Policies

Public Art Policy

Policy Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to set forth guidance on placing works of art in public spaces on the Farmingdale State College campus.

Persons Affected

Faculty, Staff, Students, Third-Parties

Policy Statement

Public art is art that is placed in an accessible location and will therefore be shared by many. Public art installations on the campus must be based on the academic, cultural, and aesthetic qualities of the College. For the purposes of this policy, public art can include media such as sculptures, paintings, and murals. Farmingdale State College recognizes that the visual arts are central to the mission of the College and help to form an engaged community of students who interact in new ways with the campus and embrace an understanding of culture, aesthetics, and diversity.

Public art can be acquired in various ways, including donations, direct purchases or commissions, competitions, course projects, campus projects, and community-based projects. Installations of public art can be permanent, semi-permanent, or temporary.

Except for the Memorial Gallery, proposals for all permanent, semi-permanent, and non-instructional temporary public art installations on campus must be submitted to the Public Art Committee, which promotes and oversees the installation of art in public spaces on campus, educates the College community about the importance of art in public spaces, and encourages the consideration of public art in future campus planning. The Public Art Committee coordinates with Physical Plant, the Purchasing Department, and the Farmingdale State College Foundation, when appropriate, on proposals for public art installations. It also advises the College President on matters related to art in public places. Approval or denial of the proposal for the public art installation rests with the College President.

The Public Art Committee assumes no liability for the safety of Public Art installations.

Procedures

1. All proposals for public art installations on campus must be made to the Chair of the Public Art Committee. Proposals should include:
   1. how the art is based on the academic, cultural, and aesthetic qualities of the campus
   2. a description of the art, including visuals
   3. proposed location of the art
   4. proposed date of installation
   5. proposed duration of installment
   6. cost of the art and/or its installation, maintenance, and removal if necessary
   7. how the art will be acquired (donated, purchased, project-based etc.)
   8. Label details: the artist’s biography, artist’s statement, and c.v.; the title, date, materials of the artwork
2. Before making a recommendation to the President, the Public Art Committee will:
   1. ensure installation is aligned with the mission of the College and appropriate
   2. consult with Physical Plant to identify sites on campus where the art may be safely installed for art and audiences (traffic flows etc.)
   3. ensure installation, maintenance, and removal (if necessary) of the art is feasible and complies with all building codes and safety requirements
   4. make every reasonable effort to prevent vandalism or theft of the art

The Public Art Committee coordinates every Public Art project by doing the following:

1. consulting with Physical Plant on all project installations and coordinating with all affected departments;
2. coordinating with the College Foundation on all proposed donations of public art installations to ensure compliance with the campus’ Gift Acceptance Policy before the public art is accepted as a gift. (See Appendix A);
3. advising the President whether to accept or deny a proposed public art installation and informing the proposal submitter of the President’s decision;
4. coordinating the procurement and style of the proper signage of works of public art with Marketing & Communications;
5. inventorying all Public Art on campus annually, overseeing annual inspections of works of public art, recommending needed maintenance, and requiring access to the public art when necessary

Definitions

Permanent installations: Installations of public art that are the permanent property of the College and/or are installed for more than three years (e.g., the ram sculpture in front of the Campus Center)

Semi-permanent installations: Public art that is not the property of the College but is installed over a long period of time (1 to 3 years) (e.g., an ephemeral work of environmental art made of local materials that will decompose over 2 years); or public art that is or is not the property of the College and is installed for 1 to 3 years (e.g., a painting that may be displayed in the Library for one year)

Temporary installations: Public art that is or is not the property of the College and is installed

Responsible Office

Public Art Committee

Policy History

Approved January 12, 2021