FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 8, 2006

Workshop demystifies public art process

Local artists can receive a crash course in the public art selection process Saturday.

Porter Arneill, director of the Kansas City Municipal Art Commission, will host a Public Art Nuts and Bolts Workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Kansas City Artists Coalition, 201 Wyandotte St. Registration for the workshop starts at 8:30 a.m.

This year’s program provides an in-depth overview of the public art selection process geared toward working artists seeking to enter the competitive world of public art. Additional workshops will be held in St. Louis on April 8 and Columbia, Mo., on April 22.

“We’ve got some exceptionally talented artists in the Kansas City area who have an opportunity to excel with public art installations at home and in other cities,” Arneill said. “This workshop will help give them the tools to succeed.”

Kansas City’s One Percent for Art Program allots a portion of total design and estimated construction costs for any public building project to commission a work of art related to the project. Dozens of similar projects throughout the country provide capital for artists who can pass a rigorous, open selection process.

Arneill will present information about the selection panel process and public art selection. In addition, participants will discuss the tools used to transform a top-flight public art concept to an enduring cultural asset, learning about everything from contracts and insurance to materials and installation of the artwork.

For more information about the program, call Sean Demory, communications specialist in the Capital Improvements Management Office, (816) 513-0059. To register for the program, call the Kansas City Artists’ Coalition, (816)421-5222.