Public Art Fund (New York, N.Y.)
Variant namesPublic Art Fund is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to working with emerging and established artists to produce exhibitions of contemporary art throughout New York City. The history organization is greatly aligned with the history of founder Doris C. Freedman (1928-1981), a social worker and supporter of public art who served as the first New York City Director of Cultural Affairs during the Lindsay Administration. In the late 1960s Freedman served as president of City Walls, an ...
From the description of Public Art Fund Archive 1966-2009. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 703389283
Public Art Fund For over 30 years the Public Art Fund has worked to produce innovative exhibitions of contemporary art at sites throughout New York City. The Public Art Fund was established in 1977 by Doris C. Freedman, a major proponent of public art who served as New York City's first Director of Cultural Affairs during the Lindsay Administration and additionally as the President of the Municipal Art Society. The formation of the Public Art Fund consolidated the efforts of two pioneering organizations: City Walls and The Public Arts Council of the Municipal Art Society. Each of these groups were early prototypes of successful public art programming and both quickly began defining the mechanisms for placing works of art in public places, setting the course for many other arts organizations that have followed. Both organizations sponsored a number of projects aimed at cultivating relationships between artists and communities, including Tony Rosenthal's "The Alamo" and Richard Haas' "Arcade". An ever-increasing volume of public art inquiries and proposals prompted Freedman to form the Public Art Fund, merging the activities of both groups. As was the case with its predecessors, the generative concept behind the Public Art Fund was to provide support to artists on every level: curatorial, logistical, promotional and financial. Over the years, public sites such as Doris Freedman Plaza, Rockefeller Center, and City Hall Park have been programmed on an ongoing basis. Other locations are selected for individual projects and programs on a case-by-case basis. In 1982, the Public Art Fund began a program called “Messages to the Public”, which gave artists access to the Spectacolor lightboard at New York City’s Times Square. From 1982-1990 over 70 artists broadcast 30-second computer-generated messages on the 800-square foot animated light board. This included works by Vito Acconci, Guerrilla Girls, Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer, Richard Prince, Tim Rollins & K.O.S., Christy Rupp, Kiki Smith, David Wojnarowicz, and Martin Wong, among others. In 1995, the Public Art Fund began its “In the Public Realm” program, offering emerging artists the opportunity to create art projects by responding to an open call for proposals. Today, the Public Art Fund has worked with over 500 emerging and established artists and continues to bring artwork outside of the traditional context of museums and galleries, providing "a unique platform for an unparalleled public encounter with the art of our time." Recent projects include Janet Cardiff’s “Her Long Black Hair” (2005), Chris Burden’s “What My Dad Gave Me” (2008) and Olafur Eliasson’s “The New York City Waterfalls” (2008). Funding is received through contributions from individuals, foundations, corporations, and with funds allocated from: the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
City Walls City Walls was incorporated as a not-for-profit in 1969 by a group of established professional artists. Working with artists and communities, City Walls was dedicated to revitalizing the visual environment of New York City through public art. Viewing the city as a work of art, the organization sponsored more than fifty murals by twenty-eight differnt artists. Early members and artists included Nassos Daphnis, Allan D'Arcangelo, Jason Crum, Mel Pekarsky, Tania, Robert Wiegand, and Todd Williams. Doris C. Freedman served as president of City Walls from 1971 to 1980.
Public Arts Council The Public Arts Council was formed in 1971 under the auspices of the Municipal Art Society of New York City. The advisory board was composed of professional artists, architects, city planners, developers and representatives from other organizations that dealt with public art. Over the years, the Public Arts Council served as “an advocate group for public art, as an administrative organization for initiating coordinating public art projects, and as a resource and information center for artists, city and community organizations, and educational institutions”. The program was supported in through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and from private donations.
Percent for Art New York City adopted its Percent for Art legislation in 1982, requiring that one percent of the budget for eligible City-funded construction projects be allocated to commission or purchase public art works for city facilities. Doris Freedman helped to draft New York City's Percent for Art legislation and played a major role in lobbying the City Council. Deputy Mayor Ronay Menschel and Chief of Staff Diane Coffey were also key advocates. Mayor Edward Koch was in office to sign and pass the bill in 1982 and in 1983 the law went into effect. The program was initially administered by Public Art Fund until the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs assumed full responsibility in 1986. After this, the Public Art Fund ceased to save files pertaining to Percent for Art, until deaccessioning research began in 1994.
