Charting a Future for Public Art in the City of Providence

Charting a Future for Public Art

in the City of Providence

Presented by Via Partnership to the

City of Providence Department of Art,

Culture + Tourism on March 14, 2018.

Approved by the Art in City Life

Commission on April 11, 2018.

Charting a Future for Public Art

in the City of Providence

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 8

Vision 9

Program Plan 10

Conclusion 12

INTRODUCTION 14

ACT PUBLIC ART: A PUBLIC ART PROGRAM FOR PROVIDENCE 18

Vision 19

Mission 19

Guiding Principle 19

PROGRAM PLAN 20

Landmark Public Artworks 22

Public Art Residencies 24

Civic Infrastructure Projects 26

Temporary Projects 28

Recommended Projects 30

Recommended Project List 33

Communications and Community Programs 34

ADMINISTRATIVE PLAN 36

Deﬁnitions 38

Roles and Responsibilities 40

Funding Sources 42

Stafﬁng 44

Planning for Public Art 45

Commissioning Public Art 46

Donations and Loans of Artwork 49

Public Art on Private Property 53

Collection Management 56

APPENDICES 60

Appendix A: Acknowledgments 62

Appendix B: Survey Results Summary 64

Appendix C: Imagine Art Here Workshop Description and Summary 66

Appendix D: Art in City Life Ordinance 68

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN6

FROM THE MAYOR

At the start of my term as Mayor of Providence, if asked the question, “what is the Mayor’s

job?,” I would have responded very differently than I would today. I would have said the Mayor’s

responsibility is to run an efﬁcient administration and to support the growth of our city. After

three years, I would now answer that question with this simple answer: The Mayor’s fundamental

job is to ﬁnd ways to bring people together. And I believe there is no better way to bring people

together than through the arts. The arts are our City’s life force, and I believe public art should

play a major role in Providence.

In 2016 I established the Art in City Life Commission, which had been designated by ordinance in

1980. Almost immediately, the Art in City Life Commission and staff members from Providence

Department of Art, Culture + Tourism articulated the need for a comprehensive plan for

commissioning work in public space and/or with public dollars.

The Art in City Life Plan does exactly that. This plan was built by signiﬁcant input from

Providence public artists, arts administrators, residents, and members of both the public and

private sector. Through the plan Providence will be empowered to commission public art

initiated by local artists, dream and implement landmark iconic works, embed art and artists in

our civic institutions and public infrastructure, and enhance our public realm with temporary

works, like those produced at our signature arts festival, PVDFest.

Personally speaking, I love public art. I love the element of surprise in ﬁnding an interesting

piece in an unexpected place. I love the way public art creates conversation and bridges across

difference. I am so proud to have been a part in bringing more public art to life in our great City.

Mayor Jorge O. Elorza

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 7

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Public art enhances civic space, encourages us to slow down enough to appreciate with new

perspective the place where the work is installed, and creates endless possibilities for shared

experiences. Within this collective experience, every individual interaction with public art is a

unique opportunity to respond. One of the amazing things about public art is seeing how artists

develop ideas through their engagement and research into a place and community. The resulting

work often challenges my assumptions and opens my eyes to new ways of thinking. Public art,

unlike self-selected art experiences, is open and vulnerable to any curious individual to interact

with or to ignore. Not every person will be comfortable entering a formal art space, such as

a museum, gallery, or a theater, yet public art by its nature is accessible to all. Public art is

courageous in intent and with the right administrative direction, equitable in its generation.

I am proud to put forward our Art in City Life Plan, the City’s ﬁrst comprehensive plan for public

art. This plan was supported and built with input from hundreds of residents, public artists and

arts administrators, City staff, students, and neighbors. I am proud of the variety of opportunities

and strategies recommended in this plan to bring public art to our neighborhoods, civic

institutions, and public infrastructure. I am a realist; there are always more ideas than resources,

and some of the opportunities in this plan will take more time to develop than others. But I

believe this plan empowers our City ofﬁce and our young Art in CIty Life Commission to commit

to building a robust, diverse, and resonant public art collection.

The Department of Art, Culture + Tourism recognizes that inequity and exclusion have played

a role in all aspects of our society and that the world of public art is not immune from these

systems of oppression. We stand behind the principle of cultural equity and believe this plan, in

its transparent and deliberate articulation of City-initiated public art commissioning processes,

will allow the City to bring new art works to often overlooked pockets of Providence and

elevate artists who have historically had inequitable access to public art commissions. We are

committed to developing responsive calls for art in all neighborhoods, commissioning work by

artists of color, women, and LGBTQIA+ artists, and building diverse, responsive, and reflective

selection committees. We also expect the public to hold us accountable as we recognize needs

and prioritize strategies.

Providence is held up by our creatives. From the underground music scene to warehouse studio

artists to muralists and street performers, Providence’s thriving arts ecosystem is bound by each

artist’s ability to experiment and collaborate. The City is proud to be a part of this landscape and

to have a bold plan for engaging public artists in new ways.

Stephanie Fortunato

ACT Director

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 9

In 2009, the City of Providence developed a Cultural Plan, which recognized that

Providence’s cultural life is a cornerstone of its economy and a key element to the

city’s unique sense of place, as well as a driver in its recent revitalization and future

economic success. Investments in public art were recommended as a strategy to

“build community and foster neighborhood vitality through increased access and

diversiﬁed cultural participation,” one of the plan’s six overarching goals.

Fast forward to 2017. Interest in public art has continued to grow among

Providence’s artists, arts organizations, developers, philanthropists, non-proﬁts and

City leadership. The City has begun to establish ways to support and respond to this

growing interest in engaging with the public realm, most notably by commissioning

temporary public art through PVDFest and establishing the Art in City Life

Commission (ACL) to advise the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture +

Tourism (ACT) on matters related to public art. Building on these developments,

Mayor Jorge Elorza commissioned this Art in City Life Plan to give the City, the

ACL, and the community the tools they need to be better positioned to make the

investments in public art called for in the 2009 cultural plan.

The resulting plan is a blueprint for creating a public art

program for Providence that builds on the city’s creativity,

energy, resources and existing programs. It recommends a new

public art initiative – ACT Public Art – be established within

ACT to actively commission artwork. It includes a vision for

this initiative and recommends four main types of projects

that program should commission artists to create, including

a prioritized list of recommended projects. The plan provides

recommendations for ongoing approaches to communications

and community programs, including speciﬁc ideas for

engaging local artists. Finally, it makes recommendations

regarding the administration and funding of the program

including speciﬁc tools and processes for planning for and

commissioning public art, reviewing donations and loans of

artwork and memorials, and reviewing public art on private

property.

What this plan does not do, however, is aim to govern

all decisions about public art in Providence. It does not

recommend that ACT or the ACL have any new inﬂuence or

jurisdiction over public art projects spearheaded independently

by artists, arts organizations, community organizations or

private property owners. Nor does it recommend any new

regulations or approval processes for these types of project.

It clariﬁes existing requirements for the limited cases in which

public art created with private funds on private property

is subject to City review and recommends shifting the

responsibility for that review to the ACL, as was originally

intended in existing City ordinances. It also provides a clear

review process for individuals or other organizations interested

in donating or loaning works of art to the City for permanent

or temporary display on City property.

Overall, this plan recommends the creation of a City-managed

public art program that adds to the robustness and strength

of Providence’s already rich arts ecosystem by commissioning

new work, creating new opportunities for artists and for

community engagement, and supporting the growth of public

art practice in Providence.

VISION

ACT Public Art will channel the creative energy of the city, manifesting it in a range of artwork and artists’ projects that:

•

contribute to shaping the city’s visual identity,

•

improve the quality of life for all residents, and

•

create opportunities for engagement, connectivity and community building.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN10

PROGRAM PLAN

The Art in City Life Plan recommends four main types of

projects that together will form the core of ACT Public Art’s

commissioning activities. Over time, through these four

project types, ACT Public Art will build a diverse collection

of permanent and temporary art that connects with residents

all over the city and a reputation for working with artists in

innovative and exciting ways. In addition to its commissioning

activities, ACT Public Art should focus on communications

and community programs that engage people with public art

in Providence.

Landmark Public Artworks

ACT Public Art should take the lead in developing a small

collection of Landmark Public Artworks -- large-scale,

signature, permanent works of art located in prominent areas

that make strong visual statements about Providence and its

neighborhoods and can come to serve as iconic images that

represent the creative city. Capital City Landmarks should

focus largely on downtown and project an image that speaks

to the identity of the City of Providence as a whole, while

Neighborhood Landmarks should mark important gathering

places or entry points within communities and speak to the

identities of Providence’s many neighborhoods.

Public Art Residencies

ACT Public Art should establish an ongoing public art

residency program placing artists in City facilities and ofﬁces

to engage directly with residents and staff. Through these

residencies, artists would develop projects that infuse artistic

practices and artists’ creative problem solving into residents’

lives and the everyday operations of the City.

Civic Infrastructure Projects

ACT Public Art should work with other City departments, as

well as relevant outside agencies, to incorporate public art into

the City’s public buildings and infrastructure. These projects

should infuse art and creativity into everyday spaces used by

all and reﬂect the creative culture of Providence in the City’s

civic facilities, infrastructure, and systems. Projects can be

large-scale and integrated into new construction or they can be

smaller, tactical projects that adapt or add to existing facilities

and infrastructure.

Temporary Projects

The plan outlines three main tools that ACT Public

Art should use to continue to build on ACT’s history of

commissioning and displaying temporary public artwork:

• PVD Projections should be an ongoing platform for

rotating new media work projected onto buildings in

downtown or other prominent places.

• PVDFest Public Art Projects should continue to be

commissioned for the duration of PVDFest each year but

should be brought under the umbrella of ACT Public Art

and focus on achieving the goals and vision of ACT Public

Art, as well as those of the festival.

• The Public Art Ideas Competition should be a new

model for funding artist-initiated projects by issuing a

“Call for Ideas” to artists asking artists to respond to a

broad curatorial prompt with a project idea and location

of their choosing.

Communications and Community

Programs

Effective communications and community programs will be

key to the success of ACT Public Art. The plan recommends

speciﬁc goals for communications and community programs

with the ultimate goal of ACT Public Art becoming well

known in the community as commissioning high-quality,

community responsive public art. The plan also recommends

that communications strategies be developed for each project,

which could make use of tools and events such as Meet

the Artist sessions and artist-designed engagement, as well

as programs to promote engagement with the public art

collection as it develops and programs to engage Providence’s

strong community of local artists through public art

opportunities, trainings, and potential fellowships.

Administrative Plan

In addition to commissioning new works of art, ACT

Public Art should oversee maintenance and conservation of

the works in its collection and serve as a resource for other

entities developing public art in Providence, most notably

by guiding individuals and organizations commissioning

public art through any required reviews by the City. The plan

recommends procedures and tools the program should use

to accomplish its work. These includes tools for planning for

public art and evaluating potential opportunities, as well as

recommended artist selection processes, funding sources and

stafﬁng levels. It also lays out the responsibilities of the Mayor,

City Council, the Art in City Life Commission, Art Selection

Panels, the Special Committee for Review of Memorials,

and staff.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 11

Funding Sources

ACT Public Art should be supported through various public

and private resources. An increase in public funding will

demonstrate the City’s leadership and commitment to quality

public art throughout Providence. Focused efforts on private

fundraising will be crucial to realizing more ambitious and

large-scale public art projects. Most important, a diversity of

funding sources will help ensure a stable program.

Stafﬁng

There are a variety of skill sets needed for the successful

management of ACT Public Art. These include, but are

not limited to: planning and budgeting, curating, project

management, collections management, conservation, program

development and administration, fundraising and grant

writing, marketing and communications, and community

partnership development. Therefore, there should be a full-

time staff person at Art, Culture + Tourism who is the main

point person for public art, with ACT Public Art Manager as

their title.

Planning for Public Art

ACT staff, working with other City Departments and the

Art in City Life Commission, should thoughtfully plan for

public art, both through an annual work plan process and by

developing speciﬁc plans for each new public art commission

being led by ACT. ACT staff should also work closely with

the Planning Department, as well as other City Departments,

to include strategies for public art in other City plans and

planning processes.

Commissioning Public Art

New public art projects should, with rare exceptions, be site-

speciﬁc commissions where an artist is selected to develop

a project speciﬁcally for Providence that is informed by the

context of the site. The Standard Public Art Commissioning

Process outlined in this plan should serve as a starting point

for how to select new commissions, with the exact details

outlined in each Project Plan. Commissioning processes for

Public Art Residencies and the Public Art Ideas Competition

are also outlined.

Donations and Loans of Artwork

ACT staff and the ACL should have an important role

to play in the review of donations of permanent artwork

and memorials to the City, as well as temporary loans and

exhibitions of public art that are sited on City property. ACT

staff should help facilitate the review and approval process,

while the ACL should play an important role in Site and

Design Review to ensure that public art sited on City property

is of high quality and appropriate to its site.

Memorializing a person, group, organization, idea, principle

or event on City property is an important decision. A Special

Committee for Review of Memorials should be appointed

by the Mayor and should be convened to review proposals

for memorials on all City property based on social and merit

issues and make recommendations to staff.

Public Art on Private Property

Public art as part of new private development is a beneﬁt to

both the development project and to the City. Developers

should be encouraged, and in some cases, incentivized, to

incorporate public art in their projects. ACT staff and the

ACL should have a role in the review and approval of any

public art that is commissioned in exchange for a development

beneﬁt. When permanent public art is commissioned on

private property that is located Downtown in the area under

the review of the Downtown Design Review Committee

(DDRC) or within the Capital Center Special Development

District, ACT staff and the ACL should have a role in the

review and approval of the artwork, as already required by

existing regulations.

Collection Management

ACT Public Art should adopt practices for the documentation,

conservation and maintenance of artworks that are part of the

Providence Public Art Collection and for de-accessioning or

relocating artworks in that collection. ACT should ensure that

the Providence Public Art Collection is properly maintained

and preserved, that a periodic assessment of conservation needs

is made, and that proper records regarding the works in the

collection are kept. The ACL should review and approve the

de-accession or relocation of works in the City’s Collection,

using a strict set of criteria and subject to ﬁnal approval by

City Council.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN12

CONCLUSION

This plan charts an exciting new future for public art in the

City of Providence that builds on the city’s existing strengths

and allows ACT to thoughtfully plan for and advance the

City’s investments in public art. Using this plan as a guide,

ACT can better support the growth of public art practice in

Providence and build a collection of artworks that improve

the quality of life for all residents, contribute to shaping the

city’s visual identity, and create important opportunities for

engagement, connectivity and community building.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 13

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 15

Providence is a city known for art. It has long been a haven for artists and there

is a sense that art is welcomed, supported, and appreciated here. From the city’s

historic architecture to its creative industries, art schools, and artist communities,

the arts are a key part of what makes Providence the place it is. The most recent

Arts and Economic Prosperity Study

provided evidence that nonproﬁt arts and

culture organizations represent a $205.8 million industry in the City of Providence

– one that supports 5,115 full-time equivalent jobs and generates $20.9 million

in local and state government revenue. Providence’s long-running interactive

public artwork WaterFire, just one example within the city’s robust cultural sector,

has become internationally known and is often cited as a key driver of the city’s

revitalization. Murals grace the landscape, numerous healthy and growing arts

organizations use the arts to shape life in Providence, and the DIY energy of artists

continues to be felt.

Recognizing the importance of the arts to the growth and

vitality of Providence, the City developed a Cultural Plan in

2009. This plan called out investments in public art as one

strategy to build community and foster neighborhood vitality.

However, with all this talent, energy, and interest, the City still

lacked a municipal public art program or the policies to guide

decisions about the City’s investments in public art.

Recently, the City has begun to put in place cornerstones

to better support public art. In 2015, Mayor Jorge Elorza

inaugurated PVDFest, a four-day arts festival celebrating the

city’s creativity that includes the commissioning of temporary

1 Americans for the Arts. “Arts & Economic Prosperity V: The Economic Impact

of Nonproﬁt Arts and Culture Organizations and Their Audiences in the City of

Providence, Rhode Island.” Washington D.C.: 2017.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN16

public artworks for downtown sites within the festival

footprint. In 2016, Mayor Elorza established the Art in City

Life Commission (ACL) to advise the City of Providence

Department of Art, Culture + Tourism (ACT) on matters

related to public art. Building on this, in 2017, the Mayor

commissioned an Art in City Life Plan to guide the City, the

ACL, and the community at large in selecting, commissioning,

and caring for public art.

