Policy and Procedure

Introduction

What factors make this policy unique?

Unlike any other place, the particular attributes which will affect the selection and creation of Public Art in Alice Springs are:

• The geography and geographical distance.
• Climate and desert environment
• Cultural diversity
• Indigenous culture and relationship to the land
• Pioneering History
• The intercultural collaboration between Indigenous and non Indigenous communities

Background

Public Art in Alice Springs until this time has not been covered by an official Public Art Policy. There have previously been a number of permanent and temporary works commissioned either as part of public buildings or installed in public space, but until this time there has been no official policy for the creation or inclusion of works of public art.

In celebration of the Year of the Built Environment, the NT Government, Darwin City Council and Alice Springs Town Council ran Public Art forums as part of the research for a Public Art Strategy for the Northern Territory. In Alice Springs on the 29 March 2004, Brecknock Consulting presented a paper: Northern Territory Public Art Strategy to highlight issues in Public Art development in the region.

In September 2005, Alice Springs Town Council was approached by local artist, Pip McManus, who prepared a presentation to Council in order to demonstrate the way in which Public Art may be included into Public Space. It was identified that as there was no existing policy regarding Public Art in Alice Springs, opportunities to include Public Art in major projects may have been overlooked.

In 2006 Arts NT launched a Public Arts Policy and a new round of grants for the development and creation of new works of Public Art in the Northern Territory. Alice Springs Town Council has developed this Policy to ensure a standard of professional excellence in the planning and execution of all public art projects.

The indigenous and non-indigenous arts industry and alice springs

Tourism is a major Industry in Alice Springs. The Australian Bureau of statistics quotes that 90% of all overseas tourists express an interest in engagement with Indigenous culture.

Indigenous Art from Central Australia generates substantial income, creates jobs and improves lives.

Community based Art Centres foster the development, creation, promotion and sale of Indigenous art. There are some 36 community based Art Centres in Central Australia. Desart is the peak organisation representing Central Australian Art Centres. It represents some 70 Art Centre staff and some 2,500 Indigenous artists engaged in meaningful enterprise. Art Centre generated income is approximately $12 million per year. Nationally the Indigenous art industry is estimated to generate between $200m to $300m annually.

Alice Springs is the central point for access to remote Art Centres. Major art dealers, tourists and collectors regularly pass through Alice Springs, adding to the local economy. The annual Desert Mob Show developed in partnership between Desart and the Araluen Culture Centre is an important National showcase attracting National and International attention.

In addition privately owned commercial galleries in Alice Springs also generate comparable turnover and employment.

Many of the residents of Town Camps in Alice Springs are engaged in art making practises.

The majority of non-Indigenous artists and practitioners from Alice Springs and the surrounding region engage in some way with indigenous arts industry and culture. They teach, run workshops, introduce new methods and materials, coordinate exhibitions and directly collaborate with Indigenous artists. They not only influence art making directly but generate a sense of professionalism for arts practitioners. Their input is vital to the growth of the industry. In return, the influence of Indigenous works, its creation, people and culture is powerfully evident in work produced by non indigenous artists in the region. Exposure to current trends in contemporary arts practices is vital to the entire Arts sector.

The magnificence of the landscape and the historical and cultural significance of the region draw many artists from diverse backgrounds and localities to live and work here. A sophisticated audience from around the world comes to experience what Alice Springs and Central Australia have to offer. In providing creative opportunities for our artists we must maintain a standard of excellence worthy of this global attention.

This Public Art Policy aims to provide employment opportunities for local artists, as well as opportunities for local Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to collaborate with each other and with artists from outside of the region. A Public Art Policy for Alice Springs has the potential to create exciting opportunities and develop initiatives for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous established and emerging Artists. It is a tool for Cultural maintenance and will enhance skills and encourage an understanding of Public Art, space and practice

What is public art?

Public art is essentially art for everybody and may be a part of any publicly accessible space. The objective for public art is to express something and/or to stimulate a response. That response may be emotional, intellectual or sensory such as pleasure, empathy, humour, fascination, excitement, appreciation, understanding etc.

It can be:

• Temporary or permanent (may include durational or performance works)
• Inside or Outside.
• 3 Dimensional or 2 Dimensional
• Engage one or more of the senses
• Incorporate elements from any or all of the arts, crafts and design
• Integrated as part of an environment or structure such as buildings, paving, street furniture, hand rails, fencing, lighting or other feature
• Stand alone
• Created by a single artist, a group of artists, A team of appropriate design professionals in collaboration with an artist or in collaboration with members of the community through a community cultural development process
• Site specific
• Ephemeral

Why public art?

Public art can add to an environment, making it welcoming and inclusive, creating an aesthetically pleasing and cultural experience.