Doris C. Freedman Biography Doris C. Freedman (1928-1981) was a champion of public art who served as New York City's first Director of Cultural Affairs during the Lindsay administration. A tireless supporter of New York City’s Percent for Art legislation, Freedman was dedicated to securing a place for contemporary art in a public setting while combining the interests of artists, urban planners, local communities, city agencies and public and private organizations. In 1971, Freedman founded the Public Arts Council and served as president of City Walls Inc. Under her leadership, both the Public Arts Council and City Walls provided technical assistance and financial support for a wide variety of projects, and developed programs to explore the potential of urban public spaces. In 1977 Freedman merged the efforts of City Walls and the Public Arts Council to create the Public Art Fund.
Susan K. Freedman Biography Susan K. Freedman, daughter of founder Doris Freedman, has served as president of the Public Art Fund since 1986. As her biography at the Public Art Fund web site reads: "Freedman graduated from Brown University in 1982 with a B.A. in Studio Art and American Civilization, and was Assistant to Mayor Edward I. Koch, and Director of Special Projects and Events for the Art Commission of the City of New York from 1983 to 1986. Susan currently serves as Mayor Bloomberg's Representative on the Board of Trustees at the Museum of Modern Art, as well as on the Boards of the Municipal Art Society and WNYC Radio, and as Vice President of the Board for the City Parks Foundation. Most recently, Susan has joined the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission, and was a jury member for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's World Trade Center Memorial competition. She received the Municipal Art Society's Evangeline Blashfield Award in 2005.”
Bibliography:
- Sources
- Ault, J., Social Text Collective., & Drawing Center (New York, N.Y.). (2002). Alternative art, New York, 1965-1985: A cultural politics book for the Social Text Collective. New York: Drawing Center.
- Brenson, Michael. "WHAT'S NEW AROUND TOWN IN OUTDOOR SCULPTURE. " New York Times. 19 Jul 1985, Late Edition (East Coast): Banking Information Source, ProQuest. Web. 16 Nov. 2010.
- Breslaur, Jan. "A Spectacle of L.A. Art in New York's Times Square Advertising: California artists have been decorating a billboard with "Messages to the Public," but loss of funding threatens the project :[Home Edition]. " Los Angeles Times (pre-1997 Fulltext)24 Nov. 1989,Los Angeles Times, ProQuest. Web. 16 Nov. 2010.
- Doris C. Freedman Gallery, & Public Art Fund (New York, N.Y.). (1982). Ten years of public art, 1972-1982. Doris C. Freedman Gallery at the Urban Center, 457 Madison Avenue, New York, 20 May-18 June 1982. New York, N.Y.: Public Art Fund.
- Freedman, S. K. (2004). Plop: Recent projects of the Public Art Fund. London: Merrell Publishers in association with Public Art Fund, New York.
- Glueck, Grace. "What Part should the Public Play in Choosing Public Art?" New York Times. 3 Feb. 1985, Late Edition (East Coast): Banking Information Source, ProQuest. Web. 16 Nov. 2010.
- McGill, Douglas C.. "In East Harlem, First ‘Percent’ Art.” New York Times. 27 Jun 1985, Late Edition (East Coast): Banking Information Source, ProQuest. Web. 16 Nov. 2010.
- Percent for Art. (2010). Retrieved November 12, 2010 from http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcla/html/panyc/panyc.shtml
- Public Art Fund (New York, N.Y.). (1980s). Newsletter. New York, N.Y.: Public Art Fund.
- Public Art Fund (New York, N.Y.). (1989). Issues, public art. New York City: Public Art Fund.
- Public Art Fund (New York, N.Y.). (1991). In process: The quarterly newsletter of the Public Art Fund Inc. New York, NY: Public Art Fund.
- Public Art Fund (New York, N.Y.). (1992). Public art issues. New York, NY: Public Art Fund.
