Preparation

The selection of an artist or craftsperson for a public art commission should be an intriguing and exciting task but it can also be fraught with difficulties. These notes are aimed at all potential commissioners and are intended to suggest ways of approaching this task, which result in the experience being beneficial and satisfactory for everyone. Ideally, allow the commission to be as open as possible with regard to site, material and content. Use the creative ability and knowledge of artists to inform the whole process, allowing the artist to 'lead' and give their thoughts on the brief. This approach will usually result in a far more cohesive and successful outcome.

Be clear about the aims of the commission and what you hope to achieve by it. Consult widely with all those who will be affected by it. Establish the ownership of the site, isues and process, and whether planning permission will be needed. All permissions and restrictions must be known and be made clear to the artists. Consider scale, materials suitable for the site, special requirements and what advance preparation the site will require. Will the commission be permanent or temporary? Will the budget for the commission cover installation costs, related groundwork, landscaping or lighting requirements? A successful commission can take a long time to complete and allowing a realistic timescale for consultation and for the artist to develop the work is essential.

Clearly establish the role of the artists. Are artists to be part of a design team, to undertake a residency with the university or college, to create work on or off-site etc? Adopt a flexible approach to the methods which can be employed to undertake the commission. What community interests are involved. what contact will the artist have wih them?

Identify the selection process to be used and who will participate in the process. It is essential that all those who will be in a position to say 'yes' to the final design are involved from the outset - from the drawing up of the brief through to the final selection. This group, the steering or management committee, should represent users, community, as well as the administrator and funders. It should be a manageable group, which has the ability to remain involved throughout the whole process. Often it is also beneficial to have an independent opinion in the form of a professional public art consultant and/or artist.

Take professional advice. Most people/organisations commissioning for the first or second time would be advised to take professional advice. It is often the case that the commissioner's original concept can be enhanced through sharing ideas with an agency/agent.

Identify the budget and make sure it is confirmed. If this is not possible or there is some doubt about the security of the budget, always let the potential candidates know. However, do not embark on a project when there are no funds available to pay for the initial design fees and expenses of artists.

Researching Artists

• Talk to the "One Percent for the Arts" program administrator at your campus or in your state
• Speak to the faculty from the Art Department at your institution
• Ask for the names of artists in communities you may have ongoing extension projects with
• Consult slide registers (refer to Slide Registers information sheet)
• Consult catalogues, books, art magazines
• Go and see exhibitions, galleries, sculpture parks and trails
• Visit artists' studios

Once information has been compiled, make a long list of artists/craftspeople whose work is interesting and appropriate. Keep an open mind - artists are versatile and usually prefer to be in a pro-active situation, where they can offer ideas on the site, use of materials and perhaps move into an area of work that is new to their practice. It may be possible to borrow slides from the artists to take to committee meetings or community groups for local consultation.

Selection Methods

There are three main ways:

• an open competition - inviting artists/craftspeople to submit applications
• a limited competition - compiling a selected short list from which a limited number of artists can be invited to work up proposals
• a direct invitation to an artist to propose work for a site, or participate in the design process, or act as lead artist.

Open Competition: this can be either international, national or regional. It can be advertised in the national press, the art press and through distributing information via mailing lists, newsletters, galleries, artists-led spaces, studio groups etc. Artists would be invited to make contact, be sent the brief, including details of the site, context, proposed themes for consideration, budget etc. They should be asked to submit a statement of interest with a CV, up to 10 slides and a slide list, by a defined closing date. A shortlist would then be drawn up and the selected artists asked to submit detailed proposals, including maquettes, and a budget, for an agreed fee, by a set date. The final decision would be made on the strength of these submissions. The artist should retain their original maquettes/drawings and all of the shortlisted artists receive a fee, irrespective of whether they are awarded the commission. It is usual for copyright of the designs to rest with the artist unless negotiated separately.

The advantages of this approach is that it is good publicity for the administrator and sponsor, gives the project a high profile, brings forward artists you would not otherwise have known about, provides opportunities to unknown or younger artists and is consistent with good equal opportunities practices. The disadvantages are that it can be time-consuming, an expensive and heavily administrative process and does not always attract a suitable artist.

Limited Competition: this method requires careful thought about the kind of work and artist required, so detailed research is necessary for the compilation of the long list. From this list between three and five artists would be asked to submit detailed designs in response to the brief, for which a fee would be paid. The advantages are that, if time is a factor, this way ensures the commission gets underway relatively quickly; less established artists can compete with more experienced ones; a range of solutions can be explored without entering into a full commitment. Disadvantages are that some artists are unwilling to be put into a competitive situation.

Direct Invitation: an artist is directly approached and asked to consider the site/brief. The advantages are that established international artists prefer to operate in this way; there are none of the additional costs involved in open competition or shortlist fees; a closer relationship or 'matching' of artists to opportunity can be carried out. The disadvantages are the need to justify in terms of equality of opportunity (and may be against competitive tendering rules for local authorities); an opportunity is missed with regard to seeing a variety of work; timescales may have to be lengthened to accommodate the artist's existing commitments.

(This appears with some minor changes from the following excellent site in the UK:)
http://www.publicartonline.org.uk/index3.htm