Art and Design in the Public Realm How to become Commission Ready
Jan 19, 2016
Art and Design in the Public Realm
How to become Commission Ready
Public art and designCrown Fountains Chigaco. Artist Jaume Plensa
Listening Stones Cheltenham.Artist Gordon Young
temporaryKnit hit commissioned by Milton Keynes Council onElizabeth Frink scultpture
Promenade at Kedleston Hall, Derby.Artist Susie MacmurrayPhotograph Matthew Andrews
temporary
Plymouth college photography students temporary shop window project commissioned by Lisa Harty for regeneration project Plymouth City Council.
Lighting
Artist Jason Bruges StudioChristmas Lights.Artist David Batchelor
pavingTypeset paving Fakenham.Artist Simon Watkinson
Butterfly Paving detail.Artist Linda Schwab
Small interventionsAnimal Kingdom Treehouses.Artist London Fieldworks
Pocket Park Gloucestershire.Artist Bews Gorvin
Small interventionsCarved waymarker.Artist Peter Randall Paige
Pavement bosses Cambridge.Artist Michael Fairfax
Street furnitureGranite, resin and lighting benches.Artist Simon Hitchens
Bollards.New Zealand
Artist LedNowhere Island Southwest England.Cultural Olympiad Situations run projectArtist Alex Hartley
King Bladud’s pigs Bath.Artist led over 100 artists pig prototype designed by Artist Alan Dun
Preparing for Opportunities
– Sources of information• Who knows What• Understanding how
opportunities arise• Developments and trends
Image: Dick Weiss window.
Are you set up to..
• Record ideas and possibilities
• Develop opportunities• Reflect on past projects• Build relationships• Keep records of useful
contacts
Image: One of postcard series to accompany weather sensitive light works in paving at Canal Walk Swindon. Artist Natalie Woolf
Analysing potential opportunities
What are the benefits?• Money?• Profile?• Collaboration?• Other?
Feasibility
• Is the commission consistent with your aims?
• Does it fit your work schedule?
• Does it suit your way of working?
• Any disadvantages?
Image. Whale bone seats at Scotland Natural History Museum. Artist Walter Jack
You and Your Work
Images Bone Memory triptych and still from War Women Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre. Artist Lou Hamilton
Analyse and rebalance.Look at how your work balances out:
Making – Teaching –Studio group – Research – Recording – Management and co-ordination
Types of commission
• Lead Artist• Working with
design team• Mentored artist• Engagement or
community artist
• Working to a developer
• Working to a project manager
• Community led• Working to a local
authority
Unpacking a Brief
Secret Classroom Dunnalley School Cheltenham. Artist Tracy Hager
Your response to a brief
• What do you instinctively respond to or reject and why?
• Fee• Status and expectations of
commissioning body• Selection process• Timescale realistic• Who is managing?• What experience do • you need/have?
What you should show• You are confident and capable• A good communicator• Good at planning and time management• Aware of any issues• Have clarity of vision• Have undertaken research
Image: weather responsive paving Canal walk Swindon.Artist Natalie Woolf
The Practicalities
InsuranceProcurement issues – equal opps, sustainable policiesEvidence and track recordApproach to the commissionInitial sketch ideasMaintenance info. Technical back upContract confidence
So you’ve got the commission
• Clarity on your and others roles and status• Management and reporting/documenting
mechanisms• Consultation and community engagement• Presentations and launch• Fitting in to the contract demands• Relationships and collaborations
SWOT
• Short term aims• Medium term aims• Long term aims
• Rebalance strengths and weaknesses
Image. Cycle path Cambridge.Artist Katy Hallet
“Presentation is of the utmost importance. Many artists subscribe to the view that the quality of the concept is paramount and therefore it will shine through a sketchy presentation. However a panel will be prejudiced against an artist who makes a shoddy presentation as an indication of lack of care and organisational skills.”
Deanna Petherbridge Art for Architecture