This City-level prioritization of public art reﬂects a pulse felt

all over Providence. Artists, arts organizations, developers,

philanthropists, and nonproﬁts want to engage with the public

realm. Increasingly, they have been coming to ACT seeking

support for projects and advice about how to create artwork in

public spaces. Successful projects, such as those commissioned

by ACT for PVDFest and Holly Ewald’s NEA-funded project

Full Circle, demonstrate the potential of City-commissioned

public art. Investments in public spaces and community

facilities, as well as a renewed interest in the city on the part

of developers, create exciting opportunities for new public art

projects. ACT needs the tools to harness these opportunities

and make the most of this climate. This is a great time to be

planning for public art in Providence.

In the spring of 2017, the Art and City Life Commission

and ACT staff collaboratively stewarded a national search

for a public art master planning consultant ﬁrm. Awarded

the competitive bid, the consulting ﬁrm Via Partnership

was brought on board in the summer of 2017 to facilitate

the development of a public art master plan. To develop the

plan, the consultants worked closely with ACT; the ACL;

an Advisory Committee comprised of leaders from arts

and community-based nonprofits; and an Internal Review

Committee comprised of City staff from departments that will

have a role in the successful implementation of the plan.

The planning process also included a community workshop

called “Imagine Art Here” on September 19, 2017 at

WaterFire Arts Center at which approximately 60 community

members gathered to help shape a public art vision for

Providence and provide critical input about goals for public

art, as well as potential public art opportunities throughout the

city. The consultants also conducted one-on-one interviews

with key stakeholders, roundtable discussions with artists and

youth, and an online and an intercept survey to gather input

for the plan.

The resulting plan recommends the establishment of a

public art program within the Department of Art, Culture

+Tourism that proactively commissions public art, creating

new opportunities for artists and diversifying the public art

found in Providence. It sets forth a vision, mission and guiding

principles for this program and lays out the work the program

would do, including the four main types of public art projects

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 17

it would focus on – Landmark Public Art Projects, Public Art

Residencies, Civic Infrastructure Projects, and Temporary

Projects, with recommended project lists for each.

This plan also recommends long-needed administrative

procedures that would guide the way the City commissions

art on public property with public funds, including criteria

for how ACT can identify the best opportunities for the City

to invest in public art, funding strategies, artist selection

processes, stafﬁng recommendations, and procedures for

accepting donations and loans of artworks for City property.

The plan does not recommend that ACT or the ACL have

any new inﬂuence or jurisdiction over public art projects

spearheaded independently by artists, arts organizations,

community organizations or private property owners or

recommend any new regulations or approval processes for

these types of projects. It does not aim to govern decisions

about all public art in Providence. What it does do however,

is clarify existing requirements for the limited cases in which

public art created with private funds on private property is

subject to City review. It also provides a clear review process

for individuals or other organizations interested in donating or

loaning works of art to the City for permanent or temporary

display on City property.

Overall, this plan intends to create a public art program that

commissions new work, creates new opportunities for artists,

and supports the growth of public art practice in Providence,

adding robustness and strength to Providence’s already rich

arts ecosystem.

The research and community input gathered through the

planning process, combined with the momentum around

public art in Providence, creates an ideal time for ACT to

establish this new public art program. The Art in City Life

Plan gives Providence the tools it needs to thoughtfully and

successfully plan for, commission and support public art

worthy of a city whose identity has become so intertwined

with the arts.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN18

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 19

The City of Providence should have a municipal public art program that actively

commissions art for public property and is managed by the City of Providence

Department of Art, Culture +Tourism (ACT). This program would be called ACT

Public Art and would be advised by the Art in City Life Commission (ACL). ACT

Public Art would have a vision, mission, and guiding principles that it can use to

evaluate and prioritize opportunities to make investments in public art on public

property and plan ahead to make the most of resources, rather than taking on

projects in an ad hoc manner in reaction to various outside requests.

ACT Public Art will be one way that ACT achieves its mission to ensure the

continued development of a vibrant and creative city by integrating arts and

culture into community life while showcasing Providence as an international

cultural destination.

VISION

What impact does ACT Public Art have on the city?

ACT Public Art will channel the creative energy of the city,

manifesting it in a range of artwork and artists’ projects that:

•

contribute to shaping the city’s visual identity,

•

improve the quality of life for all residents, and

•

create opportunities for engagement, connectivity and

community building.

MISSION

What will ACT Public Art do?

ACT Public Art:

•

Commissions and maintains a diverse collection of

permanent and temporary public artworks.

• Serves as a resource for other entities developing public art.

•

Promotes the community’s access to, appreciation of and

enjoyment of public art.

•

Fosters partnerships for the successful creation of public

art

throughout the city, and supports the growth of public art

practice in Providence.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

What is the broad philosophy that guides the work of

ACT Public Art?

• Access:

Public art should be a part of everyone’s daily lives.

• Cultural Equity:

Artwork will be relevant to Providence’s communities and

foster stakeholder relationships and conversations.

• Change and Transformation:

New work will be created and new audiences

will be developed.

Artists will build capacity to take on new challenges.

• Responsiveness:

Projects will be developed through a process that is informed

by the community and its needs, resulting in site-speciﬁc,

community-engaged artworks.

• Artistic Excellence:

Artwork will be of the highest artistic quality.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 21

ACT Public Art should commission artists to create work through four main

project types:

• Landmark Public Artworks

• Public Art Residencies

•

Civic Infrastructure Projects, and

• Temporary Projects

Together, these four types of projects form the core of a program that will contribute

to shaping Providence’s visual identity, improve the quality of life for all residents,

and create opportunity for engagement, connectivity, and community building. Over

time, through these four project types, ACT Public Art will build a diverse collection

of permanent and temporary art that connects with residents all over the city and a

reputation for working with artists in innovative and exciting ways.

In addition to commissioning public art projects, ACT Public Art should focus on

communications and community programs that engage people with their work.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN22

LANDMARK PUBLIC ARTWORKS

Landmark Public Artworks should be large-scale, signature,

permanent works of art located in prominent areas that

make strong visual statements about Providence and its

neighborhoods and can come to serve as iconic images that

represent the creative city. ACT Public Art should take the

lead in developing a small collection of these works. These

works should be site-speciﬁc – conceived, designed, and built

speciﬁcally for their site – and should provide the community

with signiﬁcant artwork on par with its own creative spirit.

Landmark Public Artworks includes both Capital City

Landmarks and Neighborhood Landmarks. These projects

should be accomplished in partnership with other city and

state agencies, organizations, and stakeholders, whom ACT

Public Art should help marshal.

Capital City Landmarks should largely focus on downtown,

a space that symbolically belongs to everyone and where the

city comes together for important and celebratory occasions.

Capital City Landmarks should project an image that speaks

to the identity of the City of Providence as a whole. New

investments being made in downtown public spaces, such

as Kennedy Plaza and the new parks located in the I-195

Redevelopment District, create important opportunities to

include artwork in these downtown civic spaces. In addition,

there may be long-term opportunities to partner with the

City of Providence Department of Parks to create Capital City

Landmarks in three of the City’s ﬂagship parks: Roger Williams

Park, India Point Park, and the Riverwalk. ACT Public Art

should work with the Department of Parks to further explore

these opportunities.

Neighborhood Landmarks should mark important

gathering places within communities or entry points into

neighborhoods. These artworks should speak to and represent

the identities of Providence’s many neighborhoods and

support ACT’s place-based strategies. ACT Public Art should

work with the City of Providence Department of Planning

and Development to identify opportunities to integrate

Neighborhood Landmarks into area plans and construction or

renovation projects.

Public Art Goals

Landmark Public Artworks should:

•

Serve as icons fo

r the City and specific neighborhoods,

channeling Providence’s creative identity into a visible form.

•

Serve as meeting points and gathering places for residents,

as well as places visitors seek out.

•

Bring a new scale of public art to Providence and showcase

the City’s commitment to public art.

Criteria for when to commission a

Landmark Public Artwork

When reviewing potential opportunities for commissioning

Landmark Public Artworks, ACT Public Art should consider

the following:

• Priority should be given to public spaces where there is

a major capital improvement, such as new construction

or major renovation that is taking place and would enable

the public art to be integrated into the overall

construction project.

• Priority should be given to public spaces that are

meaningful to the community and are in prominent,

highly visible, gateway locations with a high volume of car

and/or pedestrian trafﬁc.

• Priority should be given to projects that provide an

opportunity to partner with other City departments,

state agencies, private developers, businesses or other

institutions to commission a project.

• Priority should be given to projects for which there is, or

is expected to be, an adequate budget to commission and

maintain a project of signiﬁcant scale and gravitas to serve

as a landmark.

Funding Sources

These projects should most likely be accomplished through

a combination of public and private funding and will require

coordinated fundraising and grant-writing efforts by ACT in

partnership with other stakeholder organizations.

Artist Selection

In most cases, Landmark Public Artworks should follow

the Standard Public Art Commissioning Process described

in this plan (p. 46). The Art Selection Panel would include

representatives from the partnering entities and agencies, as

well as at least two stakeholders from the community that

would be the primary audience for the work.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN24

PUBLIC ART RESIDENCIES

ACT Public Art should establish an ongoing public art

residency program placing artists in City facilities and ofﬁces

to engage directly with residents and staff. Through these

residencies, artists would develop projects that infuse artistic

practices and artists’ creative problem solving into residents’

lives and the everyday operations of the City.

Some residencies will involve artists working directly with

community members on projects that provide hands-on

opportunities to participate in artmaking and encounter

artists. Other residencies will embed artists within City

agencies to work with City staff to solve problems or raise

awareness around issues identiﬁed in partnership with the host

agency, facilitate creative community engagement, and ﬁnd

opportunities to incorporate art into the agency’s functions, or

to develop artworks related to or inspired by the agency’s work

and facilities. Relevant community-based organizations may

serve as partners for both types of residencies.

Public Art Goals

The Public Art Residency Program should:

• Create opportunities for community members and City

staff to engage directly with artists and artmaking.

• Infuse artistic practices and artists’ creative problem

solving into residents’ lives and the everyday operations of

the City.

• Strengthen and develop relationships between ACT and

City departments and uncover new ways of working

together.

• Build greater understanding of ACT and ACT Public

Art throughout the city – both among residents and City

colleagues.

• Result in projects that achieve the vision of ACT

Public Art by contributing to shaping the city’s visual

identity, improving quality of life for all residents, and

creating opportunities for engagement, connectivity and

community building.

In addition, speciﬁc goals for each residency will be developed

by ACT and the partnering agency.

Criteria for Initiating a Public Art

Residency

When reviewing potential opportunities to establish a Public

Art Residency, ACT Public Art should consider the following:

• Priority should be given to opportunities where there

is a willing partner department and/or community-

based organization that is able to dedicate staff time and

resources to supporting the artist, in addition to the

project management and support provided by ACT Public

Art staff.

• Funding should be available for the artist fee, as well as a

budget for programming or fabrication.

• Priority should be given to opportunities where ACT

and the partnering department and/or community-based

organization share a clear vision for the residency and its

goals and outcomes and where there is buy-in from all

levels of the partnering department and/or organization.

• Priority should be given to opportunities that align with

ACT Public Art’s vision and guiding principles.

Funding Sources

Public Art Residencies can be funded through a combination

of ACT’s operating budget and the partnering organization’s

and department’s budgets.

Artist Selection

Artist selection should follow the Residencies Commissioning

process described in this plan (p. 46). The Art Selection Panel

would include a representative from the City department

and any partnering organizations, as well as at least two

stakeholders from the community that would be the primary

audience for the work.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN26

CIVIC INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

ACT Public Art should work with other City departments,

as well as relevant outside agencies, to incorporate public art

into the City’s public buildings and infrastructure.

These projects should infuse art and creativity into everyday

spaces used by all and reﬂect the creative culture of Providence

in the City’s civic facilities, infrastructure, and systems.

There are many opportunities for this. Projects can be large-

scale and integrated into new construction or they can be

smaller, tactical projects that adapt or add to existing facilities

and infrastructure. The City’s Capital Improvement Program

(CIP) and the State Transportation Improvement Program

(STIP) will provide opportunities to consider including public

art when the City of Providence is building or conducting

a major renovation of a city facility or element of the city’s

infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, transit, and pedestrian

and bicycling infrastructure. Accomplishing smaller scale

projects in partnership with City departments and agency

partners will strategically help ACT develop capacity and

relationships with these entities, building the groundwork to

take advantage of larger scale opportunities when they arise.

Public Art Goals

Public art incorporated into Civic Infrastructure Projects

should:

• Contribute to Providence’s identity as the creative capital.

• Create opportunities for people to experience art in their

everyday lives.

• Enhance the design of civic infrastructure; improve

people’s experience of using these places and interacting

with the City.

Criteria for Incorporating Public Art

into City Facilities and Infrastructure

When reviewing potential opportunities for incorporating

public art into Civic Infrastructure, ACT Public Art should

consider the following:

• Priority should be given to facilities or infrastructure that

are heavily used and/or used by demographics that reﬂect

Providence’s population.

• Priority should be given to City facilities, parks or

infrastructure where there is a major capital improvement,

such as new construction or major renovation that

is taking place and would enable the public art to be

integrated into the overall construction project.

• Priority should be given to City facilities that are purpose-

built for community use, i.e.: Recreation Centers and

schools.

• City facilities that are not purpose-built for community

use, but are in a prominent, highly visible, gateway

location with a high volume of car or pedestrian trafﬁc

should be considered for public art projects.

• For transportation infrastructure (roads, sidewalks,

trails, transit infrastructure), priority should be given for

projects that:

– are pedestrian-oriented,

– are at a gateway location to the City of Providence,

– are at a gateway location to downtown,

–

provide an opportunity to partner with RIPTA,

RIDOT, private developers, businesses or other

institutions to commission a project.

• The capital project is for utility infrastructure that provides

an opportunity to enhance or educate about Providence’s

water resources, green infrastructure or issues related to

sustainability and resilience.

Funding Sources

For projects that are part of the current CIP (2018-2022) or

STIP (2018-2027), ACT should work with different City

departments to identify potential public art opportunities that

can be incorporated into the baseline capital project budget, or

that can be supported through modest funding from

other sources (ACT’s operating budget, grants, other

community support).

Long term, ACT should advocate for including a percent for

art in the CIP and other capital project budgets to ensure that

public-facing City facilities and infrastructure include public

art (see Funding Sources, p 42).

For other projects, costs can be shared between ACT’s

operating budget and the partnering department. ACT and

the partnering department can also jointly seek grant funds for

these smaller projects.

Artist Selection

In most cases, Civic Infrastructure Projects should follow

the Standard Public Art Commissioning Process described

in this plan (p. 46). The Art Selection Panel would include a

representative from the City department and/or partnering

agency, as well as at least two stakeholders from the

community that would be the primary audience for the work.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN28

TEMPORARY PROJECTS

ACT Public Art should continue to build on ACT’s history

of commissioning and displaying temporary public artwork,

exploring new ways of working with artists and pushing

beyond the ways artists traditionally have been asked to display

their work in public.

To start, ACT Public Art should commission temporary

projects in three main ways: PVD Projections, PVDFest Public

Art Projects, and the Public Art Ideas Competition. Over

time, opportunities for one-off temporary projects and other

temporary series may be identiﬁed. In addition, the Gallery

at City Hall should be brought under the umbrella of ACT

Public Art and can be used as a site for temporary projects,

as well as a space to display models, drawings, maps, or other

materials and information related to new or in-progress ACT

Public Art projects.

PVD Projections should be an ongoing platform for rotating

new media work projected onto buildings in downtown or

other prominent places. The new media works should be

curated by a guest curator or committee and can feature

work by local artists and faculty and students of Providence’s

universities, as well as work created by artists outside of

Providence. PVD Projections would primarily run during

the winter when night falls early and would activate the city

during the long dark winter evenings.

PVDFest Public Art Projects should continue to be

commissioned for the duration of PVDFest each year, but

should be brought under the umbrella of ACT Public Art and

focus on achieving the goals and vision of ACT Public Art,

as well as those of the festival. These temporary public art

installations should continue to work to enhance interactions

between visitors at the festival and make the streetscape more

vibrant, playful, surprising, or beautiful. Once the redesign

of Kennedy Plaza is complete, ACT Public Art should

commission a street painting each year in Greater Kennedy

Plaza, as part of PVDFest Public Art Projects, with an expected

lifespan of one year, to be a legacy project of PVDFest.