It can:

• Enhance the environment
• Define public spaces and place
• Provide a sense of pride, ownership and belonging
• Increase cultural awareness
• Promote inclusiveness and harmony
• Decrease vandalism
• Add value by making the site more desirable to live in or visit
• Attract tourists
• Provide opportunities and employment for artists

Why a policy?

The aims and intention of the policy are to:

Achieve a standard of professional excellence in the planning and execution of all public art projects.

Develop a relevant, diverse and exciting collection of public art which celebrates and fosters a local identity and essence of place and is of a recognised high standard within Australia and abroad.

The purpose for developing a policy for Public Art is to:

Provide a guiding framework for making decisions and creating opportunities which will ensure a dynamic and professional approach to Public Art, supporting and implementing the goals and strategies outlined in the Alice Springs Strategic Plan 2004 – 2009

These guidelines should ensure that procedures are in place to:

• Identify opportunities for including Public Art and employing artists
• Identify sources of funding for the creation of new works of public art.
• Outline the framework for rules of engagement for artists, design teams and other partners.
• Further enhance Council’s relationship with community organizations, local business, industries, community groups and individuals.
• Instigate best practice models for community consultation
• Engage the best artists to create the best works, ensuring that their vision is fully realised and maintained.
• Create and install the work in a timely, efficient and safe manner, within an identified set budget
• Maintain and conserve the Public Art collection in a professional manner
• Ensure that Public Art works are attributed, promoted and recorded correctly.
• Provide education and information regarding public art in the region.
• Identify when and how a work should be dealt with when it is considered to be no longer appropriate to its location.

Policy

Artist: Mr W. Rubuntja and Cedar Prest in collaboration with Alision Inkamala, Julie Ebatarintja, Blance Ebatarinja and Sally Rubuntja.
Title: Arrernte Country
Medium: Slumped and stained glass
Dimensions: 3.80 x 4.40 metre
Date: 1998

The painting of the giant mural (80 x 7 metres) on the Western wall of the Coles Shopping Complex in Railway Terrace was supervised by Bob and Kay Kessing in 1981 with the help of volunteer townspeople.

Relationship to councils goals

The Public Arts Policy for Alice Springs is directly aligned with the Alice Springs Town Council Strategic Plan 2004 – 2009. It specifically relates to:

Goal 1: Economic

‘A growing and dynamic economic base underpinning strong employment’

The desired outcomes:

• A vibrant tourism industry
• Increased participation of the Indigenous people in the economy
• Alice Springs is seen as an attractive place for career development

Goal 2: Community

‘A united, supportive and healthy community’

The desired outcomes:

• Reduced anti social behaviour
• A strategic and collaborative approach to community service provision
• Youth development and well being
• Recreational, sporting and leisure facilities and programs that improve the community’s quality of life
• Enhanced public safety

Goal 3: Environment

‘To lead Australia in the management of its arid land natural resources

The desired outcomes:

• Open spaces developed and maintained for the use and benefit of the community
• Improved appearance and cleanliness of the town

Goal 4: Culture and Heritage

‘A Community proud of its developing indigenous and non-indigenous history, heritage, arts and culture’

The desired outcomes:

• Cultural preservation and harmony
• Retention of our unique character
• Improved community understanding and respect for our developing heritage

Principals and benefits – artistic/cultural/economic/social

More than just art in public space, Public Art can serve to enhance an environment towards a defined purpose. By setting in place a policy by which Public Art can be measured and managed, it can:

• Educate
• Develop understanding and appreciation for contemporary art in an equitable and inclusive way
• Add value, both economic and social
• Foster pride and ownership
• Alter public perceptions of a particular environment
• Attract an audience into an environment
• Change the nature and use of a place, slow traffic flow and stimulate interaction and exploration within a specific environment
• Promote inclusiveness and interaction

In creating a body of Public Art it must be recognised that Public art is the seamless integration of high quality art in an urban environment, and should not serve as a bandaid or afterthought.

Public Art provides opportunity for community involvement. In each instance where a work is acquired there needs to be effective Community Consultation. This process should not be confused with Community Cultural Development (CCD) Practices. CCD, where members of the community work with guidance from or in collaboration with an arts practitioner, may have recognised additional benefits in that the process itself may be as important as the finished product. In the instance that it be deemed appropriate, this process may be considered as one method of procurement for works of Public Art. Depending on the specific circumstances, CCD practises may or may not be the most effective method.

Funding

To ensure funding for the creation and ongoing maintenance of a Public Art program there will need to be an amount allocated from the Council’s annual budget, as well as a program in place to actively seek and secure funding from other sources.

