Art in Architecture

Art in Architecture, (sometimes styled Art-in-Architecture) a program of the General Services Administration, oversees the creation of art in American federal buildings that launched in 1962. The art commissioned and selected is funded through the reserving of half a percent of the projected construction costs. As of 1982, the program had funded 250 works at a cost of US$8,600,000 (equivalent to $27,152,276 in 2023).[1]

Artists eligible to be selected for these commissions must be part of GSA's National Artist Registry, which is open to all American artists who are citizens or permanent residents. Once the piece is created and installed, it becomes part of the GSA's Fine Arts program who are responsible in part for maintaining the piece.[2][3]

Richard Serra's Tilted Arc was a controversial installation under this program, whose guidelines sometimes change between Presidential administrations.[4][5]

In 2020, the Trump administration enacted a rule for works commissioned through the program. The controversial rule required works to depict "historically significant Americans or events" or illustrate ideals that the country was founded upon. The order also required works to use lifelike representations of people, not abstract or modernist representations. The rule was reversed by President Biden in 2022.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ Glueck, Grace (1982-05-23). "ART IN PUBLIC PLACES STIRS WIDENING DEBATE". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  2. ^ "Heartland Region Art in Architecture Program". www.gsa.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  3. ^ Lescaze, Zoë (2019-05-13). "What Happens When Site-Specific Art Outlasts Its Surroundings?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  4. ^ McNearney, Allison (2019-03-17). "This Richard Serra Sculpture Became Public Enemy Number One, and Was Dismantled". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  5. ^ a b Dafoe, Taylor (2022-02-01). "U.S. President Biden Has Reversed a Trump-Era Rule Requiring Pro-American Art in Federal Buildings". Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  6. ^ Niland, Josh (2022-02-01). "Biden formally reverses controversial Trump mandate on the government's Art in Architecture program". Archinect.