By Elias Kempt and Brianna Cipriano
On October 7th, the Salt Lake County Art in Public Places and Salt Lake City Arts Council Public Art programs, with support from the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, hosted a 2-hour information session and panel titled, “Public Art 101: Concept to Commission.” This event aimed to inform artists, regardless of experience level, about the commissioning and building process for art in public spaces, and how one can get involved in this field.
We thought it would be a missed opportunity if we did not share the valuable information we learned at this event, so we compiled our key takeaways. Some of the content has been directly sourced from their presentation and some is our interpretations of what they shared. If you’d like to view the entire event, a recording of it is available on the SLC Public Arts Council website.
This event featured 5 panelists:
Rob and Shelley Beishline’s Tooza Design, a multidisciplinary design studio responsible for creating a wide variety of public artworks since 1998. You can find their work at https://www.toozadesign.com/.
Hannah Nielsen, representing the Utah Public Art Program. The Utah Percent for Art Act administers up to $200,000 for acquisition of public art, which this program uses to commission artists. Follow the program at @ut_publicart or contact Nielsen at
Amy Childress, representing the Salt Lake City Public Art Program. She helps manage the Art Design Board, which makes recommendations to the mayor for which projects should be commissioned. Follow the program at @slc_publicartsprogram or contact Childress at
Kate Ithurralde, representing Salt Lake County Art in Public Places. This organization’s Visual Art Collection integrates art into county facilities and public spaces. Follow the organization at @slcoartinpublicplaces or contact Ithurralde at
(Left to right: Rob Beishline, Shelley Beishline, Hannah Nielsen, Amy Childress, Kate Ithurralde. Photo courtesy of SLCtv.)
So, what is public art?
Public art refers to art created for public spaces, both interior and exterior, which is usually shaped by community input. The funding sources, individuals involved, and the selection processes vary between publicly and privately funded projects. In this presentation, the panelists discussed their experiences with public projects because the majority of them represent government-run art programs for the state, county, and city.
Fabrication is the process of building, assembling, or producing physical artwork based on an artist’s design. Fabricators are professionals with technical expertise in materials and construction methods that may be hired by public artists to help construct their artwork.
Public funding comes from public art programs, run by government agencies. A small percentage of public construction budgets are allocated toward commissioning of public artworks by the Percent-for-Art funding policy. Publicly funded projects are more structured than privately funded ones. There is more transparency in budgets, selection, and contracts because government agencies are required to follow public rules and adhere to community input.
Proposals are reviewed and approved by art selection committees or art boards. Art selection committees are assembled groups of arts professionals and community members who review and select artists/designs for a specific project. Art boards are governing bodies that oversee public art projects and choose artists aligned with community values and city policies.
Private funding may come from developers and corporations, nonprofits and foundations, community organizations, or individuals. The funders are responsible for artist selection. This process is more varied, and these projects are more flexible. There are fewer public approval steps for private projects, so this process may be faster.
When applying to public art projects, you’ll need to be familiar with these types of documents:
RFP/Request for Proposal
An RFP is a formal document where artists submit detailed proposals for a specific public art project. This often includes design concepts and budgets.
Artists are not compensated for proposal development unless otherwise stated.
These are used when the commissioning agency wants to review complete project ideas before making a selection.
RFQ/Request for Qualifications
An RFQ is a call for artists to submit a resume, work samples/a portfolio, and a statement of interest in order to be considered for a public art project.
Selection is based on artistic merit, experience, and project capability.
These are used in early stages to shortlist artists for a project; no design proposal is required at this stage.
Each RFP/RFQ typically includes:
- Goals: what the project seeks to accomplish, desired outcomes
- Budget: total funds available for design, fabrication, installation
- Background: context for the site, community, and artistic vision
- Evaluation criteria: how submissions will be assessed
- Timeline: key deadlines and phases of the project
- Note that most public art projects take 1-2 years to complete!
- Deliverables: what the artist is expected to provide
When submitting RFPs/RFQs, always follow provided instructions closely, become familiar with the submission software, and don’t wait until the last minute to submit! Utah public art RFPs/RFQs are usually submitted through these sites:
When writing a proposal,
- Avoid vague or overly technical language. Community members who have no experience with art will likely be reading your proposal, so make it accessible!
- If your concept is inspired by something (history, nature, culture, etc.), include it! Context will strengthen your proposal.
- Reference project goals when writing. Show how your work fits the vision of the commissioning agency.
- Take time to Proofread and spellcheck your work and have someone review it.
- Acknowledge that adjustments may need to be made due to materials, engineering, or stakeholder input.
Hold onto proposals that didn’t make the cut, they can be reused in portfolios. If you got rejected, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you did a bad job. Committees may not always be allowed to give you feedback, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. If you don’t get selected, you might still be a finalist!
If your proposal is chosen, you may be asked to present your ideas to the committee in person. When doing a proposal presentation, you should demonstrate understanding of the location and community, and focus on the long-term maintenance of your project. The presentation should include proposal visuals, a preliminary budget, an anticipated timeline, and information about installation and maintenance. Offer specific variations of your main proposal to show flexibility and bring material samples of your work if possible. Don’t forget to include time for a Q&A at the end!
The images for your presentation should include documentation of your process (sketches, concepts, digital mockups), site integrations and/or scale comparisons, and fabrication details or material samples (if possible). All images should be labelled with titles, materials, dimensions, and intention.
That concludes our summary of the presentation!
After learning about the essentials of public art, the audience had the opportunity to ask the panelists further questions. We were able to distill the information shared into three main categories:
1) Tips for Emerging Artists
The Salt Lake City Public Art Program hosts one project a year intended to uplift entry-level artists. It usually only requires the artist to make a design, and lets the council handle the fabrication process. RFPs will state if they are aimed at entry level public artists.
Becoming a mural apprentice is a great way to become a mural artist yourself. The work you do can be added to your portfolio, as long as you are transparent about whose project it was. You can also apply to public art projects as an artist team. This could be with an artist who has a stronger portfolio or more experience, working as a mentor. Just be sure that all artists on the team are represented in the proposal presentation.
2) Tips for Writing Budgets
As a rule of thumb, artist fees (payment to the artists for their work) tend to be 25-45% of the total budget, depending on experience level. If you’re an emerging artist, include art markets, exhibitions, etc. you’ve done in proposals. These show that you’re able to commit to large projects and bring them to completion.
When writing a budget, add a 10% contingency for unexpected costs. If you buy your materials 1-2 years after making the budget, they might be more expensive than initially planned due to economic inflation.
3) Tips for Fabrication
Begin with brainstorming and researching what sources you’ll need access to for your artwork. Consider reaching out to other public artists, the committee, or heads of public art councils to ask what companies and individuals have been hired for this work in the past. Check out CODAworx and the Public Art Archive for accessible lists of public art, artists, and fabricators.
The ability to explain how your project will be installed during your proposal presentation will improve your chances of being selected. Before submitting your proposal, you will likely have already spoken to potential outside workers by asking for quotes. The more you know and are able to present about, the more security the committee will feel about your project. Projects intended for emerging artists may not require this information in the proposal.
(Photo courtesy of SLCtv.)
Overall, public art is a dynamic field of art and design that provides countless unique job opportunities for local artists. This panel was an excellent event for local creators, regardless of experience level, to learn about the processes behind funding and implementing public artwork, by promoting education on community prosperity through artistic expression.
Those who are interested in working closely with county, city, or state-wide art programs to develop creative installations that enliven shared spaces should consider delving deeper into the opportunities provided by the Salt Lake County Art in Public Places program. If you are interested in learning more, you can check out upcoming workshops, projects, and events here.