The Public Art Ideas Competition should be a new model for

funding artist-initiated projects by issuing a “Call for Ideas”

to artists. This call should ask artists to respond to a broad

curatorial prompt with a project idea and location of their

choosing. This new model would allow ACT Public Art to

provide greater support to artists and help artists gain skills

necessary to work in public space and at new scales. It would

also facilitate new opportunities for artists to think broadly

about public space and the ways their work can interact

with and make an impact on the built environment, natural

landscapes, and the community who uses these spaces. Selected

artists should receive full project management support from

ACT staff, in addition to funding.

Public Art Goals

Temporary Projects should:

• Provide new and constantly changing reasons to visit and

explore Providence.

• Be interactive, engaging, and dynamic.

• Provide a format for artists to explore and respond quickly

to issues of the moment.

• Allow artists to experiment, innovate, and take risks in a

temporary format.

• Provide smaller-scale opportunities for emerging artists

or artists new to public art to explore working in the

public realm.

Criteria for When to Commission

Temporary Projects

PVD Projections, PVDFest Public Art Projects, and the Public

Art Ideas Competition will each have their own schedule

occurring yearly or every other year.

When reviewing potential opportunities for additional

Temporary Projects, ACT Public Art should consider the

following:

• Priority should be given to temporary projects that will

activate areas of Providence that do not already have public

art or that will reach new audiences.

• Priority should be given to temporary projects that

will bring new types of work to Providence or push the

boundaries of the way artwork is exhibited in Providence.

• Priority should be given to temporary projects that provide

an opportunity to partner with other City agencies,

cultural institutions, or other arts organizations.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 29

Funding Sources

Temporary Projects can be supported through ACT’s

operating budget and the PVDFest budget. If the curatorial

prompt for the Public Art Ideas Competition is aligned with

another City initiative, funds from that department or

program can be leveraged.

Artist Selection

In most cases, Temporary Projects should follow the Standard

Public Art Commissioning Process described in this plan

(p. 46). The Art Selection Panel would include a representative

from the City Department, as well as at least one stakeholder

from the community that would be the primary audience for

the work.

The Public Art Ideas Competition should follow the Public Art

Ideas Competition Process described in this plan (p. 46). If the

curatorial prompt is aligned with another City initiative, the

Art Selection Panel would include a representative from that

City Department, as well as at least two stakeholders from the

community that would be the primary audience for the work.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN30

RECOMMENDED PROJECTS

The following is a timeline of recommended projects that

can guide ACT Public Art in its ﬁrst ﬁve years. The projects

are grouped by the four project types, and divided into FY

19 (ACT Public Art’s ﬁrst year) and FY 20-24, forming the

beginnings of a work plan for the program.

FY19

Landmark Public Artworks

NEIGHBORHOOD LANDMARKS

ACT Public Art should begin to work with the City of

Providence Department of Planning and Development to

begin to identity one or two opportunities for

Neighborhood Landmarks.

KENNEDY PLAZA SIGNATURE ARTWORK

In September 2017, Mayor Elorza unveiled a vision to make

Kennedy Plaza a more vibrant public space. This vision,

created with public input, builds on the 2015 reconﬁguration

of the plaza and incorporates plans for the Downtown

Transit Connector (DTC) and the Providence Intermodal

Transportation Center. It will create new public spaces

for programming and revenue-generating activities, as well

as improve boarding areas, pedestrian safety, and vehicle

circulation.

ACT Public Art, working with other Kennedy Plaza and

downtown stakeholders, should begin the process to

commission a major signature permanent work of art for the

new Kennedy Plaza. The artwork, and its selected location,

should be designed in a way that accommodates continued

use of Kennedy Plaza as a ﬂexible space for community events

and programming. The use of Kennedy Plaza for additional

rotating artwork will need to be complementary to the

signature artwork once the signature artwork is completed.

Public Art Residencies

RECREATION CENTER RESIDENCIES

ACT Public Art should develop a program with the City

of Providence Recreation Department placing artists at

Recreation Centers to work directly with community members

on projects that create a more welcoming atmosphere at

Recreation Centers and better connect the neighborhoods

with the Centers. Artists-in-Residence would help build

community within each Recreation Center, raise visibility of

the Recreation Centers in each neighborhood, and create a

sense of connection amongst the Recreation Centers as a

civic system.

Recommended pilot sites based on preliminary conversations

with the Recreation Department are Davey Lopes,

Neutaconkanut, Rogers, and Vincent Brown.

CITY ARCHIVES RESIDENCY

ACT Public Art should work with the City Archives staff to

select an artist to work in residence in the City Archives. During

the residency, the artist would mine the collection and create

new public work that highlights this resource and some aspect

of Providence’s history or culture found within. Work can be

created for display in the Gallery at City Hall or in the areas

outside City Hall on either side of the entryway steps. The artist

should be paid for their time based on an hourly wage and a

separate budget should exist for materials and installation.

Civic Infrastructure Projects

DOWNTOWN TRANSIT CONNECTOR POSTER

PROGRAM

ACT Public Art should work with RIPTA to create a rotating

poster program at the new DTC bus stations. This program

would commission local artists, building on Providence’s

traditions of poster-making, to create new work for installation

in speciﬁc areas of bus stations.

The program would have a designated display area/format

in the stations that is protected from the elements and from

vandalism, and a schedule would be developed for installing

and de-installing posters, so riders can see different posters at

different stations. The poster program can be branded with

a name, standardized fonts, and poster formats, and feature

ACT’s logo prominently on the posters, noting that this is a

program of ACT Public Art to build recognition and respect

for the program. This program could be extended to other

stations beyond the DTC in the future as well.

Temporary Projects

THE PUBLIC ART IDEAS COMPETITION

PILOT ROUND

ACT Public Art should initiate a pilot round that would result

in three to four artist-initiated projects. The Call for Ideas

could include a list of optional pre-approved sites but would

indicate that artists are not limited to these sites. ACT Public

Art can consider aligning the curatorial prompt with other

City initiatives to partner with and leverage funding from

other departments or programs.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 31

WOONASQUATUCKET RIVER GREENWAY ARTS

ACT should bring their involvement in the Woonasquatucket

River Greenway Arts Project, if funded by the NEA’s Our

Town program, under the umbrella of ACT Public Art. In

the near term, ACT should align the selection process for

the proposed temporary public sculptures with the process

recommended in this plan.

FY20-24

Landmark Public Artworks

NEIGHBORHOOD LANDMARKS

ACT Public Art should implement one or more of the

Neighborhood Landmark projects identiﬁed in FY19.

I-195 REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT PARKS

The I-195 Redevelopment District Commission is planning

two new public parks that will connect College Hill and Fox

Point with downtown and will be at the locus of a new and

vibrant urban district. Once the parks are complete they

will be owned and maintained by the I-195 Redevelopment

District Commission. ACT Public Art should partner with the

1-195 Redevelopment District Commission to commission a

signiﬁcant public artwork in both parks, signaling the City’s

commitment to high-quality public space and serving as a

beacon of Providence’s renaissance. This artwork could exist

as two parts that are in conversation with each other, creating

a visual connection between the two parks and encouraging

visitors to venture from one to the other.

Public Art Residencies

PROVIDENCE PUBLIC SCHOOLS/

TURNAROUND ARTS: PROVIDENCE RESIDENCY

ACT Public Art should explore the possibility of developing

a public art residency in partnership with Turnaround Arts

Providence (TA:P) for TA:P’s third year (FY 2020 -2021).

This could become a legacy project of

TA:P and continue in

the schools after that program is complete. This residency

should be focused on achieving the goals of TA:P and

creating public art for the schools that achieves the vision of

ACT Public Art.

Civic Infrastructure Projects

NEW DPW FACILITY

The 2018 – 2022 CIP includes funding for a new facility for

the City of Providence Department of Public Works (DPW).

ACT should work with DPW to identify opportunities to

incorporate public art into the facility.

SIDEWALK TATTOOS

Each year, City Wards are allocated funding for sidewalk

improvements and replacements, where needed, through

DPW. As a part of this program, ACT Public Art should

work with DPW to commission local artists to create a

series of Sidewalk Tattoos that can be stamped into the

freshly placed cement. ACT and DPW could partner with

local fabricators to work with selected artists to create

stamps that can be used to impress the designs into the new

sidewalk. These stamps will become part of the ACT Public

Art collection. ACT Public Art should host an annual Call

to Artists to select up to four artists to create Sidewalk

Tattoo designs. Artists would be awarded a stipend to

translate their design into iron at the Steel Yard and to be

present for the sidewalk stamping.

PROVIDENCE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The City has recently committed up to $400 million for

school infrastructure repairs and is leading a community

engagement process to solicit feedback. ACT Public Art

should become involved in this process and assign a staff

member to follow the meetings and work with City staff

leading the process to identify opportunities for public art,

design enhancements, artist residencies, or other collaborations

in future capital improvements. ACT should also clarify and

conﬁrm if the percent for art should be applied to Schools.

ART AND SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE

ACT Public Art should collaborate with the Recreation

Department and/or the Department of Parks to engage an

artist to look at the City’s sports and ﬁtness infrastructure,

such as indoor and outdoor basketball courts, pools, and gyms,

and develop a project that takes advantage of the potential for

art to be part of these highly used, social places.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN32

Temporary Projects

THE PUBLIC ART IDEAS COMPETITION

ACT Public Art should issue a “Call for Ideas” for the

Public Art Ideas Competition every other year.

PVD PROJECTIONS

ACT Public Art should develop and establish the PVD

Projections series, including identifying appropriate sites,

making a capital investment into equipment, and developing a

curatorial process and partnerships.

Long Term

Landmark Public Artworks

CAPITAL CITY LANDMARKS FOR FLAGSHIP

PARKS

ACT Public Art should work with the Department of Parks

to explore the potential for commissioning Capital City

Landmark projects for one or more of the City’s three ﬂagship

parks: Roger Williams Park, India Point Park, and/or the

Riverwalk.

Public Art Residencies

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS RESIDENCY

Civic Infrastructure Projects commissioned with the City of

Providence Department of Public Works, such as the Sidewalk

Tattoos, will help ACT develop a strong working relationship

with DPW and could help lay the groundwork for a future

Public Art Residency within the Department of Public Works.

Through this residency, an artist could explore the many

functions of DPW and the role DPW-supported infrastructure

and systems play in residents’ daily life.

Civic Infrastructure Projects

CITY WALK

ACT Public Art should follow the planning process for

City Walk and continue to work with the Department of

Planning and Development and their consultants to identify

opportunities to incorporate public art into the planned

network of bike routes and pedestrian spaces connecting urban

landscape spaces. ACT should work to include funding for

public art in future phases of City Walk in the current State

Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) (2018 - 2027).

RIVERWALK

ACT Public Art should follow planning efforts for

redevelopment or improvements to the Riverwalk and

identify opportunities to incorporate public art or design

enhancements into the space. Potential opportunities could

include design and replacement of railings, pavers, or plaza

areas, or incorporation of smaller-scale, iterative sculptures

or objects. These opportunities could be timed to leverage

other investments being made in the Riverwalk, such as CIP,

developer, private contributions, or other fund sources.

WOONASQUATUCKET RIVER GREENWAY ARTS

The planning for a permanent linear art park should be

brought under the umbrella of ACT Public Art. ACT should

work to include funding for this project in the current State

Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) (2018 – 2027).

Temporary Projects

Once the redesign of Kennedy Plaza is complete, ACT Public

Art should commission a street painting each year in greater

Kennedy Plaza, with an expected lifespan of one year, to be a

legacy project of PVDFest.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 33

RECOMMENDED PROJECT LIST

Landmark Public Artworks

• Neighborhood Landmark Opportunities

• Kennedy Plaza Signature Artwork

• I-195 Redevelopment District Parks

• Capital City Landmark Opportunities in partnership with

Department of Parks

Public Art Residencies

• Recreation Center Residencies

• City Archives Residency

• DPW Residency

• Turnaround Arts: Providence Residency

Civic Infrastructure Projects

• Downtown Transit Connector Poster Program

• Woonasquatucket River Greenway Arts Linear Art Park

• New DPW Facility

• Sidewalk Tattoos

• Schools Infrastructure (with Providence Public Schools)

• Art & Sports Infrastructure (with the Recreation

Department and/or Department of Parks)

• City Walk

• Riverwalk

Temporary Projects

• Woonasquatucket River Greenway Arts Temporary

Sculptures

• The Public Art Ideas Competition

• PVDFest Public Art Projects

• PVD Projections Series

• Greater Kennedy Plaza yearly street painting

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN34

COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

ACT Public Art should become well-known in the community

as commissioning high-quality, community responsive

public art. Effective communications and the delivery of

community programs that engage people in public art from

the commissioning process through the lifetime of the artwork

will be important to the success of the program.

ACT Staff should develop and implement an effective

communications and community programming strategy that

serves to:

• Raise the proﬁle of ACT Public Art, individual projects,

and the Providence Public Art Collection, as well as all

public art that is accessible throughout the City.

• Create a level of transparency around the process for

creating new public art projects.

• Encourage people to get involved on the ACL or on an

Artist Selection Panel.

• Educate people about individual works of public art, the

artists who create them, the processes they use, etc.

• Draw attention to Providence as an innovator in the ﬁeld

of public art and a destination for high quality public art.

• Engage people with the works in the Providence Public

Art Collection.

• Engage and support local artists in developing their

practices in public art.

Message and Identity

ACT Public Art should be the umbrella under which all of

the City’s public art activities take place, with the exception of

works in the Parks Public Art Collection.

The name ACT Public Art should be used in all

communications, including print materials, press releases,

website, social media and identiﬁcation labels.

When developing materials, ACT Public Art should also

consider developing key messages that are reinforced through

all communications channels. Potential key messages are:

• Celebrate the talents of commissioned artists.

• Promote the role that the community has played in the

selection of the artist or creation of the work.

• Relate projects back to the vision and guiding principles

of the program and project types.

• Underscore that the approach taken toward planning,

funding and implementation is related to best practices

in public art.

Public Art Catalog

A full inventory of all public art throughout Providence,

including high-quality images and descriptions, should be

accessible via the ACT website. This could be organized

through the City website or a national public art website such

as Westaf ’s Public Art Archive or CultureNOW’s Museum

Without Walls. Print brochures providing an overview of

the collection, outlining a self-guided tour and/or about

speciﬁc works in the collection can also be a resource that is

distributed at community facilities and shared with people

interested in public art in Providence.

Project-Speciﬁc Communications

Strategy

ACT Public Art staff should develop a communications

strategy for each public art project that includes

communications, stakeholder engagement and community

involvement opportunities during the commissioning

process through the unveiling of the artwork. The strategy

should identify target audiences, messages, and vehicles for

communication, as well as a timeline linked to the public art

project milestones.

Meet the Artist Sessions

For all new public art commissions, ACT should work with

the artist to design one or more open meetings that invite the

public to meet the artist and learn about his or her practice

and for the artist to learn about the community. These sessions

should be organized and facilitated by ACT.

Artist-Designed Engagement

For some new commissions, ACT may also require that

the artist develop their own engagement process to inform

their project.

Communications for Non-ACT Public Art

Projects

ACT should also be a vehicle for providing information

about public art projects in Providence that are initiated by

art organizations, developers and other sponsors through its

website, newsletter and other communications.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 35

Programs to Promote Engagement with

the Public Art Collection

ACT should develop partnerships to bring the City’s public

art to life. Projects could include walking tours of public art

in different parts of the city, curriculum materials focused on

speciﬁc public artworks, engaging performing artists to create

new work in response to public artworks, etc.

Recognition of Public Art on Private

Property

The City of Providence should pursue opportunities to

recognize private property owners, developers, cultural

organizations and artists that install public art on private

property. Recognition opportunities could include a uniform

plaque/medallion placed near the artwork to recognize their

contribution to public art in Providence, promotion of the

art in ACT materials and in City publications, or an annual

Mayor’s Award recognizing excellence in public art.

Local Artist Engagement

Providence has a strong community of artists, some of whom

have experience with public art practice, and others who are

interested but have not had opportunities to develop projects

in the public realm. ACT should work with project partners

to develop ways to engage local artists, provide opportunities

for artists new to public art to receive commissions and

provide training.

