Public Art Academy by Karen Bubb, Public Arts Manager
Public art opportunities can easily intimidate even the most self-assured artists, especially those who have never applied before. The competitive application process, developing a proposal for a specific site, and contractual issues can prove daunting. That’s why Boise’s Department of Arts & History created Public Art Academy (PAA), an eight-week course to build local artists’ skill-sets and prepare them for the challenges of public art. We are now accepting applications for twenty spots in the upcoming February/March class series.
This is the third year of the program, and thirty-eight local artists have graduated to date. The series helped some determine that public art was not something they wanted to pursue. For others, it built confidence and helped them gain an understanding of how to compete effectively. Several artists received their first public art commissions soon after graduating from the program. Anne Peterson received her first public art project, the 60-foot mural in the lobby of Boise Airport. She commented, “I believe the PAA was a game-changer for me, from being an applicant to actually being awarded a large public art project. The program provided knowledge concerning public art application protocol. The text (The Artist’s Guide to Public Art by Lynn Basa) is still a major source of information that I will rely on for future applications.”
A major objective of the course is to help artists learn how to translate their work into different mediums and collaborate with others as fabricators. Pat Kilby, a painter, reflected “The City’s Public Art Academy was excellent, a must for any artist wanting to make an impact–or an income–with their art. It took the mystery out of how public art happens, who gets chosen and why. And it made me realize I ‘m not limited by my usual medium. By learning how to find and work with creative-minded local fabricators, I feel like anything’s possible. I can’t recommend this highly enough.”
Marianne Konvalinka, a painter and collage artist, was selected for two traffic boxes and completed her first public artwork last year in collaboration with sculptor Lynn Fraley—The Medicine Wheel, at the James Hall Foothills Learning Center. She claimed, “The biggest thing for me is that it is much less intimidating to think about applying for opportunities now because I understand the process and know where to look if I need help. That and seeing the many ways that what I do (2D) can be translated to public art.”
“Participating in this class was inspirational! It helped me learn how I can translate my art into media suitable for public art, how to navigate the public art application/selection process and it broadened my awareness of public art beyond Boise! Also it was inspirational to be around people making a living by doing studio art and public art. Class was the highlight of my week” said Amy Lunstrum.
For many artists the chance to get to know each other, consider collaboration possibilities, and learning how to work as a team was as important as anything they learned about public art. “The connection to other artists participating in the class has been directly responsible for gallery representation and expanding to out of state galleries as well” explains Anne Peterson.
Stephanie Inman asserts “I loved meeting other artists I would have never met. I feel more confident about my future in public art –in Boise and beyond” said Stephanie Inman, who won a Smartgrowth award for community excellence this year for her 30th Street Neighborhood Public Art Plan.
Anna Webb commented in her program evaluation, “Most valuable to me, was having the chance to meet people in my own community whom I didn’t know before, but who have lots of the same artistic interests and values as me. I think there’s a good chance lots of good collaborations will come from this… that can result in real enhancements of the cityscape for everyone — artist and non-artist alike!” Indeed, the next year she and Reham Aarti collaborated on the $20,000 mosaic traffic circle beneath the Boise Depot.
My key objectives for teaching the course are to encourage and assist artists to break into the public art field, to help artists see what they are capable of, to help connect artists to each other and the community, and to prepare artists for future opportunities in Boise and around the country. Boise has a wealth of talent poised to be applied to our public spaces. Who will step forward to make the next great art for our City?
