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Policy
POL.R.20.173
Public Art Policy
Date Approved:
24 November 2020
Department:
Economic Development Services
Staff Report:
SR2020-160
By-Law No.:
n/a
Policy Statement
The selection and placement of Public Art serves to enhance resident's
quality of life, pride in their community, and can increase tourism and the
potential for economic development.
The Public Art Policy follows the direction of the City's Official Plan and the
Downtown & Waterfront Master Plan and Urban Design Strategy.
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to define how the Corporation of the City of
Brockville obtains Public Art and to ensure that the process is fair and open.
Goals:
To support the Brockville Official Plan's strategic pillar of a sustainable,
healthy, and vital city
To ensure an open and fair process is implemented for all public art
whether donated or purchased
Establish a standardized and transparent process for the acquisition,
selection, site selection, and maintenance of purchased and/or
donated works of art for display in public places
To create opportunities for the provision of public art
Ensure that all art is suitable for the location, representative of the
best work available for the budget, designed and installed with
reasonable requirements for maintenance and upkeep
Define roles and responsibilities
Establishes the role of the Public Art Committee
Streamlines and defines the process for the public to initiate a Public
Art project and encourages community groups to produce art in public
places
POL.R.20.173
Public Art Policy
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Application
This policy shall apply to all art to be displayed in public places whether
purchased, donated, or acquired through other means.
Public Art acquired and/or installed prior to the implementation of this policy
is subject to periodic review and consideration by the same criteria as new
works.
Definitions
"Public Art" is defined as art in any medium that is situated in an indoor or
outdoor public space and may be permanent or temporary works.
For the purposes of this policy, Public Art does not include:
Previously installed plaques or heritage assets that are already
supported by other budgets, committees and policies;
Temporary art that is part of an event and that does not have any
maintenance or long-term considerations (e.g. light displays, ice
sculptures, or performance art)
"City" refers to the Corporation of the City of Brockville.
"Mural" means a graphic representation applied directly to an exterior
building face or to another surface and mounted on a building, regardless of
media or application technique, the primary purpose of which is decorative.
"Heritage Theme" means a design that incorporates shape, colour, materials,
graphics and lettering consistent with the predominant traditional
architectural style of the downtown core area.
"Downtown Core Area" with regard to the Sign By-law means those lands
contained within the following boundaries:
Butlers Creek and Gilmour Street on the west
Church Street between Gilmour Street and Perth Street, James Street
between Perth Street and Orchard Street on the north
Orchard Street on the east; and
The St. Lawrence River on the south.
"Practicing Artist" means someone who has developed skills through training
or practice (whether formal or informal), is recognized by artists working in
the same artistic tradition, has a history of public presentation or
publication, seeks payment for their work and actively practices their art.
POL.R.20.173
Public Art Policy
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Procedures
To achieve the goals of the Public Art Policy, a Public Art Committee
will be established as a Committee of Council, which will report to City
Council through the Economic Development, Recreation and Tourism
Committee.
All requests for the acquisition and selection of Public Art, regardless of
the source or method of acquisition, are referred to the Public Art
Committee for a recommendation to be made to City Council. In all
cases, City Council will make the final decision on whether to approve
the recommendation.
Committee membership will include at least 3 members where at least
1 is a practicing artist.
o Preference for members with skills pertinent to the field of public
art, such as: architect, engineer, or other advisory member who
can evaluate a proposed artwork with regards to longevity, risk
factors, site considerations, construction considerations, long
term conservation, maintenance etc., a professional background
pertaining to art, curation, museum studies, urban design, or
other relevant skillsets.
The Public Art Committee may develop, and modify as needed, a
Public Art Reference Document that establishes criteria and standards,
and identifies and prioritizes opportunities and sites for Public Art.
The Public Art Committee will identify in the Public Art Reference
Document specific locations where the requirement to adhere to the
heritage theme will be lessened for public art projects to allow for
greater creative expression. All other criteria for acquisition will still
apply. These locations must be selected through public consultation,
review by stakeholders, and receive final approval from City Council.
Open competitions, commissions, direct purchases, and donations are
all acceptable methods of acquisition. Regardless of the method of
acquisition, the Public Art Policy in its entirety shall apply, including
but not limited to, review by the Public Art Committee and approval by
City Council. Additional roles and responsibilities of the Public Art
Committee are defined in the Public Art Committee Terms of
Reference.