Emerging Public Artist Opportunities

As an artist, getting a large public art commission can be

difﬁcult if you do not already have completed public art

projects as part of your portfolio. Through the Annual Work

Plan process, ACT and the ACL should look for project

opportunities that can be geared speciﬁcally to artists that

are new to public art. These may be projects that are

temporary in nature, allowing artists to create site-responsive

works of larger scale but that don’t have the burden of

engineering for permanence, smaller scale projects, or projects

that pair artists and fabricators to create permanent work

that may be of a different medium or scale that the artist is

accustomed to working.

Artist Training

The Department of Art, Culture + Tourism should

partner with arts organizations, RISCA and local universities

to provide training speciﬁc to the needs of public artists

and to incorporate public art-related topics into existing

training programs.

Public Art Fellowship Opportunities

A Public Art Fellowship would provide opportunities for local

artists to assist experienced artists in large-scale (over $50,000)

public art commissions in order to gain the technical and

administrative expertise needed to compete within the ﬁeld

of public art.

For speciﬁc public art commissions, a separate call would

go out to local artists to participate as a Fellow on a public

art project. Artists should have a strong interest in gaining

expertise in the public art process, but no prior public art

experience would be required. The ACL would develop

a short-list based upon review of applications, then the

shortlisted artists’ qualiﬁcations would be shared with the

commissioned artist to select a Fellow to work with on

their project. Fellows would be compensated for their service

on the project.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 37

This section of the Plan recommends procedures and protocols ACT Public Art

should use to accomplish its work, including tools for planning for public art and

evaluating potential opportunities and recommended artist selection processes,

funding sources and stafﬁng levels. It also lays out the responsibilities of the Mayor,

City Council, the Art in City Life Commission, Art Selection Panels, the Special

Committee for Review of Memorials, and staff.

In addition to commissioning new works, ACT Public Art should oversee

maintenance and conservation of the works in its collection and serve as a resource

for other entities developing public art in Providence, most notably by guiding

individuals and organizations commissioning public art through any required

reviews by the City.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN38

DEFINITIONS

ACT Public Art. The name for the City of Providence’s

public art program, managed by the Department of Art,

Culture + Tourism (ACT). ACT Public Art is inclusive of all

public art activities managed through ACT.

Art in City Life Commission (ACL). Commission

appointed by the Mayor responsible for advising and making

recommendations to ACT staff and the Mayor regarding ACT

Public Art.

Art in City Life Plan. A public document approved by

the Art in City Life Commission outlining the administrative

procedures for ACT Public Art and the Art in City Life

Commission, the vision and goals for ACT Public Art, and key

public art opportunities. The Art in City Life Plan should be

updated at least every 10 years, or more frequently if needed.

Art Selection Panel. An ad hoc committee, appointed as

necessary for the implementation of public art projects. The

Art Selection Panel recommends artist selection and artist

concepts to the Art in City Life Commission for public art

projects and makes recommendations regarding the selection

of artwork for exhibitions. A member of the Art in City Life

Commission sits on the Art Selection Panel.

Artist. An individual generally recognized by critics and

peers as a professional practitioner of the visual, performing or

language arts, based on his or her body of work, educational

background, experience, exhibition history, publication and/

or creation of artworks. For commissioning and acquisition

purposes, an artist cannot be a City employee, a member of

the Art in City Life Commission or the relevant Art Selection

Panel. If the artwork is part of a Capital Project, the artist

cannot be a member of the Prime Consultant’s ﬁrm or team.

Artwork. An aesthetic creation of permanent or temporary

medium or combination of media resulting from the skill and

creativity of an artist or artists.

Conservation. The regularly scheduled examination,

documentation, treatment and preventative care of an artwork

conducted by a professional art conservator.

Call to Artists. General term for a request for artists to

apply for a public art project or exhibition opportunity.

Capital Center Commission (CCC). An appointed

body charged to adopt, implement and administer a plan of

development for the Capital Center Special Development

District, as provided for by the Rhode Island Special

Development District Act (RIGL 45-24.4). This area is a 79

acre redevelopment in the heart of downtown Providence.

Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Any city

department’s program for advance planning of capital

developments.

City Services Working Group. A group of City staff

convened by ACT to provide technical review of public art

projects prior to ACL review. Typically includes representatives

of Department of Public Works, Trafﬁc and Engineering,

Public Property, Inspections and Standards, Department of

Planning and Development, Department of Parks, and the

Mayor’s Center for City Services (MCCS).

Concept Design. The phase of a public art project in

which an artist creates an initial design, including diagrams or

a maquette, and conducts a preliminary cost estimate.

Construction Project. Any capital project paid for wholly

or in part by the City of Providence to construct or remodel

any building, decorative or commemorative structure, park,

street, sidewalk, parking facility or utility or any portion

thereof within the City of Providence.

Commission of Artist. The engagement of an artist

either to construct a new work or to provide an existing work

of art for a specified site.

De-accession. The formal process used to remove an

artwork that has been commissioned by, acquired by or

donated to the City.

Downtown Design Review Committee (DDRC).

An appointed development plan review body to conduct

development plan review in the D-1 Zone in downtown

Providence.

Eligible Fund. Money, regardless of source, for

construction projects, from which art is not precluded.

Final Design and Construction Documents.

The phase of a public art project in which the artist ﬁnalizes

the design, placement, installation speciﬁcations and cost

estimate and has relevant components prepared and stamped

by a licensed engineer.

Gift. Art donated to the City from a private individual,

institution or other outside source.

Limited Competition. A call to artists in which a small

number of artists are speciﬁcally invited to respond through

a Request for Qualiﬁcations (RFQ) or Request for Proposals

(RFP) process. Artists should be invited based on their past

work and demonstrated ability to successfully respond to the

conditions of the particular project.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 39

Loan. Artworks provided to the City of Providence (sited

on City property) for its use for a period of time and to be

returned to the owner after the loan period expires.

Maintenance. The routine care and repair of works of

public art that does not require specialized expertise.

Memorial. A structure (plaque, artwork or other item) sited

in a public location that is established to honor, preserve the

memory of, or commemorate a deceased person(s), an event

that occurred in the past, or an important idea that has shaped

or impacted the community.

Open Competition. A call to artists for a speciﬁc project

in which artists are asked to respond through a Request for

Qualiﬁcations (RFQ) or Request for Proposals (RFP) process.

Any artist may respond, subject to limitations established in

the solicitation.

Parks Public Art Collection. Public art sited in City

of Providence-owned Parks ; collections care managed by the

Parks Department.

Providence Public Art Collection. Public art owned or

commissioned by the City of Providence, with the exception

of works sited in City-owned Parks.

Providence Historic District Commission (PHDC).

An appointed board that regulates development in designated

Local Historic Districts by acting as a design review body.

Public Art. Temporary or permanent elements of a public

space that are designed by an artist or artist team and reﬂect an

awareness of and enrich the site.

Public Art Conservation Fund. A separate account held

by the City where contribution for the conservation of public

art are held, including funds contributed in conjunction with

the donation of a work of art to the City.

Public Art Ideas Competition. A method for

commissioning public art whereby artists are selected to

develop and implement art projects at sites of their choosing

based on their ideas for creatively engaging public spaces and/

or community, or in response to a speciﬁc curatorial idea or

theme.

Public Art Project Plan. A document that guides the

planning and execution of a speciﬁc public art project. It

sets out the basic framework of the project, such as goals and

location; budget and funding; timeline; the artist selection

process and community engagement process; a marketing

plan; a list of internal and external stakeholders; and protocols

for collaboration with other entities.

Public Art Residency. An artist embedded in an

organization or at a location for a ﬁxed period of time with the

expectation that the he or she will create a public art project

based on research and exploration conducted during the

residency.

Request for Proposals (RFP). A call to artists that

asks for the submission of both an artist’s credentials and a

conceptual proposal for an artwork, both of which are the

basis for selecting an artist.

Request for Qualiﬁcations (RFQ). A call to artists that

asks for the submission of an artist’s credentials, which is the

basis of selecting an artist.

Site and Design Review. Review conducted by the Art

in City Life Commission of donations of permanent work to

the City and of temporary loans and exhibitions of work to be

sited on City property. Considers the aesthetic quality of the

artwork and the relationship of the work to the site.

Site-Speciﬁc Artworks. Artworks that are inspired by

and created to ﬁt the context of a particular place.

Social and Merit Review. Review of proposed memorials

by the Special Committee for Review of Memorials to

determine if the person, group, organization, idea, principle

or event meets the criteria for being memorialized on City

property.

Special Committee for Review of Memorials. A

committee appointed by the Mayor of Providence to review

proposed donations of memorials to determine if the person,

group, organization, idea, principle or event meets the criteria

for being memorialized on City property.

Temporary Public Art. Works of art that are created to be

in a public place for less than two years.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN40

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Mayor, City Council, Art in City Life Commission, Artist

Selection Panels and staff from the Department of Art, Culture

+ Tourism should all play important roles in making ACT

Public Art a success. The following lists their recommended

responsibilities related to ACT Public Art.

Mayor

Description

The Mayor of Providence is elected to a four-year term.

The Mayor’s responsibilities include supervising all City

departments and agencies, preparing and implementing the

City budget.

Responsibilities

• Appoint the ACL Commission.

• Appoint Special Committee for Review of Memorials.

City Council

Description

The Providence City Council is the ﬁfteen-member legislative

body of the City of Providence. City Council members

are elected by ward to four-year terms and are limited to a

maximum of three consecutive full terms.

Responsibilities

• Approve the City’s Operating and Capital Budgets, which

may include funding earmarked for ACT Public Art.

• Approve donations of permanent artwork and memorials.

• Approve de-accession of permanent artwork and memorials.

• Approve ordinances that pertain to ACT Public Art.

Art in City Life Commission

Description

The Art in City Life Commission (ACL) is composed of 9

members from the following backgrounds: independent working

artists, art organizations and afﬁliations, universities and colleges,

and the private sector. In addition, the Mayor and City Finance

Director serve ex ofﬁcio on the ACL. Commissioners are

appointed by the Mayor and serve 2-year terms.

Responsibilities

• Review and recommend ACT Public Art’s Annual Public

Art Work Plan.

• Approve Project Plans for individual ACT Public Art

projects.

• Participate on Artist Selection Panels.

• Review and recommend Concept Designs for ACT Public

Art projects to ACT for approval.

• Review Concept Designs for privately-initiated permanent

public art projects on private property in the Downtown

D-1 Zone and the Capital Center Special Redevelopment

District and make recommendations to the Downtown

Design Review Committee or the Capital Center

Commission.

• Conduct a Site and Design Review and make

recommendations regarding acceptance of gifts of

permanent artwork and memorials on City property.

• Conduct a Site and Design Review and make

recommendations regarding acceptance of temporary loans

and exhibitions of artwork on City property.

• Make recommendations regarding proposed revisions to

public art policies and procedures.

• Advise and assist the City in raising funds to support ACT

Public Art.

• Serve as an advocate for public art in Providence.

Art Selection Panel

Description

An Art Selection Panel is an ad-hoc panel of the Art in City

Life Commission that reviews artist qualiﬁcations and artist

Concept Designs for ACT Public Art projects.

Each Art Selection Panel should include the following

representation:

• A member of the Art in City Life Commission.

• Local artist/arts professional/member(s) of the arts

community.

• Representatives from nearby neighborhood(s) or business

district(s).

• If applicable, a member of a related Board of Commission.

In addition, it is recommended that the Art Selection Panel

include non-voting representation from City staff for projects

done in collaboration with another City department, and the

architect of the related capital project, if applicable.

Responsibilities

• Review artist qualiﬁcations and select ﬁnalists.

• Review artist concepts/interview artists and recommend

ﬁnal selection.

• Review and recommend approval of artist Concept Design.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 41

Special Committee for the Review of Memorials

Description

A citizen committee appointed by the Mayor and staffed

by the Department of Arts, Culture + Tourism that reviews

proposals for memorials on all City property based on social

and merit issues. The committee should be comprised of

nine (9) members that are scholars in the ﬁelds of history

or commemoration or have a background in local history,

culture, or community building.

Responsibilities

• Develop criteria for review of social and merit issues as it

relates to new memorials.

• Review proposals for memorials based on established

criteria and make recommendations to ACT staff.

• Review requests for de-accession of memorials and make

recommendations to ACT staff.

Art, Culture + Tourism (ACT)

Description

Art, Culture + Tourism is a Department within the

Department of Planning and Development that ensures the

continued development of a vibrant and creative city by

integrating arts and culture into

community life while

showcasing Providence as an international cultural destination.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Art in City Life Commission and other

City staff to develop and implement the Annual Public Art

Work Plan.

• Staff the Art in City Life Commission.

• Staff the Special Committee for the Review of Memorials.

• Oversee the commissioning and installation of new works

of art for the Providence Public Art Collection, including:

– Developing Project Plans in collaboration with other

City departments and community partners.

– Developing artist solicitation materials.

– Organizing and facilitating artist selection processes.

– Preparing and negotiating contracts.

– Facilitating technical review of artist designs.

– Inspecting the ﬁnal work and coordinating and

scheduling installation with artist.

– Documenting the work as a part of collection

management.

– Developing and implementing community engagement

around the project.

• Ensure that the City’s adopted public art policies and

procedures are followed.

• Ensure that the Providence Public Art Collection is

properly documented, maintained and conserved.

• Pursue potential collaborations and funding opportunities,

including writing grants.

• Develop materials and programs to inform and engage the

public about the Providence Public Art Collection, as well

as all public art that can be experienced in Providence.

•

Oversee the review of permanent public art donated to the

City.

• Oversee the review of temporary loans and exhibitions to

be sited on City property.

•

Oversee the review of developer art projects, if

commissioned as part of a development benefit.

• Facilitate the review of privately-initiated permanent

public art projects in the Downtown D-1 Zone and the

Capital Center Special Development District.

• Oversee the review of works of art being considered for

de-accession.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN42

FUNDING SOURCES

ACT Public Art should be supported through various public

and private resources. An increase in public funding will

demonstrate the City’s leadership and commitment to quality

public art throughout Providence. Focused efforts on private

fundraising will be crucial to realizing more ambitious and

large-scale public art projects. Most important, a diversity of

funding sources will help ensure a stable program.

Percent for Art

Background

In 1980, the Providence City Council approved Ordinance

1980, Ch. 80-39 establishing the Art in City Life Commission

and establishing a percent for art funding mechanism to

support new public art commissions.

Sec. 2-353 of the Ordinance states: “All city department heads

shall include in their annual municipal budget requests, as

well as special requests, grant applications and other requests

for appropriations for construction projects, an amount equal

to at least one percent of the total project to be expended on

works of art.”

Sec. 2-357 of the Ordinance goes on to state: “There is

established in the city treasury a special fund designated “Art

in City Life Fund” into which funds appropriated shall be

deposited.”

Although approved by Council, this Ordinance was never put

into effect.

Applying Percent for Art

Percent for art is a method used by over 400 cities, counties

and other public agencies across the United States to

earmark funding for public art. Generally tied to capital

improvement planning and budgeting, it works best when a

community is renovating or expanding its community and

civic infrastructure and guarantees that public art is developed

alongside these investments.

City of Providence construction projects are funded through

bond funding, through the City’s operating fund, and

through other funding sources. Moving forward, the City

should begin applying its percent for art ordinance to all

eligible construction projects, deﬁned in the Ordinance as

“any capital project paid for wholly or in part by the City of

Providence to construct or remodel any building, decorative

or commemorative structure, park, street, sidewalk, parking

facility or utility or any portion thereof within the City of

Providence.”

The Department of Art, Culture + Tourism should work

with the Department of Planning and Development and

the Department of Finance to determine

the best way to identify eligible construction projects and

allocate an amount equal to at least one percent of each

project’s total budget to the Art in City Life Fund.

The Annual Public Art Work Plan and Budget (see below)

should outline annually the use of these funds.

Uses of Percent for Art

Percent for art and other designated public art project funds

should only be used for:

• Projects sited on City property.

• Artist fees and artist travel and expenses that are related

to the City’s commissioning or purchase of public art as

stipulated in a contract with the artist.

• Artwork fabrication, storage, and installation per contract.

• Acquisition of existing works of art.

• Required permits and insurance during the fabrication and

installation of the artwork per contract.

• Conservation of works in the City of Providence Public

Art Collection.

• Documentation and interpretive plaques.

• Costs associated with relocation or de-accession of existing

works of art.

• Project consultants and contracted services.

Percent for art and other designated public art project funds

should not be used for:

• Mass produced work, with the exception of limited

editions controlled by the artist.

