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Mission and History
Membership and Supporters
Staff and Board
Employment and Internship Opportunities
Publications
The Public Art Fund is New York's leading presenter of artists' projects, new commissions, and exhibitions in public spaces. For over 30 years the Public Art Fund has been committed to working with emerging and established artists to produce innovative exhibitions of contemporary art throughout New York City. By bringing artworks outside the traditional context of museums and galleries, the Public Art Fund providesa unique platform for an unparalleled public encounter with the art of our time.
Projects and Programs
Public Art Fund's ongoing programs encompass three categories: (1) Major Initiatives with Established Artists (2) In the Public
Realm, a program to realize projects by emerging New York artists
(3) Additional outreach efforts, including Public Art Fund Talks, and a publication series that includes the organization's semi-annual magazine.
1. Major Initiatives with Established Artists
Working with established artists, the Public Art Fund commissions
new projects and curates exhibitions of existing artworks previously
not seen in New York City. The Public Art Fund also collaborates
with New York City Museums to expand the reach of their exhibitions
beyond their gallery space. For example, as with the Whitney
Biennial in Central Park, 2002 and Francis
Alÿs's, The Modern Procession, 2002, the Public Art Fund worked with the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art, respectively, to bring monumental art projects into the public sphere; introducing a broader audience to the work of these major contemporary artists.
2. In the Public Realm
In the Public Realm was created in 1995 to foster innovation and experimentation among emerging artists and to provide them with the opportunity to create art projects for public spaces throughout New York City, while simultaneously expanding the audience for contemporary art. Each year an open call brochure is mailed to over 4,000 artists throughout New York State, and yields approximately 400 applications. A panel of artists, curators, and art critics is assembled to select ten artists who are then commissioned to submit proposals for art projects. The Public Art Fund works with these artists to develop their proposals, and subsequently presents three of the projects in the course of the following year.
3. Additional Outreach
Public Art Fund Talks is a popular lecture series offering discussions and presentations by some of today's most influential artists. With 3 lectures organized each spring and fall, Public Art Fund Talks provide opportunities for informal dialogue between artists, and students of contemporary art, art professionals and the general public.
Since 1999, when the Public Art Fund published its first artist book, Looking Up: Rachel Whiteread's Water Tower, the Public
Art Fund has expanded its publications
program to include individual catalogs featuring selected artist
projects commissioned by the Public Art Fund. Halcyon Days, Lawrence Weiner - NYC Manhole covers, Paul Pfeiffer - Orpheus Descending, Mark Dion's Field Guide to the Wildlife of Madison Square Park, and Now Entering Brooklyn - are just a few of the titles available at the New Museum, Whitney Museum, and at Printed Matter.
Public Art Fund Magazine, our semi-annual magazine, is a benefit to supporters and provides an overview of our diverse activities and accomplishments to members of the Public Art Fund, artists, and the general public. The publication documents our contemporary art projects commissioned for sites throughout New York City, and serves as a reference for academics, students of contemporary art, and members of the press.
Public Art Fund was founded by Doris C. Freedman, a champion of public art who served as New York City's first Director of Cultural Affairs during the Lindsay Administration and as the President of the Municipal Art Society. She was also a tireless supporter of New York City's Percent for Art legislation. In 1977, Freedman formed the Public Art Fund by consolidating City Walls and the Public Arts Council, which had been formed when public art programs were in their early stages of development. These two organizations has sponsored a number of high quality projects aimed at cultivating and expanding the role of the artist and the public, including projects such as Tony Rosenthal's The Alamo and Richard Haas' Arcade. An ever-increasing volume of public art inquiries and proposals prompted Freedman to create the Public Art Fund and merge the efforts of both entities. Today, the Public Art Fund continues to build on these two organizations' pioneering strategies for placing works of art in public places.
Since 1977, Public Art Fund has presented more than five hundred artists' projects throughout New York, making it possible for artists to engage diverse audiences and, along the way, redefine what public art is in relation to the changing nature of contemporary art. A comprehensive list of past projects can be found in our online archives, which are continually updated.
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