The 'art' of public/private partnership

by Carmella Jarvi

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February 13, 2012

Charlotte has a long history of public/private partnerships in different areas of our city life including our public art. As we step into the national and international spotlights this year with the upcoming Democratic National Convention, it’s an excellent time to showcase Charlotte’s innovative approaches to public art.

Public artworks dot the landscape all over our community, including Uptown, South End, and Balantyne. These works reflect our community’s identity – both the works of art themselves, and the processes that lead to their installation.

Although public art can stimulate and connect us — even improve our quality of life — these benefits are not always without scrutiny, particularly in economically challenging times. 

Funding

One misconception — an issue often overlooked — is that not all “public art” is paid for with tax dollars. And, it is important to remember that regardless of funding, once completed, most public art in our city is free for all to enjoy.

Our local public art falls into several funding categories:

Some work is funded solely by the private sector, which until recently largely has been one corporation. For example, the art collection in and around the Carillon Building (on 227 W. Trade St.) was privately funded by Hesta Properties during the original construction 20 years ago.  

Other public art is funded through a percentage of construction costs — both new construction and major renovations. There is also a category of art for public transportation. (Mecklenburg County collects an additional .5% sales tax to fund local transportation. A portion of art financing comes from this source.)

Sometimes, works have multiple funding sources which may be public and private monies. A good example of this is the Romare Bearden Park, at 3rd and Church Streets uptown. Like a growing number of Charlotte projects, it is a public and private investment with multiple funding sources – including the private Partners for Parks Foundation, which provides both volunteers and funds for local parks. Additionally, during fiscal year 2004, local voters approved a park bond including funding for Bearden Park.  And like all Charlotte-Mecklenburg parks, admission is free to everyone.

Governance and legislation

Since 1981, the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have jointly operated a successful public art program through the Public Art Commission. In 1993, there was a restructuring of this program, transferring responsibility to the Arts & Science Council. (The Arts & Science Council has an excellent — and free — Public art walking tour brochure and podcast that highlight the history as well as funding of many works.)

This Public Art Commission — designed to represent the “public voice” in the process — is comprised of three members from the visual arts or design professions, two from the business sector, two from the education sector and two at-large, community representatives. The Arts & Science Council acts as the administrator and oversees these projects. The commission actively looks for additional funding through corporate partnerships, donations and grants, like in the Bearden Park example.

Government legislation related to public art — both for federal public transportation projects as well as local capital improvements — has been around for years.  In 2003, the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners and the Charlotte City Council adopted ordinances that appropriate 1 % of eligible capital improvements for public art. (This 1% is based on actual construction costs, usually once a project has begun. Projects can range from new buildings and renovations to parks and greenways.) 

Ned Kahn’s “Wind Silos” installation on the parking deck between 5th and 6th Streets uptown is one of many strong public artworks integrated into a normally bland architectural element — in this case, a multi-level parking structure. 

For more than 30 years, the federal government has encouraged and financially supported art in regards to public transportation design. In 2002, the Metropolitan Transit Commission — the governing board of the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) — voted to allocate one percent of any capital project’s design and construction budget for the incorporation of art into the project. This area of public art has proven to be one of the more controversial for Charlotteans.

New projects

This allocation for art positively impacts both our local budget and our quality of life. Some area artists receive public art commissions, and artists from outside Charlotte sometimes will subcontract to other local businesses and crafts persons to help manufacture and/or install larger scale works of art. 

How we move forward with new public art projects will vary depending on multiple factors, but at the heart of the issue, public art is a great example of successful use of public/private partnerships in our city. 

Ms. Jarvi is an artist who has received funding through the Arts & Science Council. She has not been awarded any public art projects in Charlotte.