- Public Art Fund (New York, N.Y.). (1999). Public Art Fund, Inc. Retrieved January 1st, 2010, from http://www.publicartfund.org
- Vogel, Carol. "Inside Art :[Leisure/Weekend Desk]. " New York Times. 27 Feb. 1998, Late Edition (East Coast): Banking Information Source, ProQuest. Web. 05 Nov. 2010.
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1977 -1981 :Doris C. Freedman, President -
1982 -1985 :Jenny Dixon, Director -
1986 -1986 present :Susan K. Freedman, President -
1989 -1995 :James Clark, Director -
1996 -2005 :Tom Eccles, Director -
2005 -2009 :Rochelle Steiner, Director -
2009 -2009 present :Nicholas Baume, Director
From the guide to the Public Art Fund Archive, 1966-2009, (© 2012 Fales Library and Special Collections)
Role | Title | Holding Repository | |
---|---|---|---|
referencedIn | Franklin Furnace Ephemera Collection, Compiled by Matthew Hogan ca. 1970-2007 (bulk 1985-2007). | Fales Library & Special Collections | |
referencedIn | Harold and Joyce Pomeroy Schwartz Public Art Archive, Bulk, 1976-2005, 1961-2009 | Fales Library & Special Collections | |
creatorOf | Public Art Fund (New York, N.Y.). Institutional file. | Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives | |
creatorOf | Public Art Fund Archive, 1966-2009 | Fales Library & Special Collections | |
referencedIn | Video organization file : Public Art Fund (New York, N.Y.) : miscellaneous uncataloged material. | Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) | |
referencedIn | Public Art Fund : PAD/D pamphlet file : miscellaneous uncataloged material. | Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library | |
referencedIn | Franklin Furnace Ephemera Collection, Compiled by Matthew Hogan, ca. 1970 - 2007 (Bulk 1985 - 2007) | Fales Library & Special Collections | |
creatorOf | Public Art Fund Archive, 1966-2009 | Fales Library & Special Collections |
Role | Title | Holding Repository |
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Filters:
Relation | Name | |
---|---|---|
associatedWith | Acconci, Vito, 1940- | person |
associatedWith | ACT UP New York (Organization) | corporateBody |
associatedWith | ACT UP (Organization) | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Aycock, Alice. | person |
associatedWith | Baume, Nicholas. | person |
associatedWith | Boltanski, Christian, 1944- | person |
associatedWith | Botero, Fernando, 1932- | person |
associatedWith | Bourgeois, Louise 1911-2010. | person |
associatedWith | Burden, Chris, 1946- | person |
associatedWith | Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976. | person |
associatedWith | Cardiff, Janet, 1957- | person |
associatedWith | Casebere, James. | person |
associatedWith | Chang, Jackie. | person |
associatedWith | Clark, James M. | person |
associatedWith | Clark, James M. | person |
associatedWith | Creative Time, Inc. | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Deacon, Richard, 1949- | person |
associatedWith | DeJong, Constance | person |
associatedWith | DeJong, Constance. | person |
associatedWith | Dion, Mark, 1961- | person |
associatedWith | Di Suvero, Mark, 1933- | person |
associatedWith | Dixon, Jenny | person |
associatedWith | Dixon, Jenny. | person |
associatedWith | Dwyer, Nancy. | person |
associatedWith | Eccles, Tom 1964- | person |
associatedWith | Foreman, Richard | person |
associatedWith | Foreman, Richard. | person |
associatedWith | Freedman, Doris Chanin 1928-1981. | person |
associatedWith | Freedman, Susan 1970- | person |
associatedWith | General Idea. | person |
associatedWith | Goldsworthy, Andy. | person |
associatedWith | Gonzalez-Torres, Felix | person |
associatedWith | Gran Fury. | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Group Material (Firm : New York, N.Y.) | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Guerrilla Girls (Group of artists) | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Hammer, Barbara. | person |
associatedWith | Haring, Keith. | person |
associatedWith | Hershman, Lynn 1941- | person |
associatedWith | Holzer, Jenny, 1950- | person |