• Artwork not produced or designed by an Art in City Life

Commission-recommended artist.

• Professional graphics, unless designed or executed by an

artist or used in the development of collateral material for

ACT Public Art.

• Decorative, ornamental or functional elements that

are designed by the Prime Consultant on a Capital

Improvement Project.

• Routine maintenance.

• Purchase of existing works of art outside of the selection

process.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 43

General Fund

As a part of the City’s annual budgeting process, ACT should

request funds to support the following related to ACT Public Art:

PVDFest Public Art. A combination of General Fund and

private sponsorship dollars should continue to support

temporary and legacy public art projects that are developed as

part of PVDFest.

The Public Art Ideas Competition. The General Fund should

support commissioning one or more projects selected through

The Public Art Ideas Competition annually.

Stafﬁng and administrative support. The General Fund should

cover stafﬁng from ACT to support ACT Public Art, including

any future dedicated staff. The General Fund can also be used to

hire consultants to manage or curate speciﬁc public art projects.

Collection management. The General Fund should support

keeping good documentation of the City’s collection,

as outlined below, a regular collection assessment, and

professional conservation when needed.

Communications. The General Fund should cover

communications efforts and materials related to promoting the

Providence Public Art collection.

Other. Requests can be made for support from the

General Fund for other expenses related to the successful

implementation of ACT Public Art.

Providence Tourism Council

Providence has been experiencing a rapid growth in hotel

development, with ﬁve new hotels expected to open in

downtown in 2018 and as many as 19 new hotels in the City

by 2019.

The state of Rhode Island enacts a 5% hotel tax. A portion

of those funds go to the Providence Tourism Council to work

collaboratively with businesses, organizations and individuals

to build awareness of Providence as an arts and multi-cultural

destination. ACT receives grant funding from the Providence

Tourism Council to support general operating, PVDFest and

the City’s Fourth of July celebration.

Public art, especially projects that become iconic symbols for

the City and enhance downtown public spaces, can become

destinations in themselves and help support Providence as

center for cultural tourism.

The addition of new hotels in Providence will mean a steady

increase in the revenues from the hotel tax and a budget

increase for the Providence Tourism Council. ACT should

work with the Providence Tourism Council to capture a

portion of this increase in revenues to support ACT Public Art

projects that promote tourism or support the city’s hotel and

convention industry.

Permitting Fees

As the State of Rhode Island revises regulations governing how

cities assess and collect permitting fees, ACT should work

with the Department of Inspections and Standards and the

Department of Planning and Development to gain approval

from the State to allocate a portion of permitting fees to the

Art in City Life Fund.

Public Art as a Development Beneﬁt

Developers seeking certain types of incentives or zoning

variances from the City of Providence should be given the

option to commission public art or contribute to the Art in

City Life fund as a condition of their incentive or variance.

(See Public Art on Private Property, page 53). If adopted,

contributed funds should be used to support public art

projects in the neighborhood where the development is taking

place. ACT Public Art should work with the Department

of Planning and Development to determine the best way to

implement this recommendation.

Private Fundraising

The vision for public art in Providence is ambitious, equal to

the City’s ambitions for its future and its standing as a great

city for art and culture. Many projects recommended in this

plan, especially the larger-scale, Landmark Public Art projects,

will require resources beyond what the City is able to commit.

It will take the generosity of local philanthropy, in concert

with City funds, to make these projects possible.

The City should play a leadership role, together with other

civic partners, in developing a concerted effort to raise funds

from individuals, corporations and foundations and other

granting organizations to support the commissioning and

acquisition of public art, with a focus on Landmark projects,

as well as activities necessary to the success of ACT Public

Art, such as stafﬁng and administrative support, education,

community engagement, maintenance and conservation.

Grants

Art, Culture + Tourism has been successful in getting several

high-proﬁle national grants to support various initiatives,

some of which include a public art component. Staff should

continue to seek grants to help support the activities of ACT

Public Art, including staff and administrative support.

In addition, when the City writes a grant request to an outside

funding source for capital funding and there is an interest in

including public art in the capital project, then the request

should include provisions for public art to the extent allowable

by the grant source.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN44

STAFFING

There are a variety of skill sets needed for the successful

management of ACT Public Art. These include, but are

not limited to: planning and budgeting, curating, project

management, collections management, conservation, program

development and administration, fundraising and grant-

writing, marketing and communications, and community

partnership development.

The staff responsibilities for public art, outlined in the Roles

and Responsibilities section above (p. 40) will require the

time and focus of highly qualiﬁed staff. Managing public

art projects can be staff intensive, requiring relationships

with partnering agencies and the community. ACT Public

Art should continue to be a resource for outside groups

commissioning art on City property or requiring City

approval, as well.

There should be a person on the ACT staff who is the main

point person for public art, with ACT Public Art Manager

as part of their

title.

Having a single point person will clarify who is the main

contact for all public art matters and ensure that there is a

person on staff who is keeping track of all activities related

to ACT Public Art and the stafﬁng of the ACL Commission.

This staff position should report to the Director of Art,

Culture + Tourism.

While there should be a single point person, the Director

of Art, Culture + Tourism should be directly involved

in developing the Annual Work Plan and Budget and in

developing and fostering departmental and community

partnerships. Other staff within ACT may be called on to

support communications, marketing and other activities.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 45

PLANNING FOR PUBLIC ART

Department of Art, Culture + Tourism (ACT) staff, working

with other City departments and the Art in City Life

Commission, should thoughtfully plan for public art, both

through an annual work plan process and by developing

specific plans for each new public art commission being led

by ACT. ACT staff should also work closely with the

Department of Planning and Development as well as other

City departments, to include strategies for public art in

other City plans and planning processes.

Annual Public Art Work Plan and Budget

Each year ACT staff should articulate an Annual Public

Art Work Plan within the Department’s One Year Plan

and Budget for Outcomes and refer the annual public art

priorities and allocations to the Art in City Life Commission

for recommendation and to the City of Providence Finance

Director for approval as part of the annual budget process.

The Annual Public Art Work Plan and Budget should list

projects that are expected to begin in the coming ﬁscal year,

projects that are carrying over from previous ﬁscal years,

and special projects such as coordination with planning and

development processes.

The Work Plan and Budget should also indicate how projects

will be resourced, in terms of funding and stafﬁng. It should

indicate any internal and external partnerships necessary for

the successful completion of the project.

Project Plan

ACT Public Art should undertake careful planning for each

project that it implements to ensure that all projects are

well conceived. This planning should include identifying

the opportunity; ﬁnding project partners; understanding

potential hurdles with permissions, permitting or

construction; establishing realistic budgets and timelines; and

communicating with project partners at an early stage about

the intent and scope of the project.

For each public art project, ACT Public Art should adopt a

Project Plan, which is a foundational document that guides the

planning and execution of a pr

oject. A Project Plan should set

out the basic framework of a project, including:

• A description of the project’s location and other

information regarding the proposed siting.

• The project goals and how the project relates to the overall

vision for public art in Providence.

• Evaluation criteria against which the artist selection and

Concept Design can be evaluated.

• The budget and funding sources.

• The project schedule.

• Internal and external stakeholders.

• The artist’s scope of work.

• The artist selection method.

•

Recommended Art Selection Panel members with alternates.

• A communications and community engagement strategy.

• Potential partners and needed agreements.

Project Plans should be developed by the ACT staff and

approved by the Art in City Life Commission.

Other City Plans

Other City plans, developed by the City’s Planning D

ivision,

or created as part of a complex capital project, are an

important tool for identifying public art opportunities as

public spaces are being planned. They can take into account

specific community interests and provide a better

understanding of future infrastructure and development

patterns as they pertain to a specific area, use or program.

The ACT staff should be engaged in planning initiatives

where there are potential opportunities for public art. ACT

staff should work through the planning and community

engagement process in place for the planning effort to identify

and include public art recommendations in the plan.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN46

COMMISSIONING PUBLIC ART

New public art projects commissioned by ACT Public

Art will, with rare exceptions, be site-speciﬁc commissions

where an artist is selected to develop a project speciﬁcally

for Providence that is informed by the context of the site.

The Standard Public Art Commissioning Process will serve

as a starting point for how to select new commissions, with

the exact details outlined in each Project Plan. Variations are

provided for Public Art Residencies and The Public Art Ideas

Competition.

Standard Public Art Commissioning Process

The following outlines the standard process for ACT Public

rt to use when commissioning a work of art, with an

emphasis on deﬁning the roles that the ACT staff and Art in

City Life Commission will play.

Deﬁne the Art Opportunity

The ﬁrst step for a public art project is to deﬁne the general

parameters of the project in a Project Plan, as described above.

Create an Art Selection Panel

For each project, the ACT staff should convene an Art

Selection Panel speciﬁc to the project. The Panel should be

comprised of ﬁve to seven members, including at least one

member of the Art in City Life Commission, one member

of each applicable board or commission, local artists or arts

professionals, and representatives of nearby neighborhoods

or business districts. For public art projects related to capital

projects, members of the design team (architects, landscape

architects) should be invited to take part in panel discussions

as non-voting members.

Select the Artist and Concept Design

In general, artists should be selected in a two-phase process.

In the ﬁrst phase, the Public Art Program Manager should

develop and the City should issue a Request for Qualiﬁcations

(RFQ) to artists based on the approved Project Plan. The

RFQ should include context, project goals, budget, timeline,

artist scope of work and submission instructions, as well as any

standard requirements of the City’s public purchasing processes.

Interested artists would submit qualiﬁcations packages

(generally a cover letter, resume, images of past work with

descriptions, and references). Artists could be invited through

an open Request for Qualiﬁcations or by invitation. The

Art Selection Panel should be convened to review artist

qualiﬁcations and select ﬁnalists. The Art Selection Panel

should consider both the general criteria for artist selection

outlined elsewhere in this plan, as well as speciﬁc criteria

outlined in the Project Plan.

The second Phase of the process is narrowing down from

ﬁnalists to the selected artist. This can be accomplished

through a Concept Design-Based Selection or an Interview-

Based Selection

CONCEPT DESIGN-BASED SELECTION

In a Concept Design-Based Selection, ﬁnalists would

be invited to develop a site-speciﬁc Concept Design for

the project. For this method of selection, each ﬁnalist

would be paid a proposal fee to develop and present

a physical representation of the work (a rendering or

three-dimensional model), a written project description,

a description of materials and fabrication techniques,

expectations regarding site preparation and infrastructure

needs, and a detailed budget and timeline.

The Art Selection Panel would review artist Concept

Designs and recommend the selection of an artist for the

project to the Art in City Life Commission based both

upon artist qualiﬁcations and the Concept Design. The

City department in charge of the site of where the art

will be located would also review the Concept Design

to identify any technical concerns. The Art in City Life

Commission would review this recommendation and

make a ﬁnal recommendation to ACT for award. Once

the award has been made, the selected artist would proceed

with Final Design.

INTERVIEW BASED SELECTION

An alternate method is to invite ﬁnalists to interview with

the Art Selection Panel and base selection on qualiﬁcations

and the interview. The recommendation of the Panel would

go to the ACL Commission for review and recommendation

to ACT for approval.

The selected artist would then proceed with the design

development process. Once the selected artist has a

Concept Design, it would be presented to the Art Selection

Panel for their review and recommendation. The Concept

Design may also have to go to applicable board(s) or

commission(s) for review and recommendation. The City

department in charge of the site where the art would be

located would also review the Concept Design to identify

any technical concerns. The recommendations of the Panel,

boards and commissions, and technical review would be

presented to the Art in City Life Commission. The Art in

City Life Commission would review the Concept Design

and recommend the Artist proceed with Final Design.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 47

Execute the Artist Agreement

Once an artist is selected, the City would enter into an

agreement with the artist to develop a concept (if not already

developed and approved), develop ﬁnal design documentation,

and fabricate and install the artwork, as the circumstances of

the project warrant. The agreement would be approved by

the City’s Public Purchasing Department for projects under

$5,000 or Board of Contract & Supply if above that amount,

depending on the size of the contract.

Contracts should follow, to the extent possible, the format

provided by the Americans for the Arts Public Art Network, a

national organization that serves local arts agencies throughout

the United States and works with public art programs

nationwide to establish best practices in the ﬁeld. In particular,

the City should recognize artists’ intellectual property and

moral rights as provided for in federal copyright law and in the

Visual Artists Rights Act.

Monitor Final Design and Fabrication

Prior to fabrication, the artist would take the concept through

design development, further reﬁning the design, fabrication

techniques, materials, budget and similar technical details.

If necessary, the artist would be required to have elements

of their design reviewed and stamped by a licensed engineer

in the State of Rhode Island. The artist should also submit

the detailed design, including any documentation necessary

for permitting or other approvals, to City staff for technical

review.

The ACT staff would keep in regular contact with the artist

through the fabrication of the work, including inspecting the

work (via photographs or in person) prior to installation.

Oversee Installation

The ACT staff would work with the artist to ensure that

all necessary site permissions and permits are obtained

prior to installation and that any site preparation or other

infrastructure that is not being provided by the artist is in

place (these details should be worked out in the Project

Plan, artist proposal and artist agreement). The ACT Staff

would also be involved in coordinating the scheduling of the

installation and coordinating with necessary City departments

and property owners.

Project Close Out

When the project is installed, the ACT staff should ensure

that administrative aspects of the project are ﬁnalized.

These include:

• Obtain from the artist a maintenance protocol for

the artwork, as well as documentation of manufacturer’s

warranties for speciﬁc components (if applicable),

materials and fabricators used in the creation of

the artwork.

• Obtain from the artist a transfer of title for the artwork.

• Obtain from the artist any other outstanding

documentation of the project, including high-resolution

digital photography.

• Complete the installation of on-site interpretive signage.

• Enter the project into the collection database and include

in on-line catalog(s).

• Celebrate the completion of the project through a

dedication or other public event.

Oversee Maintenance, Conservation

Works of art should be cleaned regularly and/or otherwise

maintained by the City department responsible for the facility,

building or site in which the work of art resides. Works of art

should be maintained in a manner appropriate to the medium

and characteristics of the artwork, and in accordance with the

Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990. The City department should

report any damage or conservation needs to the Public Art

Program Manager and should not perform any non-routine

maintenance unless requested.

In some cases, works of art will need special attention to

ensure their proper appearance and longevity. For newly

commissioned or purchased works of art, the artist should

guarantee the work of art against any repairs for one year

(unless otherwise stipulated in the contract). Periodically

the City should conduct a conservation assessment of the

works in the City’s collection and ensure all necessary repairs

are completed.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN48

Public Art Ideas Competition Commissioning

Process

The artist selection and concept development and approval

process differs slightly for projects commissioned through

the Public Art Ideas Competition. ACT Public Art should

issue a “Call for Ideas” that invites artists to submit their

qualiﬁcations, as well as a letter outlining the idea or concept

they would like to explore though a public art project.

The Selection Panel reviews submissions and selects ﬁnalists

to develop site-speciﬁc Concept Designs. The ﬁnalists should

be paid a stipend to develop their proposals and should have

ongoing consultation, feedback and support from ACT Public

Art. The Selection Panel reviews Concept Designs and selects a

project or projects for execution.

Once the concept has been approved, the standard

commissioning process should be followed.

Residencies Commissioning Process

For residencies, the Standard Public Art Commissioning

Process should be followed, however the artist should be

selected based upon their qualiﬁcations and their answers to

speciﬁc questions related to the residency and their stated

approach to the residency. Proposals for the intended public

art output of the residency should not be sought until the

artist has completed the engagement aspects of their residency.

If artists are solicited through a call to artists, there should

be speciﬁc qualiﬁcations for the artist that are based on the

program and goals of the residency. Generally, these would

include a desire to work within an organization or agency,

and to engage with stakeholders in an open process. Also,

the artists should have the qualiﬁcations to create whatever

outputs the residencies call for.

An artist should be selected based on their qualiﬁcations and

an interview, and stakeholders from the agency, organization

or place where the residency is based should be involved in the

artist selection process.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 49

DONATIONS AND LOANS OF ARTWORK

ACT staff and the ACL have an important role to play in the

review of donations of permanent artwork and memorials to

the City, as well as temporary loans and exhibitions of public

art that are sited on City property. ACT staff should help

facilitate the review and approval process, while the ACL

should play an important role in Site and Design Review to

ensure that public art sited on City property is of high quality

and appropriate to its site.

Permanent Artwork and Memorials

Donations of permanent art and memorials can be an

important way of building the Providence Public Art

Collection. The City’s procedures for accepting donations

should be designed to:

• Ensure that new works of art are in keeping with ACT

Public Art’s vision.