Percentage of capital works

A minimum amount of 2% of the Council’s total expenditure in the Capital Works Program should go directly towards the commissioning of works of public art work to be included in each Capital Works Building Project where the total project budget is over $250 000. If the project budget is under that amount, it is recommended that the percentage is pooled towards an integrated design solution intended for inclusion in a number of projects where the combined total budget is above that figure. Integrated design solutions will be identified as a single Public Art Project and allocated to an appropriate Public Art Reference Group for development towards a project brief.

Capital works building projects include Council initiated projects such as:

• The construction of new buildings
• Fit out, extension and major refurbishment to existing buildings
• Any related site work
• Community projects on land/space owned/managed by Council

Any other exterior or interior major constructed public space amenities

The 2% policy will not apply to:

• Maintenance or repair to existing buildings
• Demolition of an existing building
• Construction, maintenance or repair to roads, bridges or railway crossings and tracks

Public Art under the 2% allocation can be sited in an interior or exterior location with the priority being to site works in areas of public access.

Under the 2% allocation, Public Art may include long term features such as:

• Furniture and fittings
• Chairs and other office or reception furniture
• Street furniture
• Signage
• Lighting solutions
• Doors and fittings
• Textiles including carpets, curtains and upholstery
• Paving, fencing and landscaping
• Rubbish bins, bike racks, letterboxes and other external fittings
• Playgrounds
• Digital media or animation
• Exhibition or display systems
• Events

Scope

The 2% will cover:

• Project management
• Artist fees
• Materials
• Creation costs
• Transport and Installation
• Risk management and liability insurance

Developer contribution plans

Private or commercial businesses should also be encouraged to apply the 2% policy, although not mandatory. Council will provide practical advice, a broker service and assistance where possible to a commercial or private project in applying the 2% policy.

Council will provide access to the Public Art Operations Manual and ongoing advice towards meeting the standards required for works to be included in the Council collection. The project will then be included in the register of public art.

Recommend to Department of Planning and Infrastructure (DPI):

In some instances, however, private developers may be encouraged to contribute funds towards public art as part of the planning permit condition where major private development projects contribute to the enhancement of public amenities such as:

• Playgrounds
• Residential subdivisions
• Activity centres
• Streetscape schemes
• Landscape works

State and federal funding

Funding can be applied for through Annual grants programs provided by Arts NT, Australia Council, Philanthropic trusts or any other source connected to the arts or urban design. This includes the $300 000 grants fund for Public Arts projects in the Northern Territory, recently announced by the Northern Territory Government as part of their Public Arts Strategy.

Council grant scheme

Support for the creation of small scale works of Public Art may be provided through the ASTC Council Community Grants Scheme, specifically the Community Assistance Grants and Community Development Grants, where the project meets the eligibility and selection criteria.

Gifts & bequests

From time to time Council may be offered works of art as gifts or bequest.

Where a gift of existing finished Artwork is offered, the work should be submitted for assessment by the Public Art Coordination Team as to its suitability for inclusion in the Public Art Collection along the established criteria applicable to all works in the Public Art Collection. Where the work is deemed to be not suitable for inclusion, the donation will not be accepted, with the request that the work be sold and the funds raised be donated towards the ongoing Public Art Program

There may, from time to time, be exceptions to this rule, for example the offer of a donation of a work or works of National Significance.

Maintenance of public art

An amount will be allocated from the annual Technical Services – Buildings and Maintenance budget to provide maintenance to installed works.

The amount required will be recommended to Council by the Public Art Coordination Team, and will be calculated according to the requirements for the Public Art Collection. This figure will be adjusted as the collection grows.

Part of the responsibility of the Public Art Coordination Team will be to determine the equity of distribution of the maintenance budget towards the upkeep of the Collection. Where the expenditure on maintenance of any one work is seen to be excessive, the work may then be considered for de-acquisition.

Policy management

Who does the policy affect?

• The Indigenous and non Indigenous local community
• The Business Sector
• NT Government
• Private Developers and Planners
• Artists and arts workers
• Council
• Tourism Industry
• Arts Organisations
• CCD practitioners

Planning for Public Art

Works must be acquired slowly over time and with careful consideration in each instance. The rights and needs of young people, older people, people with a disability and people from diverse cultural backgrounds will always be taken into account. In order to ensure equitable representation by all sectors of the community, Corporate and Community Services – Community Projects Officer will liaise with all Council departments to identify an appropriate core team of representatives from each Council department:

• Corporate & Community Services (Director and Community Projects officer)
• Engineer
• Technical services
• Alice Springs Town Council Alderman
• 2 local arts professional from either Arts NT, Araluen Galleries Curator, Local Arts Practitioner or CCD worker

And a:

• Local architect
• Traditional Owner

To form the:

Public Art Co-ordination team

This team, headed by the Director Corporate and Community Services in an initial brainstorming session will identify an appropriate timeframe and working budget.

