of the artist’s contract.

Method of Appointment:

The PAAC recommends selection panel members from a reference list that is continually updated by public art staff in conjunction with PAAC recommendations. The PAAC takes into account the established formula listed below, requests by individuals to serve, and staff recommendations. Selection panel members serve at the discretion of RACC.

Panels may be composed of the following:

  1. Voting members
    1. Three arts professionals, two of whom must be artists
    2. The project’s building and/or landscape architect or engineer
    3. A representative of the participating bureau
    4. A citizen preferably from the neighborhood affected by the project
  2. Non-voting members
    1. RACC public art staff
    2. Project manager for participating bureau

Each panel serves through the completion of one public art project. For complex projects, a selection panel may appoint a sub-committee to make recommendations to the full panel. At least two of the sub-committee members must be artists.

Artwork Selection Criteria

  1. Criteria to be used for acquisition of artwork by either purchase or commission shall include:
    1. Artistic quality. Strength of the concept, vision and craftsmanship of the artwork.
    2. Context. The architectural, historical, geographical and/or socio-cultural context of the site.
    3. Media. All art forms including disciplines and media that are temporary and which survive only through documentation after the life of the piece has ended.
    4. Longevity. The structural and surface soundness and inherent resistance to theft, vandalism, weathering, and excessive maintenance or repair costs.
    5. Public Safety. Meets City building, electrical and other codes for safety.
    6. Diversity. Artwork that is diverse in style, scale, and media, and ranges from experimental to established art forms; also refers to artists from assorted backgrounds and ranges of experience.
    7. Feasibility. Artist’s ability to successfully complete the work as proposed based on experience, durability of materials, project budget, timeline, and city/county zoning/construction/design guidelines.
    8. Duplication. Artwork is unique and an edition of one or of a limited edition.
  2. Design Team Projects
    Additional criteria for selecting artists for design teams include:

    1. Proven ability to work effectively in collaborative art and design projects.
    2. Strong communication skills and a willingness to learn.
  3. Public Art Murals Program
    Murals approved as part of the Public Art Murals Program must remain in place for a
    minimum of five years. Additional criteria for approving public art murals include:

    1. Artistic merit. Demonstrated strength of artist’s concept and craftsmanship as well as originality of proposed mural; appropriateness of scale to the wall upon which mural will be painted/attached and/or to the surrounding neighborhood; and architectural, geographical, socio-cultural and/or historical relevance to the site scale.
    2. Community Support. General support/advocacy from building owner/user, surrounding neighborhood, adjacent businesses and arts community.
    3. Feasibility. Demonstrated ability to complete the proposed mural on time and within budget.

 

See the full Percent for Art Guidelines for further details about the program