All funding requests for restoration projects, deaccessioning,
purchases, or juried art competitions are to be made annually by the
Public Art Committee to City Council through the annual budget
process.
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Public Art Policy
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The Role of the City:
All proposals will be reviewed by City Staff and by outside experts
when required to assess structural health and safety concerns and
maintenance requirements. Building and other permits may be
required.
Murals are subject to measures outlined in the City of Brockville's Sign
By-law, including a provision for subject matter in the downtown area:
o Should the application for permit be refused due to non-
compliance with the heritage theme provisions, the applicant
may seek approval by City Council or the appropriate designated
Standing Committee of Council.
o The Public Art Reference Document will identify specific locations
where the heritage theme requirements will be relaxed for public
art projects to allow for greater creative and artistic expression.
These locations must be developed with input from stakeholders
and receive approval from City Council.
City Council will review all recommendations from the Public Art
Committee and make a final decision.
Maintenance:
Care and maintenance of Public Art on City Property is the
responsibility of the City, unless otherwise specified at the time of
acquisition.
All murals on private property which will be maintained according to a
Terms of Agreement that will be specified at the time of acquisition.
All art on private property is to be maintained by the property owner.
Maintenance procedures, schedules, and anticipated budget
requirements are to be developed by the Artist and are to be reviewed
by City Staff and the Public Art Committee and will make up part of
the judging criteria when considering the piece for acquisition.
Restorations and/or major repairs of Public Art are referred to the
Public Art Committee for review, prioritization, and budget
determination, and requested through the annual budget process.
Deaccession or removal of an installation deemed too costly to
maintain or that is no longer in the public interest, will be undertaken
with review by the Public Art Committee, in consultation with any
affected parties, followed by a recommendation to City Council.
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Public Art Policy
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Donations of Public Art:
Donations of art must follow the same method of acquisition and
review by Public Art Committee and will be assessed against the Public
Art Reference Document for strategic priorities and placement.
The donor must submit a Maintenance Plan for the piece that outlines
recommended maintenance techniques, timelines, and associated
budgets along with how the budget requirements will be met. The
Public Art Committee will submit the Maintenance Plan with their
recommendation to City Council on whether to accept the piece into
the Public Art Collection.
The City has the right to refuse the donation of public art that is not
considered appropriate for a specific location, does not meet the public
art strategic priorities, has long term maintenance needs that would
have an adverse affect on the municipality or annual budget, or any
other reason considered appropriate by the Public Art Committee or
City Council.
Community Art Projects:
Proposed Community Art Projects will be assessed by the Public Art
Committee against the Public Art Reference Document for strategic
priorities and placement.
The artist or group initiating the community art project must submit a
formal proposal to the Public Art Committee including the following
information:
o A brief overview of the project including the project rationale,
goals, and proposed medium
o Conceptual drawings
o Dimensions
o Proposed location
o Anticipated lifespan of the work
o Maintenance requirements and Maintenance Plan, including any
applicable budget requests for long-term maintenance
o Artist statement and bio
o Installation method and hardware
o Material and structural considerations
o Project timeline
o Proof of insurance
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Public Art Policy
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Public Art Strategic Priorities:
In reference to the official plan and downtown and waterfront master
plan, public art proposals should be assessed according to:
o Cultural significance
o Enhancing the character of place
o Consistency with other built and natural elements
o How the piece will conserve and enhance the historical and
cultural heritage of the City
o Encourages beautification, improvement and/or redevelopment
of the City
o Revitalizes underused land in the City.
Public Art in the City shall generally be encouraged to incorporate
themes supporting and promoting local history, civic pride, creativity,
businesses, and technology.
Exclusions
Temporary art that is part of an event and that does not have any
maintenance or long-term considerations (e.g. light displays, ice sculptures,
or performance art) is excluded from this policy.
References and Related Policies
Official Plan
Downtown & Waterfront Master Plan and Urban Design Strategy
Procurement Policy
Sign Bylaw
Consequences of Non-Compliance
Failure to comply with the Public Art Policy could result in the removal of the
work and costs associated with the expense of removal to be recovered from
the artist.
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Public Art Policy
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Recovery of Expense:
A copy of an invoice for any charges for removal of a work of public art,
together with a certificate by the City Treasurer that:
(a) invoice has been sent to the persons liable to pay the same;
(b) no payment or insufficient payment has been received for the
invoice; and
(c) payment of the invoice is overdue; shall be sent to a collection
agency.
Review Cycle
This Policy shall be reviewed and updated every five years.