• Ensure that works are sited appropriately in terms of

media, scale, site usage and aesthetics.

• Anticipate technical concerns and hidden costs such as

installation, lighting, insurance, easements, maintenance,

conservation and safety.

• Provide appropriate siting and consideration for

memorializing people, groups, organizations ideas,

principles or events of importance to the residents of

Providence.

The following recommended procedures pertain to donations

of permanent artwork on non-Park City property. The City

of Providence Department of Parks has its own rules and

regulations for the acceptance of memorials, statues and public

art. The Department of Parks may elect to involve ACT staff

and the ACL in stages of review for public artworks, in which

case ACT staff and the ACL will use the Criteria for Site and

Design Review outlined below. The Special Committee for the

Review of Memorials should review all proposed memorials on

City property, including City parks.

Acceptance Conditions for Permanent Artwork

and Memorials

1. To be considered for acceptance, a work of art or

memorial should have a civic sponsor or co-sponsor for

the proposal.

2. All expenses for the donation and review should be the

responsibility of the sponsor. No City money should

be used for the production, shipping, insuring, siting,

installation, and lighting of the donation, unless the City

is a sponsor or co-sponsor of the artwork.

3. Funds equal to 10 percent of the commission cost/

value of the artwork should be paid into a Public Art

Conservation Fund at the time of installation. If, in the

opinion of ACT Public Art staff, the donation is likely to

incur high conservation and maintenance costs, staff can

require a larger contribution to the Conservation Fund.

4. Memorials should meet the criteria established by the

City for Social and Merit Review.

5. The City should consider the following types of proposals

for works intended for placement at a public site:

a. A sponsor’s offer to commission an artwork by means

of a public art competition. Rather than offer existing

or preconceived work, donors should be encouraged

to collaborate with ACT Public Art staff to deﬁne

and sponsor an artist project that serves existing civic

priorities. Such projects typically offer imaginative,

high-proﬁle opportunities for artists and their sponsors,

and usually achieve broad public support.

b. A sponsor’s offer to commission an artwork by a

speciﬁc artist or artists. These donations can result in

work that is responsive and appropriate to the site and

potentially can be well integrated into its surroundings.

c. A sponsor’s offer of an already completed work of art.

These donations should undergo review to ensure that

they are appropriate to the site and are in keeping with

the vision of ACT Public Art.

Procedures for Review of Permanent Artwork

and Memorials

The following steps should be taken for review of donations of

permanent public art and memorials.

1. The Donor should begin the process by conferring

with ACT staff about the requirements and process for

proposed donations of artworks.

2. The Donor should submit an application with sufﬁcient

detail for technical, Site and Design Review, and if a

memorial, Social and Merit Review.

3. For memorials, the application should go to a Special

Committee for Review of Memorials for Social and

Merit Review.

4. Technical Review should be conducted by ACT staff, the

staff of the City department where the work is to be sited,

and the City Services Working Group.

5. After staff review, proposals should be forwarded

to the Art in City Life Commission for review and

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN50

approval in regard to site and design. For major works

or signiﬁcant sites, the ACL Commission may decide

to convene an ad hoc panel with art expertise and site

stakeholder representation to review the work and make a

recommendation back to the ACL Commission.

6. ACT Public Art staff should undertake the proper

stakeholder consultation, at their discretion, to ensure the

artwork is not widely controversial or offensive.

7. If the donation is for a site in the Downtown D-1 Zone,

the ACL and staff reports should be forwarded to the

Downtown Design Review Committee (DDRC) for

review and approval. If the donation is for a site within

the Capital Center Special Development District, the

ACL and staff reports should be forwarded to the Capital

Center Commission (CCC) for review and approval.

8. The ACL and staff reports, as well as DDRC or CCC

approval, if applicable, should be forwarded to the City

Council for ﬁnal approval.

Application for Permanent Artwork and

Memorials

The Donor should submit an application that includes:

• Drawings, photos and written descriptions of the

artwork(s) proposed for donation. This should include

size, colors, weight, materials, and any information that

will establish that the item has the requisite physical

integrity to be placed on public display and withstand

exposure to the natural elements.

• Background on the artist, or an explanation of the method

of recruiting and selecting artists for a competition.

• A description of the proposed location, method of display

and required site improvements (including any necessary

hardscaping, landscaping, buildings, utilities, security

devices, anchoring or other information necessary to

ensure public safety).

• Cost estimates for installing the item(s) for public

display, including but not limited to: physical anchoring

of structures for display; retroﬁt of existing buildings or

improvements; landscaping, seating, lighting and other site

improvements.

• Written explanation of legal issues, including but not

limited to: certifying the current legal owner of the

artwork(s) and the existence of any copyrights, patents

or other title rights in or to the artwork(s); and an

explanation of any conditions or limitations on the

donation of the artwork(s), such as any interests to remain

with the Artist.

• The estimated fair market value of each Artwork

(including appraisals of the Artworks(s) if available,

required if over $10,000).

• The anticipated date for the donation to occur.

• Condition report prepared by a conservator.

• Any additional information the ACT staff deem necessary

or appropriate.

Review of Memorials

Memorializing a person, group, organization, idea, principle or

event on City property is an important decision. The content

and placement of permanent memorials is a reﬂection of the

community’s values and will last generations into the future.

A Special Committee for Review of Memorials should be

convened to review proposals for memorials on all City

property, including City parks, based on social and merit

issues. The Special Committee should be appointed by the

Mayor and make recommendations to ACT staff.

Review of Social and Merit Issues should take place prior to

Technical Review and Site and Design Review.

The Special Committee for Review of Memorials should

also be enlisted if there are community concerns about

existing memorials, calling for their removal or relocation.

The Special Committee review would be a step in the process

of Deaccession.

Temporary Loans and Exhibitions on

City Property

Temporary loans and exhibitions of artwork on City property

can bring new, high-quality artwork to Providence’s public

spaces. The review process for temporary loans and exhibitions

on City property should be designed to:

• Ensure the quality of artwork on display on City property.

• Prevent the City from incurring unexpected costs related

to the loan or exhibition.

• Prevent conﬂicting uses of City property.

• Ensure fairness and transparency in the decision-making

process.

• Prevent City property from becoming a place to showcase

works of art for sale.

• Meet the vision and goals of ACT Public Art.

Acceptance Conditions for Temporary Loans and Exhibitions

on City Property

1. The term of temporary loans should be less than two

years. Loans of two years or longer will be reviewed by

the standard review process for permanent gifts and

memorials (above).

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 51

2. Temporary loans and exhibitions should follow all

requirements in regard to sponsorship, funding, technical

factors, and safety as outlined in the review criteria for

permanent gifts and memorials.

3. Temporary loans and exhibitions should be located in

a manner that is sensitive to the site and design issues

outlined in the guidelines for accepting permanent

donations, giving particular consideration to site

relationships, compatibility with nearby features, and

functional relationships.

4. Temporary loans and artworks in exhibitions should not

be listed for sale while they are on public property.

5. The donor should be responsible, unless otherwise agreed

upon in writing, for all costs associated with installation,

de-installation and site restoration.

Procedures for Review of Temporary Loans and Exhibitions on

City Property

1. The Donor should begin the process by conferring

with ACT staff about the requirements and process for

proposed temporary loans and exhibition.

2. The Donor should submit an application with sufﬁcient

detail for Technical and Site and Design Review.

3. Technical Review should be conducted by ACT staff,

the staff of the City department where the work is to be

sited, relevant staff from the Department of Planning

and Development if the project is in the Downtown D-1

zoning district or the Capital Center Special Development

District, and the City Services Working Group.

4. The ACL Commission should conduct a Site and Design

Review of temporary loans, commissions or exhibitions

that are:

a. located on City property (with the exception of Parks

property),

b. funded in whole or part with City funds, and/or

c. are managed by City staff.

5. ACT staff and the Department overseeing the site should

give ﬁnal approval.

Criteria for Review

The following criteria should be used for the review of

donations, memorials and temporary loans and exhibitions on

City property.

Criteria for Technical Review

Technical Review should to be conducted by ACT staff, the

staff of the City department where the work is to be sited, and

the City Services Working Group.

1. Ownership. If the sponsor is offering an existing work

of art as a permanent donation, the sponsor should

document that the work of art can be legally given to the

City by the donor.

2. Financial Costs. The sponsor should document that

they have adequately anticipated and can meet ﬁnancial

costs connected with donating or exhibiting the work,

including, but not limited to, shipping, shipping

insurance, site preparation, installation, proper signage,

insurance, site restoration, landscaping, and lighting.

3. Safety and Liability. The work should be durable and

poses no safety or liability concerns.

4. Maintenance and Conservation. A qualiﬁed conservator’s

report indicating anticipated conservation and

maintenance needs should be provided for permanent

donations.

5. Availability of Site. The proposed site should be available

and appropriate for the installation of artwork. Necessary

electric, plumbing or other utility requirements should

be deﬁned and available. Internal Department plans may

determine if a speciﬁc site is appropriate for an artwork or

memorials.

Additional criteria for technical review may be developed by

the host City department.

Criteria for Site and Design Review

Site and Design Review should be conducted by the Art in

City Life Commission or by an ad hoc panel appointed by the

ACL that includes speciﬁc artistic expertise and/or stakeholder

representation.

1. The proposed gift or loan should be consistent with the

vision of ACT Public Art.

2. The proposed gift or loan should demonstrate the highest

level of artistic excellence.

a. If a commissioned work, the review should consider the

artist’s ability and potential to execute the proposed work,

based on previous artistic achievement and experience.

b. If an existing work of art, the review should consider

the quality of the executed work.

3. For permanent donations, the proposed gift should

contribute to the diversity of the Providence Public Art

Collection.

4. Artworks should be one-of-a-kind or part of an original

series.

5. The proposed site should be appropriate to the artwork’s

content, scale and media. The analysis should take

into account the visibility and access to the site, public

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN52

use patterns of the site, and public realm and future

development plans for the site, if any.

Criteria for Review of Social and Merit Issues

The ﬁrst step for the newly appointed Special Committee for

the Review of Memorials should be to develop criteria for

review. The following is recommended for consideration.

1. For ideas, principles or events, proposals for

commemorative or memorial artworks should not

generally be considered until at least twenty years after

the occurrence of the event. In the case of individuals, ten

years should pass following the death of the individual

before he/she may be considered for commemoration.

Where a clear city consensus exists for commemoration,

proposals may be considered before these periods have

passed.

2. For individuals or organizations, the subject of

commemorative or memorial artworks should have

been active in Providence. The subject should have been

tangibly and directly associated with events, ideas or

beliefs of signiﬁcance to the city as a whole.

3. A person, group, organization, idea, principle or event

to be considered for commemoration in public space

should have cultural signiﬁcance for the city and be of

historic or social value. In addition, ideas, principles

and concepts should be commemorated only if they are

accepted as exemplary and a positive inﬂuence on the life

of Providence residents.

4. The site and the subject of a commemorative or memorial

artwork should have a historical or a thematic association

with each other.

5. Speciﬁc disasters, whether natural or man-made, and

health-related themes should not normally be the subject

of a memorial artwork on public property unless it can

be demonstrated that their long-term impact has shaped

Providence history.

6. A memorial should not duplicate the themes or subject

matter of an existing memorial site.

7. In no instance should memorials depict subjects that are

trademarked or commercially licensed.

Summary of Reviews for Temporary Loans and Exhibitions of Artwork

Temporary Public Art

(less than two years)

Permanent Public Art

(two years or more)

Permanent Public Art Memorial

(two years or more)

• Exhibitor submits required

information to ACT Public Art staff

• City Services Working Group

conducts Technical Review

• ACL Commission conducts Site

and Design Review and makes a

recommendation to ACT and host

site Department staff

• Staff provides ﬁnal approval

• Donor submits required information

to ACT Public Art staff

• City Services Working Group

conducts Technical Review

• ACL Commission conducts Site

and Design Review and makes a

recommendation to ACT and host

site Department staff

•

City Council provides final approval

• Donor submits required information

to ACT Public Art staff

• Special Committee for Review of

Memorials conducts Social and

Merit Review

• City Services Working Group

conducts Technical Review

• ACL Commission conducts Site

and Design Review and makes a

recommendation to ACT and host

site Department staff

•

City Council provides final approval

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 53

PUBLIC ART ON PRIVATE PROPERTY

Public art as part of new private development is a beneﬁt to

both the development project and to the City. Developers

should be encouraged, and in some cases, incentivized, to

incorporate public art in their projects.

When public art is commissioned on private property that

is located downtown in the area under the review of the

Downtown Design Review Committee (DDRC) or within the

Capital Center Special Development District, or when public

art is being commissioned in exchange for a development

beneﬁt, ACT staff and the ACL should have a role in the

review and approval of the artwork.

Public Art as Development Beneﬁt

The City of Providence, and in particular downtown, has had

an increase in private development in recent years and this

trend is expected to continue into the future. These projects

are shaping the future public realm downtown and provide

an opportunity for the incorporation of public art into the

publicly accessible areas of these developments.

This plan recommends that ACT work with the Department

of Planning and Development to give developers the option

to commission public art or contribute to the Art in City Life

fund as a condition of a development incentive or zoning

variance.

When these options are developed, ACT and the Department

of Planning and Development should develop speciﬁc

guidelines regarding eligibility. In addition, they should

develop guidelines regarding options for developers and a

review process, as recommended below.

Developer Options

Developers should be given two options for a public art beneﬁt:

1. Providing funding for City-initiated public art projects on

public property through a cash contribution to the Art in

City Life Fund, in an amount equal to .75 percent of the

estimated construction cost of the development project; or

2. Commissioning public art within the development

project with a budget no less than one percent of the

estimated construction cost of the development project.

Review Process

Developers must ﬁrst have approval from the Department

of Planning and Development to commission public art as a

condition of receiving their development incentive or zoning

variance.

Developers who are approved to commission public art as part

of a development condition must have their artist selection

and artist’s concept reviewed by the ACT staff and the ACL

Commission.

PROJECT PLAN

Prior to selecting an artist, the developer should present

a Project Plan to the ACT staff for review and feedback.

Like the Project Plans developed for projects that the City

commissions, the Project Plan for art commissioned by a

developer should outline the goals, location, budget,

timeline, and selection process for the art project.

ARTIST SELECTION

The developer should take the lead on selecting the artist,

based upon the artist’s qualiﬁcations or credentials and the

goals and scope of the project outlined in the Project Plan.

The developer should submit their selection to ACT staff

for approval. City staff should seek the input of the ACL

Commission in the review of the selected artist and should use

the approved Project Plan as the basis of their review.

ARTIST CONTRACT

The developer should enter into a phased contract with the

artist. The contract should follow, to the extent possible, the

format provided by the Americans for the Arts Public Art

Network. In particular, the developer should recognize artists’

intellectual property and moral rights as provided for in federal

CONCEPT DESIGN AND REVIEW

The artist should develop a Concept Design, including

a physical representation of the work, a written project

description, a description of materials and fabrication

techniques, expectations regarding site preparation and

infrastructure needs, a detailed budget and timeline. Once the

Concept Design is approved by the developer, it should be

submitted to ACT staff for approval. City staff should seek the

input of the ACL Commission in the review of the Concept

Design and should use the approved Project Plan as the basis

of their review.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN54

FINAL DESIGN

The artist, working with the developer and their design

consultants, should develop ﬁnal design and engineering

drawings for the commissioned artwork.

FABRICATION / INSTALLATION

Once ﬁnal design is complete, the artist, working in

coordination with the developer, should fabricate and install

the work. An identiﬁcation plaque with the name of the work,

the artist, the media and the year should be placed somewhere

in proximity to the work.

FINAL ACCEPTANCE

Once the artwork is complete and installed the developer

should notify ACT staff of completion and provide ACT

with a description and a digital photograph of the ﬁnal work

to use in marketing and promotional materials about public

art in Providence. ACT staff may inspect the work to ensure

the project conforms to the approved Concept Design. ACT

should notify the Planning and Development Department that

the work is complete and satisﬁes the requirement.

Upon installation, the developer should submit to ACT staff:

• Documentation of the work on-site, including digital

photographs with attributions, diagrams of any structural

support systems, artist, title, medium, dimensions, year of

completion, brief description of the work of art, ownership

and funders, address of building with which the work of

art is associated, and contact person in case of any future

questions about the work of art.