It is anticipated that an opportunity may exist for a relationship to be developed with Arts NT and other Federal funding bodies to further policy outcomes, identify opportunities and inform future directions.

They will then meet at regular intervals in order to work towards:

• Formulating an effective workable Public Art Master Plan to identify and nominate a five year program for commissioning minor and major works of Public Art. This will be done in alignment with the NAVA (National Association for the Visual Arts) Code of practice for the Visual Arts.
• Identify various sources of funding
• Identify the different types of opportunities for Public Art and the levels at which artists may be integrated into projects
• Establish a hierarchy based on an equitable geographic distribution.
• In consultation with a representative from the Traditional Owners, they will identify appropriate themes, aesthetic approaches and range of media for various locations. On approval, suggestions will then go to Council for consideration/ratification, then to the public for Community Consultation
• Creating a Public Art Operations Manual which will define the set criteria and procedure for selection/commissioning of works of Public Art. The Manual will outline how Council will implement all aspects of the Public Art Master Plan and be available as a handbook for developers to assist in the incorporation of Public Art into Development Plans. All images are to be correctly attributed and proof read by the designated Council Officer responsible for Arts. The final draft of the Public Art Operations Manual will be made available for Community Consultation
• Define a maintenance strategy and outline clear guidelines and advice regarding ongoing maintenance issues for the outset of any project
• Provide support and supervision to RedHOTarts in establishing a register of artists and arts workers and their expertise/experience.
• Provide support and supervision to RedHOTarts in establishing a register of artworks in order to promote Public Art (as a hard copy publication/online/tourist map etc)
• Maintain active research and update team on national and international trends in public art.
• Appoint a reference group for each identified Public Art project. Members are to include a representative from the Public Art Co-ordination team, the community directly affected by the proposed work, a representative of the Traditional Owners, a member of the local arts community and an Alderman.
• Provide support information and feedback to the Reference Group.
• Provide advice and consult with all stakeholders.
• Assist in facilitating the communication between architects, builders, town planners, artists etc.
• Identify an appropriate budget for ongoing maintenance
• Manage ongoing maintenance, de acquisitioning and disposal of artworks
• Consider seeking funding in order to host a Public conference or presentation to the local community by a leading industry professional on the process and purpose of Public Art

Definitions

Art: An object or experience of significant and/or aesthetic value which is created or presented as art by an arts practitioner or design team. Although it may be decorative, entertaining and functional, art may also transcend these to convey a sense of purpose, meaning and intent. Artist: A person with refined skills in creative interpretation and conceptualisation. A person who is recognised by their professional peers as an artist and/or who has professional training in fine art or contemporary craft. A person who is involved in the creation of art as their primary profession. An artist may or may or may not draw their primary income from the sale/production of works of art. The artist may be defined as someone other than the architect or professional design team, who contributes design ideas, creative problem solving or works of art to a project. Successful Art/ Unsuccessful Art: For anything to be judged as either successful or unsuccessful, it must be measured against a set of pre-determined criteria. Therefore successful art does well what it was intended to do. In the instance of Commissioned Public Art, a base set of criteria should be drawn up covering all projects, which may then be extended in each instance to fit the particular and specific circumstance. Public Art should be ‘Successful Art’.

Some suggested criteria are that it be :

• Original work
• Relevant
• Engaging
• Appropriate to the climate, culture and location.
• Present no hazard to health and safety of the artist, the audience or the environment.

Public Art: Art created, exhibited, performed or installed in a public space or space which is freely accessed by the public whether inside or outside. It may be temporary, ephemeral, durational or permanent and may be created from numerous and diverse mediums. Culture: Social, collective or artistic pursuit or practise. An alignment with tradition, religion, language, ideas, beliefs, customs, codes, institutions, rituals, ceremonies, sports or political beliefs. Heritage: Legacy, tradition, birthright, custom…implies an obligation or responsibility to learn, maintain and pass on.

References

City of Adelaide – Watch this Space: The City of Adelaide Public Art Policy 2001-2006

City of Blacktown – Draft Public Art Policy 2005

City of the Blue Mountains – Public Art Policy 2001

City of Casey – Public Art Policy 2005

City of Horsham – Public Art Policy 2005

City of Port Macquarie-Hastings – Art In Public Places 2003

City of Thuringowa – Public Art policy and Procedure 2002

Northern Territory Government – Public Art Policy 2006

Queensland Government Art-Built In, creating better public place Policy & Guidelines

DCITA (Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) – Guide to the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000