CITY COUNCIL BILL TO INCREASE COMMUNITY INPUT IN PERCENT FOR ART PROGRAM  

TODAY, September 28, Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer introduced legislation to increase and codify community input in the Percent for Art selection process. Under Intro 1290, the panel that determines which artists receive Percent for Art commissions would be required to include three art professionals, one of whom must be an artist, representatives from the City agencies sponsoring the capital project, representatives from the Art Commission as well as representatives from the Borough President’s Office, the City Council Member’s Office, and the Community Board. While this panel makeup is currently the recommendation and practice of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Majority Leader Van Bramer’s legislation would make community representatives a requirement.

“We must make sure that communities have a say in the massive art projects that grace our public spaces,”said Council Majority Leader and Cultural Affairs and Libraries Chair Jimmy Van Bramer. “My bill ensures that the people who will interact with and enjoy Percent for Art projects every day will be able to take part in the artist commissioning process, and bring greater participation and transparency to this important public initiative.”

About the Percent for Art Program

In 1982, the Percent for Art law was initiated by Mayor Edward I. Koch and passed by the Council of the City of New York requiring that one percent of the budget for eligible City-funded construction projects be spent on artwork for City facilities. Nearly 300 projects have been completed since the program’s inception with accumulated art work commissions of over $41 million. Since 2002 almost 100 projects have been completed—a third of the total collection—and more than 70 artist commissions are currently in progress.

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