• Maintenance plan including the artist’s recommendations/

requirements for regular maintenance, and exceptional

maintenance if the piece is damaged.

• Final cost of the art.

OWNERSHIP, MAINTENANCE AND

CONSERVATION

The property owner should retain title to artworks that are

placed on the owner’s property. The property owner should be

responsible for maintenance of artworks that they own. The

artist should supply the property owner with a materials list

and maintenance protocol.

• If a property owner removes from view an artwork

provided as a public amenity, the property owner should

make a payment to the Public Art Fund equal to the

amount of the original artwork to support public art.

• If a property is sold after the artwork is installed, the

obligations regarding public art should be transferred

to the subsequent property owner, or the owner should

pay for the relocation / de-accessioning of the artwork as

approved by the City.

Other Considerations

Developers incorporating art on private property as part of

a development incentive or zoning variance are encouraged

to commission site-speciﬁc projects that reﬂect the vision,

goals and opportunities outlined in this plan. In addition, the

following should be considered.

COMMERCIAL EXPRESSION

Public art projects commissioned as part of a development

incentive or zoning variance should not include any form of

commercial expression, including logos, color or audio motifs,

slogans, themes or any other components that are suggestive of

a commercial entity’s identity, branding or marketing.

ARCHITECTURAL AND SITE INTEGRATION

Public art can be integrated into the architectural design or

ornamentation of a building. Architecturally integrated art

should be visible to the public, generally by incorporation into

facades visible from major streets or public spaces or at public

entryways.

Public art integrated with streetscape design should be

encouraged if it supports the goals and recommendations of

plans that relate to that section of the city.

INDOOR ART

Interior art in private buildings, even in semi-public gathering

places like atria or lobbies, should not be construed as fulﬁlling

any agreement for providing public art as a beneﬁt or amenity.

Public Art on Private Property – Not Part of a

Development Beneﬁt

Private property owners electing to commission or place public

art on their property should contact ACT staff to inform them

about their project.

In addition to the reviews described below, private property

owners seeking to install publicly accessible art on private

property may also be required to obtain a building permit

or other permits, depending on the nature of the project.

ACT staff can direct property owners to the appropriate City

department(s) to determine if a permit or permits are needed.

Reviews

In accordance with existing regulations, public art on private

property is only subject to review by the City if the property is

located in a Local Historic District, the Downtown D-1 Zone,

or the Capital Center Special Development District. Once the

property location is provided by the property owner to ACT,

they will work with the property owner to help identify what

reviews (if any) the project is subject to and will help facilitate

those reviews.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 55

DOWNTOWN DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE

AND CAPITAL CENTER COMMISSION

Permanent public art in the areas under the review of the

Downtown Design Review Committee and the Capital Center

Commission is subject to review by the City. Currently, this

review is being performed by the DDRC or the CCC. This

responsibility should be delegated to the ACL Commission,

who should review the project at the conceptual design stage

and forward their recommendation to the DDRC or the CCC

for approval.

PROVIDENCE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION

If the project is to be on the façade of a building located in a

Local Historic District, ACT staff should forward the property

owner to the Providence Historic District Commission to

determine whether the proposed project is in compliance with

their guidelines and standards. Review of the project by ACT

staff or the ACL is not required.

Communications

PROJECT SPONSOR OUTREACH

The project sponsor and/or property owner is encouraged to

communicate with their City Council member and engage or

inform neighboring residents, businesses and property owners

about the project before committing to an artist or purchasing

a work.

ACT COMMUNICATIONS

The project sponsor/property owner should provide ACT with

information about the work so ACT can include the work in

marketing and promoting public art in Providence.

Summary of Review of Public Art on Private Property

Zone or District Temporary Public Art

(less than two years)

Permanent Public Art

(two years or more)

Public Art on Private

Property in the

Downtown D-1 Zone

• Sponsor (property owner, organization or

artist) submits required information to ACT

Public Art staff

• Department of Planning and Development

and ACT staff review and provide ﬁnal

approval

• Sponsor (property owner, organization or

artist) submits required information to ACT

Public Art staff

• City Services Working Group conducts

Technical Review

• ACL Commission conducts Site and Design

Review and makes a recommendation to

the Downtown Design Review Committee

(DDRC)

• DDRC provides ﬁnal approval

Public Art on Private

Property in the

Capital Center Special

Development District

• Sponsor (property owner, organization or

artist) submits required information to ACT

Public Art staff

• Department of Planning and Development

and ACT staff review and provide ﬁnal

approval

• Sponsor (property owner, organization or

artist) submits required information to ACT

Public Art staff

• City Services Working Group conducts

Technical Review

• ACL Commission conducts Site and Design

Review and makes a recommendation to the

Capital Center Commission (CCC)

• CCC provides ﬁnal approval

Public Art on Private

Property in a Local

Historic District

• Sponsor (property owner, organization or

artist) submits required information to ACT

Public Art staff

• No further review

• Sponsor (property owner, organization or

artist) submits required information to ACT

Public Art staff

• Providence Historic District Commission

reviews to ensure project is in compliance

with Local Historic District guidelines.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN56

COLLECTION MANAGEMENT

ACT Public Art should adopt practices for the documentation,

conservation and maintenance of artworks that are part of the

Providence Public Art Collection and for de-accessioning or

relocating artworks in that collection. ACT will ensure that

the Providence Public Art Collection is properly maintained

and preserved, that a periodic assessment of conservation

needs is made, and that proper records regarding the works in

the collection are kept. The ACL will review and approve the

de-accession or relocation of works in the City’s Collection,

using a strict set of criteria and subject to ﬁnal approval by

City Council.

Ownership

All permanent public art funded by the City of Providence,

donated to the City, and/or on permanent display on City of

Providence property should be owned and insured by the City.

Works on City property, with the exception of Parks property,

is part of the Providence Public Art Collection.

Unless otherwise agreed on in writing with the Department

of Parks, all works of art sited in City of Providence-owned

Parks are part of the Providence Parks Art Collection. The

management of that collection is the responsibility of the Parks

Department.

Documentation of the Collection

An important aspect of collection management and,

ultimately, long-term maintenance of the Providence Public

Art Collection is keeping accurate, updated records. The

main aspects of this are identifying the project on-site,

keeping accurate records for each project, and maintaining a

comprehensive inventory of the collection.

ACT, working with the assistance of the City departments

that manage the sites where art is located, will be responsible

for keeping records of the Providence Public Art Collection,

including updating, or in some cases, developing records for

existing work, and documenting new works entering

the collection.

Project Identiﬁcation

Each new artwork should be identiﬁed with a plaque stating

the artist’s name, the artwork title, the media, the date the

work was created, and that it is part of the Providence Public

Art Collection. The plaque should be placed in an appropriate

location near the artwork that can be easily viewed by

pedestrians.

Over time, plaques should be created or updated for existing

works in the City’s collection to ensure that the works are

recognized as belonging to the City and that people can learn

about the work.

Project Records

A ﬁle should be maintained in a single location for each

commission or acquisition that contains information such as:

• A copy of the artist contracts.

• A copy of project correspondence.

• The maintenance instructions provided by the artist and

subsequent conservation records.

• Plans and drawings generated by the artist during the

commissioning process.

• Hard copy images.

• Media clippings.

Collection Inventory

ACT should maintain a full inventory or database of the entire

Providence Public Art Collection. This inventory should

include information such as (when available or applicable):

• Name of artist

• Title of work

• Location (kept in a format compatible with the City’s GIS

system)

• Year completed/installed

• Owner of work

• Media

• Dimensions

• Budget/cost and source of funds

• A brief description of the work suitable for publication

• Maintenance and conservation needs as deﬁned by the

artist and conservation assessments

• Schedule of maintenance or conservation needs

• Conservation history

• A unique number assigned to each work of art that can

be used for cross-referencing with hard ﬁles and other

digital ﬁles.

• Digital photograph of the work.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 57

Maintenance and Conservation of the Collection

Public art is a community asset that should be properly

maintained. Conservation and routine maintenance should be

undertaken to preserve artworks in the best possible condition.

Maintenance

Works of art in the Providence Public Art Collection should

be cleaned regularly and/or otherwise maintained by the City

department responsible for the facility, building or

site in which the work of art resides.

Works of art should

be maintained in a manner appropriate to the medium

and characteristics of the artwork, and in accordance with

the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) of 1990. The City

department should report any damage or conservation needs

to ACT staff and should not do any non-routine maintenance

unless requested.

To assist in this maintenance, a maintenance and conservation

worksheet containing information on each new work of art

leased, loaned, or owned outright by the City should be kept

on ﬁle with ACT staff and the City department responsible for

maintenance. Works of art on loan should be maintained by

the lender unless otherwise agreed upon in the loan agreement.

Conservation

In some cases, works of art in the Providence Public Art Collection

will need special attention to ensure their proper appearance and

longevity. For newly commissioned or purchased works of art, the

artist should guarantee the work of art against any repairs for one

year (unless otherwise stipulated in the contract).

Within the next year, and then again every three to ﬁve years,

ACT staff should oversee a comprehensive survey of the

Providence Public Art Collection and develop a work plan and

budget for necessary repairs. When possible, an amount equal

to 10% of the project budget should be set aside for future

conservation.

De-accession and Relocation

De-accessioning is a procedure for the withdrawal of artwork

from the Providence Public Art Collection. Relocation

of artwork should be carefully considered if the work is

considered site-speciﬁc and relocating the work would damage

the work or alter the work from what the artist intended.

Consideration of de-accession or relocation shall involve the

same degree of careful review as a decision to commission

a work of art. Decisions will be informed by professional

judgment and made in the interests of the public.

If the artwork is a memorial, review should go to the Special

Committee for Review of Memorials for their review.

Recommendations regarding de-accession or relocation should

be made directly to City Council.

Procedure

1. The City should not remove any artwork from the site for

which it was selected, nor remove it from display, without

prior review by the Art in City Life Commission.

2. The Art in City Life Commission shall review the

circumstances surrounding the proposed de-accession,

relocation or removal. The Art in City Life Commission

may choose to hold a public meeting for the purpose

of gathering community feedback on a proposed de-

accession, relocation or removal or gather community

input through other methods.

3. The Art in City Life Commission may recommend de-

accession, relocation or removal of a work of art for any of

the following reasons:

• The condition or security of the artwork cannot be

reasonably guaranteed;

• The artwork requires excessive maintenance or has

defaults of design or workmanship and repair or remedy

is impractical or unfeasible;

• The artwork has been damaged, and repair is impractical

or unfeasible;

• The artwork endangers public safety;

• Signiﬁcant changes in the use, character, or design of the

site have occurred which affect the integrity or relevance

of the work;

• Signiﬁcant adverse public reaction has been documented

over an extended period of time (a minimum of three

years);

• The work is of inferior quality or is judged to have little

aesthetic and/or cultural value;

• A suitable location for the artwork has been identiﬁed

that better satisﬁes the original goals of the project; or

• The artist requests removal due to concerns listed above.

4. In accordance with VARA, ACT staff should make a

good faith effort to notify the artist that his or her work

is being considered for de-accession. If the artwork is site-

speciﬁc and being considered for relocation, staff should

make a good faith effort to notify the artist that his or her

work is being considered for relocation.

5. During the review process, unless there is imminent

danger to the public, the artwork shall remain accessible

to the public in its original location.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN58

6. The Art in City Life Commission will make a decision

and forward it to the City Council. De-accession,

relocation, or removal requires the approval of the Art in

City Life Commission and City Council.

7. De-accession, relocation or removal of artwork shall

be done in a manner that complies with all other

applicable City, state and federal procedures, policies and

regulations. For example, de-accession, relocation and

removal actions must comply with applicable procedures

and laws relating to the disposition of City property and

with laws protecting artists’ rights, such as VARA. No

works will be sold to City of Providence staff or Art in

City Life Commission members.

8. Proceeds from the sale of any de-accessioned artwork will

be used to support ACT Public Art.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 59

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 61

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN62

APPENDIX A: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Art in City Life Plan was developed with thoughtful

input and feedback from many Providence citizens and the

dedicated work of City staff and volunteers. We are grateful

to the following people who participated in the process

and shared their perspectives and passion for public art in

Providence with us.

We want to specially acknowledge Stephanie Fortunato

and Gina Rodríguez of The Department of Art, Culture

+Tourism, as well as the Art in City Life Commission

members who served on a special subcommittee to develop

this plan – Aiyah Josiah-Faeduwor, Xander Marro, Dominic

Molon, and Eric Telfort – for the many hours of hard work

they put into the creation of this document.

We would also like to thank the WaterFire Arts Center for

hosting the Imagine Art Here! Workshop, the Southside

Cultural Center for hosting the Artists Roundtable, and

AS220 for hosting the Youth Roundtable.

Via Partnership

Meridith McKinley

Emily Blumenfeld

Aliza Schiff

Bruce Burton, Designer

Art in City Life Commission

Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, ex ofﬁcio

Larry Mancini, Department of Finance, ex ofﬁcio

Howard Ben Tré

Kate Blacklock

Jessica Brown

Joseph Haskett

Aiyah Josiah-Faeduwor

Xander Marro

Aiyah Josiah-Faeduwor

Dominic Molon

Vanphouthon Souvannasane

Eric Telfort

Art in City Life Plan Advisory Committee

Margie Butler, Artist

Tim Ferland, The Steel Yard

Adrienne Gagnon, DownCity Design

Morgan Grefe, Rhode Island Historical Society

Amber Ilcisko, I-195 Redevelopment District

Elizabeth Keithline, RISCA

Geoff Kish, Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy

Marta Martinez, RI Latino Arts

Jef Nickerson, Cornish Associates

Donna Personeus, Thayer Street District Management Authority

Shey Rivera, AS220

Howie Sneider, The Steel Yard

Yarrow Thorne, The Avenue Concept

Paris, AS220

Ming Phomsouvannady, AS220

Art in City Life Plan Internal Review Committee

Lizzie Araujo, Department of Art, Culture + Tourism

William Bombard, Department of Public Works

Brian Byrnes, Department of Parks

Zainab Giwa, Mayor’s Center for City Services

Francis Gomez, Department of Public Property

Martina Haggerty, Department of Planning and Development

Christopher Ise, Department of Planning and Development

Andrew Jacques, Mayor’s Center for City Services

Jeff Lykins, Department of Inspections and Standards

Jason Martin, Department of Planning and Development

Natale Urso, Department of Public Works

Department of Art, Culture +Tourism Staff

Stephanie Fortunato, Director

Lizzie Araujo, Deputy Director

Gina Rodríguez-Drix, Cultural Affairs Manager and Art in City

Life Plan Project Manager

Micah Salkind, Special Projects Manager

April Brown, Turnaround Arts Program Director

Michael Christofaro, Marketing, Fiscal and Production Manager

Ysanel Torres, 2017 Public Art Fellow

City Staff

Robert Azar, Department of Planning and Development

Al Buco, Department of Public Property

Lily Gutterman, Mayor’s Ofﬁce

Caleb Horton, City Archives

Bonnie Nickerson, Department of Planning and Development

Wendy Nilsson, Department of Parks

Allen Penniman, Department of Planning and Development

Michael Stephens, Department of Recreation

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 63

Special Thanks

Liz Keithline, RISCA

Craig Dreeszen, Dreeszen & Associates

Deb Dormody, Alliance of Artist

Communities

Frank LaTorre, Providence Downtown

Improvement District

Lynne McCormack, LISC

John Smith, RISD Museum

Helene Miller, Partnership for Providence

Parks

Brent Runyon, Providence Preservation

Society

Greg Nordin, RIPTA

Cliff Wood, The Providence Foundation

and the Downtown Providence Parks

Conservancy

Randall Rosenbaum, RISCA

Mollie Flanagan, RISCA

Adeola Oredola, All in Education

Marybeth Meehan, Artist

Charles Denby, M.D.

