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Intent:
The intent of the Public Art Policy is to guide the development of a public art program in the
Town of Niverville. The Public Art Policy encourages the Town to increase public awareness of
public art and provide opportunities for the public to engage in the public art process. It also
seeks to provide opportunities for local artists to make meaningful contributions to the Town and
to collaborate with Town Staff, designers and other partners on special initiatives.
Policy:
Niverville's policy will:
1. Actively use public art to enhance the public realm, to promote creativity and to elevate
the Town's status as an important centre for arts and culture.
2. Seek out a wide variety of public art types, opportunities and locations to provide a
culturally rich environment.
3. Highlight a diversity of perspectives, the Town's heritage and the unique physical context
of the Town's Facilities.
4. Use public art to achieve the development, designation and preservation of heritage and
recreational resources to maximize interpretive and tourism potential goal laid out in the
Town's Development Plan for Heritage Resources.
5. Demonstrate its commitment to enhancing arts and culture.
The Town of Niverville defines public art as visual art that exists in the public realm. It can be
either outdoors or indoors and builds a visually rich environment. It should be accessible to the
community at large and encourage community interaction to foster a sense of local pride and
achievement. Niverville encourages diverse expressions of art that reflect the multicultural nature
of the Town and elicit emotional responses from the viewers. Both permanent or temporary
TOWN OF NIVERVILLE-RECREATION
POLICY NO. R1-23:
Public Art Policy
EFFECTIVE DATE:
January 17, 2023 RESOLUTION# 14-23
REVISION DATE:
_______________ RESOLUTION# _______
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artworks aim to expand knowledge and broaden the understanding of the arts and cultural section
within the Town.
The following is a list of principles that form the base of the Public Art Policy. These are
intended to provide direction in development of the Town's public art program and inform
decision-making at every stage of the selection, acquisition, installation and management
processes.
- Inclusivity - Public art engages the community at large and, as such, is inherently
collaborative. The community may be provided with opportunities to engage in various
stages of the public art planning and implementation processes. The Town of Niverville
also promotes collaboration between artists and other design professions, art agencies, the
private sector and various levels of government.
- Accessibility - Given its 'public' nature, the Town will strive to ensure that public
artworks are both visually and physically accessible. This will be enhanced by the
strategic and equitable placement of artworks in locations that are frequented by a large
number of residents and visitors alike.
- Sustainability - The Town will ensure that projects are supported by sustainable
management programs so that public art continues to play an important role in the vision
for long-term growth and improvement of the Town of Niverville. The Town will foster
partnerships with the private sector to increase programming capacity and will develop
management plans to ensure works retain the original intentions of the artist and are not
compromised by a lack of upkeep.
- Diversity - Public art initiatives strive to build a sense of community, and as such should
reflect the diverse interests of that community. The Town will support public art
initiatives from a broad range of artists and at various stages of their career development.
Furthermore, public art should be balanced across the Town in a diversity of areas and
not restricted to any one location.
- Creativity - The public art program will be open to a broad definition of creative
endeavors, not limiting artists by providing direction on form or materials and will foster
innovation and design excellence.
Site Selection - Below are the criteria to be used to determine the appropriateness of sites for the
installation of public art. It is important that the site selection criteria and process ensures the
following:
-
that opportunities and public benefit are maximized through public art placement
-
that sites are selected where investments in public art have the potential for successful,
high-quality implementation
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-
that sites are selected with consideration to ensuring they reach diverse audiences and
that artwork is not limited to the urban centres
-
there is flexibility for the Town to respond to new and unforeseen initiatives, plans and
developments
-
that the criteria allow for a range of potential public art sites in order that there can be a
variety of types of public art experience in Niverville including: landmark locations,
neighbourhood experiences (art in the CRRC), and artwork that is a destination (e.g.
along the trails). In many cases, further consultation with relevant Town of Niverville
departments and stakeholders will still be required.
The Town will partner with the Hanover School Division/Niverville High School to offer
the exterior west wall of the Niverville Centennial Arena as a "Temporary installation" area
for art produced by Niverville High School students. The Town reserves the right to revoke
this permission upon provision of 6 months notice to the Hanover School
Division/Niverville High School of its intention to discontinue the Temporary installation
opportunity.
