Public Art: Overview
Mayo County Council has been extremely proactive in applying funding made available under the Percent for Art Scheme for the commissioning of Public Art. With a developmental approach towards Public Art policy, the Council endeavours to represent national best practice.
Reflecting current best practice, as outlined in Public Art: Per Cent for art Scheme - General National Guidelines available via www.publicart.ie, it is the council's intention to develop a wide range of commissioning practices and to encourage a wide diversity of contemporary art forms.
The Public Art Programme also reflects the guiding principles of the Strategic Arts Plan for Mayo County Council, of quality, inclusion, access and long-term value.
Commissions are advertised via open competition, limited competition and direct commission, where appropriate, and in accordance with the national guidelines. Open competitions are publicised though advertisements nationally in professional arts platforms e.g. www.publicart.ie , as well as in the news/opportunities section of this website.
Independent judging panels are put in place to assess applications and proposals for ALL commissions. Arts expertise make up at least 50% of any panel, these could be professional artists, curators, arts officers etc. The rest of the panel is made up of appropriate community representation, and individuals with specific practical expertise, or local knowledge, as is relevant to each individual commission, such as engineers, teachers, architects and so on. Panels are always different for each commission, they are fully briefed on the project, the artist's brief that is being responded to, and clear selection criteria are agreed.
Selection Criteria is primarily based on the quality of the artistic concept proposed, followed by the artist's ability to carry out the artwork, based on their previous work, if the proposal is realistic in the budget and timescale, if it is original, appropriate for the site and local community etc.
Mayo County Council is available to offer advice and guidance to those commissioning public art or managing percent for art budgets in the county.
For more information e-mail: publicart@mayococo.ie or Phone 094 9064376.