The Avenue Concept, Board of

Directors

Washington Park Neighborhood

Association

Fox Point Neighborhood Association

Elmwood Avenue Neighborhood

Association

Providence Tourism Council

Providence Warwick Convention and

Visitors Bureau

Providence College Department of

Global Studies

Mass Art

Fox Point Cape Verdean Heritage Place

Port Markers Project

Renee Neely, Center for the Study of

Slavery and Justice

Dan Schleifer, New Urban Arts

Artist Roundtable Participants

Southside Cultural Center, July 24, 2017

Amy Bartlett Wright

Christina Brown

Will Cornwall

Jennifer Dalton Vincent

Christina DiChiera

Peter Diepenbrock

Barnaby Evans

Lois Harada

Jasmine Johnson

David Karoff

Philippe Lejeune

Marta Martinez

Jessie McLean

Helene Miller

Will Reeves

Hannah Resseger

Jenny Sparks

Judith Tolnick Champa

Ysanel Torres

Youth Roundtable Participants

AS220, July 25, 2017

Ysanel Torres

Lizzie $our

Timothy Kascade

Leila

Paris

Kiti Yakara

Katie Clark

Julissa

Saylyng

Anthony

Sin Seven

Nelson Paredes

Luis Guerrero

Christian Lopez

Aja Delgado

Ming Phomsouvannady

Luis Guerrero

Yerliza Espinal

Nika Gorini

Dietrich Neumann

Saylyng

Ant

Rob

Sandy Zipp

Unknown Studios

Anjel Newman

Susan Smulyan

Dan Schleifer

Imagine Art Here! Participants

WaterFire Arts Center, September 19, 2017

Tracy Barbosa

Arria Bilodeau

Michaela Bolotin

Margie Butler

Erik Carlson

Deb Clemons

Will Cornwall

Cristina DiChiera

Katherine Eberle

Harry Evans

Holly Ewald

Noah Ezer

Tim Ferland

Alexander Fiorentini

Gayle Gifford

Morgan Grefe

Joe Haskett

Cole Hersey

Niels Hobbs

Aisha Jan

Elizabeth Keithline

Geoff Kish

Christine Lichatz

Davis Lloyd

Jen Long

Matt Mahoney

Marybeth Meehan

Peter Mello

Koki Mendis

Helene Miller

Domingo Monteiro

Laura Moss

CJ Opperthauser

Greg Pennisten

Steven Pennell

Kathleen Pletcher

Mimo Riley

David Riley

Cathy Saunders

Rachel Schwartz

Jen Smith

Sundeep Sood

Jenny Sparks

Jen Stevens

Yarrow Thorne

Rich Watrous

Shaw Weinberger

Zachary Weinberger

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN64

APPENDIX B: SURVEY RESULTS SUMMARY

Purpose and Methodology

As part of the outreach process of the Public Art Master Plan

for the City of Providence, ACT, working with our project

consultants, conducted an online and an intercept survey. The

surveys were designed to learn more about people’s perceptions

of the City and its most important places, and to gather input

on a broad set of possible directions for public art. The surveys

are one of several tools being used to gather input into the

master planning process. The online survey was launched

on August 29, 2017 and was up through October 20, 2017,

posted in English and Spanish. The survey received 473

complete and an additional 213 partial responses.

In addition, from August to October 2017, ACT staff

conducted intercept surveys at Dexter Park, City Hall,

Mt. Pleasant High School, Washington Park Community

Center, and at a Shakespeare en el Verano event at

The Steel Yard.

The online survey asked four questions related to people’s

preferences for public art:

• Which examples are you familiar with? Please click on

each image you recognize. (Respondents were shown 15

examples of artwork in Providence).

• What are the priority LOCATIONS in Providence for

new public artworks? (Respondents were asked to indicate

four preferences from a list of 14 options)

• What types of PROJECTS would you like to see in

Providence? (Respondents were asked to indicate four

preferences from a list of 14 options)

• Of these projects, pick up to three that you think are

visually interesting and represent the type of art that you

think would be successful in Providence. (Respondents

were shown 19 examples of artworks in other cities.)

We also asked:

• What should public art say about Providence and the

people who live, work and play here?

• What places in Providence do you take people to show

them what Providence is all about?

• Tell us about something unique about Providence that a

visitor might not know about.

• It could be a person -- someone who’s famous, or someone

who’s just interesting.

• It could be a place that is special, but perhaps only known

to locals.

• It could be an event that isn’t something you’d ﬁnd just

anywhere.

• It could be a tradition that is important to the city or a

group of people in the city.

• It could be an unusual business, or a fascinating aspect of a

business in Providence.

The intercept survey consisted of three large display boards:

one with a map of Providence showing neighborhoods, parks

and open spaces, public schools, streets, community and

recreation centers, and libraries; one with 14 images of existing

artwork in Providence; and one with 15 images of artwork in

other cities. Respondents were asked to use colored sticker

dots to respond to the following on the boards:

• Please put one red dot in the area that you live.

• Please put one blue dot in the area that you would like to

see more public art.

• Which examples are your favorite? Please pick 3. (From

examples of art in other cities.)

• Which are you most familiar with? Please pick 3. (From

examples of art in Providence.)

At Dexter Park, respondents were also asked to write adjectives

that describe the type of public art they would like to see in

Providence.

Findings

There are several themes that emerge from the survey that cut

across multiple questions.

Downtown is important to people and clearly a priority

location for public art. “Throughout downtown” was the

most popular answer to the question, “What are the priority

LOCATIONS in Providence for new public artworks?”

(61.2%). It was also the top answer to the question, “What

places in Providence do you take people to show them

what Providence is all about?”. Furthermore, most people

are familiar with downtown artworks; the most frequently

selected artworks for the question “Which examples [of

artwork in Providence] are you familiar with?” were all located

downtown.

Providence’s neighborhood’s and the way public art can

represent, celebrate, and explore the many cultures and

heritages of neighborhoods and their residents is also

important to survey respondents. The top answer to the

online survey question “What types of PROJECTS would

you like to see in Providence?” was “artworks that encourage

people to explore different neighborhoods” (42.1%). Also

popular was “artworks that give voice to the unique culture

and history of Providence (38.3%). Neighborhood parks were

the second most popular priority location for public art (after

Downtown). In addition, many of the write-in answers for the

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 65

“priority locations” question addressed the idea of equity and

stated that public art should be located in “blighted, needy

areas” or “in communities where art is underrepresented” or

areas that need to be revitalized.

When asked what public art should say about Providence,

respondents also highlighted the city’s diversity and

multiculturalism, as well as its creativity, respect for history,

and the sense that it is a contemporary city with lots to offer.

Similarly, when asked to name something unique about

Providence that a visitor might not know, the most common

answers related to the city as a creative place full of artists,

diverse and independent restaurants, and history.

In terms of the people’s preferences when looking at

examples of public art from around the world, respondents

selected artworks that were fun, interactive, and sometimes

unexpected. The most popular artworks selected for the online

survey question, “Of these projects, pick up to three that you

think are visually interesting and represent the type of art that

you think would be successful in Providence” were the colorful

and iconic Watertower by Tom Fruin (36.9%), the playful

fountain/splash pad Mistree by Douglas Hollis (36.2%), and

Marcus Young’s Everyday Poems for City Sidewalks, which

features poetry stamped into concrete sidewalks (29.8%).

Mistree was also the most popular artwork selected on the

intercept survey. A follow-up, open-ended online survey

question asking respondents to describe what they like

about the projects they chose, yielded the top ﬁve answers

of interactive, colorful/bright/vibrant, visually appealing,

inviting/ accessible/ engaging, and integrated into the

urban environment.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN66

APPENDIX C: IMAGINE ART HERE WORKSHOP

DESCRIPTION AND SUMMARY

On September 19 2017, the Department of Art, Culture

+ Tourism and the Public Art Master Plan consultant

ﬁrm, Via Partnership, met at WaterFire Arts Center with

ﬁfty community members to create a vision for public art

in Providence. The workshop, Imagine Art Here!, created

facilitated discussion around potential public art opportunities

across Providence neighborhoods, parks, walking paths, civic

institutions, and downtown areas as well as generated goals for

art in relation to community, the environment, and history.

The results from this workshop, along with one-on-one

interviews, roundtable discussions, review of planning

documents and Capital Plan, and site analysis will inform the

recommendations in the Art in City Life Plan. Participants

included staff from City departments; ACL members; local

artists and arts professionals, and civic stakeholders. The

invitation was open to all and distributed via ACT’s social

networks, mailing lists and word of mouth.

Workshop Format

The workshop began with a welcome from Stephanie

Fortunato, Director of Art, Culture + Tourism.

She provided

an overview of City’s goals for the public art master planning

process then reviewed the public art master planning process,

and how the Imagine Art Here! workshop would play a role in

forming the recommendations in that plan.

McKinley of Via Partnership then made a 20-minute

presentation about public art, focusing on a number of places

or settings speciﬁc to Providence:

• Downtown

• Parks, Greenways and Trails

• Neighborhood commercial areas, streets and corridors

• Community Facilities

Participants were then invited to take part in the

ﬁrst breakout

session. Each breakout table of approximately 8-10 people was

assigned one of the places outlined above and were asked to

brainstorm possible locations and approaches for art in this

place/family of places.

To do this, the participants were asked to discuss one or more

of the following questions:

1. Within this place, where are the best locations for public

art? Why?

2. Who is the audience for public art in these locations?

3. What should the goals be for public in these speciﬁc locations?

4. What types of projects could you see being successful here?

Following the ﬁrst breakout, Via made a second presentation

on different types of public art that may be relevant in

Providence: Art + Public Realm

• Art + Public Realm

• Art + Community

• Art + History

• Art + Environment

Participants were then invited to take part in the second

breakout session. Each breakout table of approximately 8-10

people was assigned one of the above approaches and were

given the charge to discuss images related to this approach to

public art.

Participants were prompted to discuss this with the following

questions.

1. What aspects of Providence could be explored through

this type of art?

2. What impact could this type of art have in Providence?

3. Where are the best/most important places for this type of

art to be located?

Facilitators helped guide the conversation and record the

responses for both breakouts on ﬂipcharts and maps.

In addition to the breakout discussions, workshop participants

contributed input by ﬁlling out an exit questionnaire that

allowed participants to elaborate on ideas or concerns they

have about public art in Providence.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN 67

Key Themes

Across the discussions and breakout sessions, there were several

themes that surfaced.

Public art should anchor iconic places in the downtown, as well

as community gathering places in neighborhoods. Together,

artworks can speak to the unique identity and layered history of

Providence as a creative community as well as encourage inter-

neighborhood dialogue and community pride.

The public art program should foster a transparent process

through which artists can feel supported, thus increasing

capacity for public art making in Providence and beyond.

Public art programs should cultivate and engage the local artist

community and creative industries.

Public art should integrate and build upon city projects, such

as new transit projects, trails, corridors and re-development.

Public art should create visual interest and beauty. Public art

should be one element in a commitment to good design for

everyday environments.

ART IN CITY LIFE PLAN68

APPENDIX D: ART IN CITY LIFE ORDINANCE

Sec. 2-354. – Art in city life commission.

(a)

Composition. The art in city life commission shall be

comprised of nine (9) members appointed by the mayor from

the following Providence constituencies: Independent working

artists, art organizations and afﬁliations, universities and

colleges, the private sector. The mayor and city ﬁnance director

shall serve ex ofﬁcio on the art in city life committee.

(b)

Terms of ofﬁce. Each commissioner shall serve a two-year term,

except for the nine (9) commissioners to be appointed initially,

ﬁve (5) shall serve a two-year term, four (4) shall serve a one-

year term. All future appointments, to be made annually, shall

serve for two (2) years.

(c)

Nominations. The art in city life commission as well as the

community at large shall have the right and responsibility

to annually submit nominations to the mayor for each year’s

appointments.

(Ord. 1980, ch. 80-39, § 4, 9-12-80)

Sec. 2-355. – Art in city life plan.

The art in city life commission shall create and periodically

update a public document concerning commission

administrative policy, relating but not limited to the issues

of stafﬁng, procedures and needs of the commission. The

commission shall, in this document, deﬁne its role in regard to

the following responsibilities:

(a)

Make periodic reviews at least annually, of all city capital

improvement projects with appropriate city

department heads or their designated representatives.

(b)

Determine the speciﬁc allocation and/or amount to be

expended for works of art.

(c)

Prepare, adopt and amend a method or methods of

selection and commissioning of artists with respect to the

design, execution and placement of works of art for which

appropriations have been made; and pursuant to such methods

and City Charter procedures, select and commission artists by

contract for such purposes.

(d)

Require that any proposed work of art requiring extraordinary

operation or maintenance expenses shall receive prior approval

of the department head responsible for such operations or

maintenance.

(e)

Promulgate rules and regulations consistent with this article to

facilitate the implementation of its responsibilities hereunder.

(Ord. 1980, ch. 80-39, § 5, 9-12-80)

Sec. 2-356. - Placement of works of art.

Works of art selected and implemented pursuant to the

provisions of this article and any amendment thereto may be

placed in, on or about any municipal construction project

or other municipally owned, leased or rented property. They

may be attached or detached within or about such property,

and may be either temporary or permanent. Placement of

works of art shall be authorized by the commission, and

speciﬁcally located through the cooperation of the art in city

life commission and a representative of the appropriate city

department and project architects, if any.

(Ord. 1980, ch. 80-39, § 6, 9-12-80)

Sec. 2-357. - Fund established; disbursements.

There is established in the city treasury a special fund

designated “Art in City Life Fund” into which funds

appropriated shall be deposited. Each disbursement from

such fund shall be authorized by the commission and shall

be expressly designated as to payee and to purpose. Any

funds carried over for three (3) years and still unexpended at

the expiration of such period shall revert to general revenue;

provided that, funds derived from revenue or general

obligation bond issues or other special purposes or dedicated

funds shall revert to the funds from which appropriated at the

expiration of said three-year period.

(Ord. 1980, ch. 80-39, § 7, 9-12-80)

Secs. 2-358—2-360. - Reserved.

Image Credits

P6: Mary Beth Meehan, Seen /Unseen, 2017.

Photo courtesy of the City of Providence

P7: Photo by David Dvorchak

P12: Grace Ludmer, The Girls I Draw, PVDFest 2016.

Photo by Ania Szemiot

P13: Tracy Silva Barbosa, The Mercurial Tree, 2014,

commissioned by RIPTA and the City of Providence for the

R-Line. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Pneuhaus, Fabric Prism no. 2, 2016. Commissioned by

Judith Tolnick Champa and Leora Maltz-Leca, PVDFest 2016.

Photo Scott Lapham.

P15: Kennedy Plaza as seen at the 2017 PVDFest.

Photo courtesy of the City of Providence

P16: Barnaby Evans, WaterFire Providence, 2017.

Photo courtesy of the City of Providence

P21: The Steel Yard’s mobile blacksmith at PVDFest 2016.

Photo by Scott Lapham

P23: (clockwise from top) Shepard Fairey, Providence Mural,

2010, commissioned by AS220 with support from the City of

Providence. Photo by Meridith McKinley

Randolph Rogers, Soldiers & Sailors Monument

(designed 1866, dedicated 1871) in Kennedy Plaza.

Photo by Meridith McKinley

Elettra Bordonaro in collaboration with the Rhode Island

School of Design Department of Architecture, Southlight,

2014. Commissioned by the Rhode Island School of Design

Department of Architecture and The City of Providence.

Photo by Stephanie Fortunato

Guillermo Gómez-Peña, To the Lords of Censorship, 2012,

commissioned by AS220. Photo by Meridith McKinley

P25: Jenna Morello, Untitled, commissioned by Friends of

General Street Park, 2015.

Lu Heintz in collaboration with The Steel Yard. Papaya Tree,

2014. Commissioned by the City of Providence.

Photo Courtesy of the City of Providence

Peter Diepenbrock, The Foundry Clockman, 2017.

Commissioned by The Foundry and the Guerra Family.

Photo Courtesy of The Foundry and Constance Brown

P27: (clockwise from top)

Participants at the Imagine Art Here at the WaterFire Arts

Center September 2017. Photo by Meridith McKinley

Holly Ewald, Full Circle, 2016. Photo by Peter Ryan

Rhode Island Latino Arts, Nuestras Raices installation at R-Line

shelter (Broad Street and Parkview Avenue)

Rhode Island School of Design School of Architecture,

Southlight Pavilion at Southside Cultural Center of Rhode

Island, 2016. Commissioned by the Rhode Island School of

Design Department of Architecture, RI LISC, and The City of

Providence. Photo Courtesy of RISD Architecture

P29: (clockwise from top)

As220 Artist Residents. Surveillant, commissioned by AS220

for PVDFest 2016. Photo courtesy of City of Providence.

Mary Beth Meehan, Seen/Unseen, commissioned for the 2015

Providence International Arts Festival.

Michael Gabriel, City Macramé, PVDFest 2016.

Photo courtesy of the artist.

P37: Participants share their ideas at the Youth Roundtable at

AS220 in June 2017. Photo by Emily Blumenfeld