Placing Public Art on Campus

Placing Public Art on Campus

Public art is defined as art objects placed in a shared, publicly accessible space.
 
            A. Categories of public art may include functional, expressive, or installation art donated
            or commissioned, or otherwise acquired that are prominent and located in public space.
 
            B. Art media may include but is not limited to sculptures, painting, murals, photography,
            drawings, prints, mixed media, electronic media, gardens, including fountains and seating,
            and may include but is not limited to objects in clay, fiber, textiles, wood, metal, plastic,
             or other material.

Further, the Committee provides recommendations regarding the placement of donated trees, benches, monuments, tables, and similar donated structures.

In order to place a piece of public art on campus, works must be approved by the UW President in consultation with the President of the Board of Trustees. The President’s Public Art Committee will provide a recommendation to the UW President on the proposed piece of art. The Committee can also be involved in assisting donors, departments, or artists through the following process.  Exceptions (not subject to the public art process) include established academic programs in the UW Student Union Gallery, UW Art Museum, College or Department galleries, including exterior space of the Visual Arts building, or student exhibitions.

The Public Art Committee holds meetings on the fourth Tuesday of every month. To be added to the agenda, please contact Laura Wespetal at 307-766-4121 or lwespeta@uwyo.edu .

Art and/or Artist Not Yet Selected

Step 1:  Consultation with Public Art Committee

Departments, colleges or organizations may have available funding for possible installation of artwork but have not selected an artist or artwork.  In such cases, the expertise of the Committee can, and should, be utilized in the initial planning phases. In an initial consultation with the Committee, a representative can share the parameters of the project (i.e. total funding, proposed location, preferred art medium). From this point, the Public Art Committee can assist the department or organization in acquiring a piece of art, if desired.

Step 2: Selecting the Artist and the Art

There are three primary ways to select an artist and a piece of art: direct purchase from living or deceased artist, hold an open competition, or hold a limited competition. Details of each of these selection processes can be found in the Public Art Policy. Depending on the nature of the proposal, the University President may form an ad hoc committee to aid in the selection of the art. Selection of ad hoc committee members may be found in the Public Art Policy.

Step 3: Proposal to the Public Art Committee

Once the department has decided upon a piece of art, they can propose it to the Committee. The Committee will review the project based on the following criteria: artistic merit considerations, physical plant considerations, constituent input, financing, and consideration related to individual artists. Details of each of these criteria can be found in the Public Art Policy.

Step 4: Vote by the Public Art Committee

The Committee will forward a recommendation to the President.

Step 5: Decision by the University President

The University President, in consultation with the President of the Board of Trustees, will make the final decision to allow proposed art on campus. If the President approves the project, the representative and his/her organization or department can move forward with the project, working closely with the Physical Plant and the Office of General Counsel to ensure the piece of art is properly installed within the legal parameters of the piece.

Art and/or Artist Already Selected

Step 1: Proposal to the Public Art Committee

When a donor, organization, or department has already selected an artist or artwork to be installed on campus, the public art committee will review the proposal. A representative will attend the meeting to answer the Committee's questions on the proposal. Most representatives bring information on copyright retention, location of the proposed work, funding source, artist and artwork background, and sketches/photos/models of the proposed art (if available), and public comment (if available).  If the artist has been selected but the art work has not, the Committee can provide guidance and response to several pieces of proposed art by the selected artist.

Step 2: Review by the Public Art Committee

After an initial meeting, the Public Art Committee will review proposals and discuss follow up questions with the representative. The Committee will review the art based on the following criteria: artistic merit considerations, physical plant considerations, constituent input, financing, and consideration related to individual artists. Details of each of these criteria can be found in the Public Art Policy.

 Step 3: Vote by the Public Art Committee

Once all art has been reviewed, the Committee will vote on its recommendation to the University President. 

Step 4: Decision by the University President

The University President, in consultation with the President of the Board of Trustees, will make the final decision to allow proposed art on campus. If the President approves the project, the representative and his/her organization or department can move forward with the project, working closely with the Physical Plant and the Office of General Counsel to ensure the piece of art is properly installed within the legal parameters of the piece.