associatedWith | Indiana, Robert. | person |
associatedWith | Kapoor, Anish. | person |
associatedWith | Katz, Alex, 1927- | person |
associatedWith | Koch, Ed, 1924- | person |
associatedWith | Koons, Jeff. | person |
associatedWith | Kruger, Barbara | person |
associatedWith | Kusama, Yayoi 1929- | person |
associatedWith | LeWitt, Sol, 1928-2007. | person |
associatedWith | Lichtenstein, Roy 1923-1927. | person |
associatedWith | Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. | corporateBody |
associatedWith | McCarthy, Paul | person |
associatedWith | McCarthy, Paul. | person |
associatedWith | Muniz, Vik | person |
associatedWith | Muniz, Vik. | person |
associatedWith | National Endowment for the Arts. | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Nevelson, Louise | person |
associatedWith | Nevelson, Louise. | person |
associatedWith | New York (N.Y.) Dept. of Cultural Affairs. | corporateBody |
associatedWith | New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Cultural Affairs. | corporateBody |
associatedWith | New York State Council on the Arts. | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988. | person |
associatedWith | Otterness, Tom, 1952- | person |
associatedWith | Paik, Nam June, 1932-2006. | person |
associatedWith | Pepper, Beverly. | person |
associatedWith | Piper, Adrian, 1948- | person |
associatedWith | Pomeroy Schwartz, Joyce | person |
associatedWith | Rist, Pipilotti, 1962- | person |
associatedWith | Rosler, Martha. | person |
associatedWith | Rupp, Christy 1949- | person |
associatedWith | Serra, Richard, 1939- | person |
associatedWith | Simmons, Laurie | person |
associatedWith | Simmons, Laurie. | person |
associatedWith | Simpson, Lorna, 1960- | person |
associatedWith | Smith, Allison, 1972- | person |
associatedWith | Smith, Kiki, 1954- | person |
associatedWith | Steiner, Rochelle. | person |
associatedWith | Steir, Pat, 1940- | person |
associatedWith | Tillman, Lynne | person |
associatedWith | Weiner, Lawrence 1942 February 10. | person |
associatedWith | West, Franz, 1947- | person |
associatedWith | Whiteread, Rachel, 1963- | person |
associatedWith | Whitney Museum of American Art. | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Wojnarowicz, David. | person |
associatedWith | Wong, Martin. | person |
associatedWith | Zittel, Andrea, 1965- | person |
associatedWith | Živančević, Nina, 1957- | person |
Place Name | Admin Code | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Washington Square (New York, N.Y.) | |||
Queens (New York, N.Y.) | |||
United States | |||
New York (State)--New York | |||
Manhattan (New York, N.Y.) | |||
Manhattan (New York, N.Y.) | |||
New York (N.Y.) | |||
New York (N.Y.) | |||
Washington Square (New York, N.Y.) | |||
Queens (New York, N.Y.) |
Subject |
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AIDS activists |
AIDS activists |
AIDS (Disease) |
AIDS (Disease) and art |
AIDS (Disease) and art |
Alternative spaces (Arts facilities) |
Alternative spaces (Arts facilities) |
Art, American |
Art, American |
Sculpture, American |
Sculpture, American |
Art |
Art |
Art |
Art |
Art and society |
Art and society |
Artists |
Artists |
Artists |
Artists |
Artists and community |
Artists and community |
Asian American artists |
Community arts projects |
Community development, Urban |
East Village (New York, N.Y.) |
Feminism and art |
Gay activists |
Gay activists |
Gays |
Gays |
Group work in art |
Installations (Art) |
Installations (Art) |
Minorities in art |
New York State Council on the Arts |
Non-profit artists centers |
Photography |
Photography |
Politics in art |
Public architecture |
Public art |
Public art |
Public art spaces |
Public sculpture, American |
Public sculpture, American |
Safe sex in AIDS prevention |
Social problems in art |
Urban renewal |
Urban transportation |
Video art |
Video art |
Women artists |
Women artists |
Women artists |
Women's rights |
Occupation |
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Activity |
---|
Corporate Body
Active 1966
Active 2009
Americans
English