Public Art Fund (New York, N.Y.)

Public 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 ...

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: