Title
Fiscal Year 2025-30 Public Art Plan (Ordinance S-52123) - Citywide
Description
Request approval of the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture's Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-30 Public Art Plan.
Report
Summary
The City's Office of Arts and Culture was established to champion, promote, and sustain the City's arts and culture community that makes Phoenix a great place to live, work and visit. The department manages the City's public art program, which is funded through the percent-for-art ordinance that City Council adopted in 1986. The ordinance requires one percent of Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funds to be invested to enhance the design and experience of public infrastructure, buildings and spaces through public art.
The percent-for-art ordinance requires the department, upon the recommendation of the Phoenix Arts and Culture Commission, to submit an annual Five-Year Public Art Plan (Attachment A) in advance of each new FY. The Plan is developed by the Office of Arts and Culture in consultation with City departments, City Council offices and community groups.
The proposed FY 2025-30 Public Art Plan includes $24,406,654 to fund 45 public art projects over the next five years (Attachment B). This total includes 42 continuing projects totaling $24,056,654 and three new projects totaling $350,000. The public art projects within the plan are prioritized based on opportunities to integrate artwork into individual CIP projects and their potential impact on the neighborhood and broader arts community. Under these parameters, the plan focuses on the equitable distribution of funds, as allowable by the percent-for-art ordinance, and the diversification of the public art collection through broadening the types of project opportunities and continued outreach to new artists and arts organizations.
Other Information
Of the 45 projects outlined in the Plan, eight address major retrofits or refurbishments, seven support broader Citywide initiatives like heat mitigation, and three are a component of long-ranged planning efforts like RIO PHX. These CIP funds can only be used for public art. They cannot be used to hire City workers, such as librarians, police or firefighters, or pay to operate public buildings, like libraries, parks or senior centers.
Additionally, public involvement is critical to the success of public art projects. Neighborhood organizations, village planning committees, schools and City departments are included as important participants throughout the public art process. The Office Arts and Culture develops each project with the community in mind and works to provide ample opportunities for feedback and collaboration.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The Phoenix Arts and Culture Commission reviewed and approved the FY 2025-30 Public Art Plan at its May 20, 2025, meeting by a vote of 11-0. The item was reviewed and approved by the Economic Development and Housing Subcommittee at their May 28, 2025 meeting by a vote of 3-0.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager David Mathews and the Office of Arts and Culture.