Selection Criteria - An Art Selection Committee must be established for each Art project or
Donation of Works over $10,000 in value, but they may also be established for Works and Art of
a lesser amount (at the Town's discretion). The members of the Art Selection Committee will be
appointed by resolution of Niverville Council and be responsible for selecting an artist for a
commission or an artwork for purchase following the Acquisition Criteria listed in this
document. Art Selection Committee members shall be independent of the Town and Council and
should include arts and design professionals such as practicing artists, curators, art critics, art
educators, architects, landscape architects and local community representation. It is understood
that any member, professional arts and/or community representatives will not be in a conflict of
interest. Depending on the scope of the project, the Art Selection Committee usually consists of
three or five members, with the majority being qualified art and design experts. Local
representation with interests in the site could include a neighbourhood or community
representative from a local association, a business representative or a resident. While the ultimate
objective of the panel is to reach a unanimous decision, members may be divided in their
evaluations and as such, a panel will consist of uneven numbers to enable a majority vote. In the
event of an Art competition, the Art Selection Committee shall recommend a competition winner
to the Town, with Town Council to provide final approval to the selection. All recommendations
will remain confidential until the Town announces the results. Relevant Town staff and other
experts may attend the adjudication session as applicable to the project, but they will be non-
voting advisors. Any concerns regarding the selection of the Works as chosen by the Art
Selection Committee will be directed back to the Committee for a response.
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All acquisitions other than Temporary Installations will be conducted in consultation with an
Art Selection Committee and will be evaluated based on the following list of criteria:
- overall artistic quality of the Work(s) and authenticity
- artist reputation - demonstrated and related experience based on their previous work
- avoid over-representation by any one artist
- the Work's relevance/impact to Niverville and its citizens
- the Work's relevance and suitability for its intended location and in a public space
- the relationship of the artist/author to Niverville and the local and/or regional area
- the Work does not minimize and/or detract from the image of Niverville
- reflects the Town's heritage and/or history, culture and diversity, and/or natural elements
and landscapes
- Works whose messages are exclusively religious in nature will not be accepted
- Works whose messages are exclusively political in nature will only be considered if the
political message is of historical context
- Message and content shall be judged by generally accepted community standards.
- the Work does not pose any safety hazard to the public
- the Work is able to withstand the physical elements and is vandal-proof for the duration
of time it is intended to be displayed
- short- and long-term costs
- tourism potential
- maintenance or conservation requirements for the Work and the Town's ability to
maintain and conserve the Work
- authenticity and provenance of the Work (ethical and legal considerations regarding
ownership)
- the Town's ability to display or store the Work appropriately
- Must meet Town Codes and Ordinances
- cost and value of the Work to the Town of Niverville
- in the case of a Donation, the donor's suitability may also be used as part of the
assessment, including any conflicts of interest perceived or otherwise. Donations are also
subject to the Town of Niverville's Donation Receipting Policy F2-13.
Temporary installations assigned to the Niverville High School must be pre-approved in writing
to the Town by the Hanover School Division. Any concerns regarding the selection of the Works
from the Niverville High School will be directed back to the Hanover School Division for a
response.
Temporary Installations - The Town may accept temporary works of art for display on Town-
owned property. Installations can last from one day to one year, typically remaining on view for
three to six months.
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Artwork considered for display in public space is distinct from installations that occur as part of
a special event (where the installation period coincides with the event.)
Proposals for temporary art display will be reviewed by the Town's review team. Consideration
will be given to safety, durability and suitability to the site.
Deaccessioning - A work may be deaccessioned if at least one of the following applies:
- The Town cannot properly care for or store the work;
- Security of the artwork can no longer be reasonably guaranteed;
- There is no suitable site for relocation of a work that must be moved;
- Maintenance costs are higher than can reasonably be absorbed by the Town;
- The artwork requires repairs that are unfeasible;
- The artwork's condition requires restoration in excess of its aesthetic value;
- The work is so deteriorated that restoration would prove unfeasible or misleading;
- It, as erected, the artwork poses risks to public safety not identified in the selection
process;
- It is determined that the work lacks significant aesthetic, historical and/or cultural value;
- The work is determined to be a duplicate (e.g. prints or multiples) of lesser quality than
other works in the collection;
- The work is determined to be a copy or pastiche without significant historical,
documentary, or aesthetic value; or
- The Work /site is scheduled for replacement due to a new initiative coming forward.