Albuquerque's Environmental Story
Albuquerque's Environmental Story
American
cities are increasingly evaluating themselves in terms of "liveability."
This term includes not only the economic health of the community but other aspects
as well, such as the availability of cultural events and access to recreational
facilities. An important element of liveability in a city is the presence of
art in the built environment. Art represents an ongoing reaffirmation by the
people of a city of who and what they are and what they value. Public Art is
an important way for the people in a city to define their identity beyond constructing
streets, buildings, and parks.
Albuquerque adopted its Art in Municipal Places ordinance in 1978 to further the development and public awareness of, and interest in, the visual arts and fine crafts, to increase employment opportunities in the arts, and to encourage the integration of art into the architecture..." of public buildings and spaces. Similarly, in 1986, the State of New Mexico added a statewide law for Art in Public Places and in 1992, Bernalillo County adopted its "Art in Bernalillo County Public Places Ordinance." The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, it should be noted has collected artworks since the 1950's through donation and purchase-this process was extended by the passage of the State's law as UNM is a state institution. In other words, three separate laws and four entities provide for the creation and installation of art in our shared environment. These programs produce artworks which convey information about our physical, social, cultural and historic environments to residents as well as visitors. At one level, public artworks in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County enhance our urban and rural facilities, but at other levels works of art are used to convey community values, to commemorate individuals, groups and events of our history, to punctuate economic development efforts and to demonstrate new tools and techniques in the creation of visual art-all to ensure that our environment is both functional and beautiful. They reflect the essence of Albuquerque to ourselves and our visitors.
The artworks seen in the greater Albuquerque area are products of various types of funding; for the Albuquerque and Bernalillo County public art programs, 1% of general obligation bonds are used for the creation and installation of art. The Sunport Art Program is a City facility program which functions under the same general procedures, but its funding, as described in the City's ordinance is derived from 1% of Revenue Bonds. These bonds are the primary source of funding for the construction of public facilities. General Obligation Bonds are voted on by citizens, sold on the national market and then paid off, usually over a 7-10 year period. For the state's art in public places program, 1% of the legislative appropriation for construction projects in the state are used for art on, in or near that specific facility. Other funds are also used to fund art in the community. Private donations including those from the Albuquerque Community Foundation, other public sector funds and, sometimes, a portion of the construction budget for a given facility is also dedicated to involving artists in the design of the facility. This results in better urban design, addressing aesthetic as well as functional concerns.
The Albuquerque and Bernalillo County ordinances established volunteer arts boards appointed by the respective governments to oversee the process. Members of these arts board include artist, design professionals including architects, or members of the community who are actively concerned with the visual arts. The Albuquerque Arts Board works with city staff, neighborhood associations, community organizations, artists, and others to identify appropriate sites (both indoors and outdoors) for artworks for specific sites. In most cases, the actual planning of a project is done by a committee of citizens appointed by the Arts Board. These citizens make decisions for the development of a prospectus or "request for proposals" for a specific location. The prospectus identifies the physical, cultural, social or historical needs of the neighborhood or constituency which should be considered by the artists in creating artwork proposals for the project. Sometimes, the prospectus asks that the artist create a work of art and install it at a specific site, but often artists must also respond to other situational requirements, such as working with neighborhood adults and youth in creating the art. These committees also approve the designs, which result from such collaborations. The Bernalillo County Arts Board works with a similar process except that all 10 members of the Board participate in all aspects of the process for each project.
For both programs, art pieces and the artist who create them can be selected in three ways: 1) open competition for which any artist is eligible although residency is subject to specified geographic limitations, be it city, county, state, region, national or international; 2) invitations to artists who work in a particular medium (e.g., bronze sculpture, ceramic tile, etc.) or who have particular expertise in a certain art issue (such as the history of a particular cultural group and its art history); and 3) direct selection of an artist or purchase of an existing artwork. Finalists resulting from open or invitational competitions are often requested to submit a design or model for the project as the second phase of that competition.
One of the most difficult tasks in choosing art for the city is finding a balance between traditional or representational pieces (i.e., a statue or painting that looks like a real person, animal or scene) and abstract or contemporary art (i.e., a design consisting of forms and colors arranged in an interesting or pleasing arrangement but not a "picture" of something). Another problem is to assure that the piece is appropriate for its planned site and for the people who live or work around the site. Sometimes a well-crafted piece of art is rejected by a neighborhood because residents feel the work doesn't relate to their traditions or ethnic background or to the architectural context or historic character of the neighborhood. A work may also be rejected because people feel it isn't consistent with the location. For example, a piece might be abstract and contemporary in concept but inappropriate for a historic area with old adobe buildings. Another difficult task is creating a public collection of artworks that proportionately represents the cultural/ethnic composition of the community and reflects a balance of men and women artists.
(Up to Section V, Back to Arroyos, On to City Parks)