FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 23, 2024

Consultant to Create Municipal Public Art Policy

KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble is pleased to announce the City of Kingston’s Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs has contracted with McGregor Consulting to create a Municipal Public Art Policy.

The Municipal Public Art Policy, which is fully grant funded, will apply to all forms of art on city property and will provide guidelines for the City when presenting or commissioning new work in the future. This policy focuses on public art on city property and does not address public art on private property.

After an RFP process, McGregor Consulting has been contracted to create a Municipal Public Art Policy to:

• provide collection management guidelines for existing works of art owned by the City and currently displayed in municipally owned spaces and municipal buildings
• provide guidelines for the acquiring, commissioning of public works of art, and for sponsoring temporary and/or permanent art forms on City property;
• offer ways for community to participate, promoting public art projects and activities while protecting the rights of artists
• develop a plan for implementing the Municipal public art policy

 “We are thrilled to have McGregor Consulting on board to help us understand the extent of our existing art collection– from what hangs on the walls at City Hall, to the sculptures in our parks and public spaces,” said Mayor Noble. “One of the key elements of this municipal art plan will be how we, as a City, accept artwork going forward and to create a guide for maintaining our existing assets. This was a priority set forth in the Arts & Culture Master Plan, and with the support of the Common Council, I think is a good first step in the City of Kingston becoming a better steward for public art.”

Jennifer McGregor of McGregor Consulting is an Arts Planner with over 40 years of expertise in the areas of art, public engagement, and placement. She was the first director of New York City’s Percent for Art Program where she wrote the operating guidelines and initiated the first 60 projects.

The process will include public meetings to share the final draft before the Municipal Public Art Policy is approved by the Common Council.

“The process of writing the policy is helping us to gain a better understanding of the needs of the City of Kingston’s existing Municipal Art Collection,” said Kitt Potter, Director of Arts and Cultural Affairs. “The final policy will position us to provide good stewardship the City’s collection and initiate and respond to opportunities to present public art that celebrates the vibrancy of the arts on city property.”

The Public Art Policy Committee is reviewing each section of the Municipal Public Art Policy and advising on how the document will work best for Kingston’s specific needs. The Public Art Policy Committee comprises Kingston Arts Commissioners Ward Mintz, D.J. Brumfield, Isabel Cotarelo, Cicily Wilson; KAC Advisors Richard Frumess, Ruth Ann Devitt-Frank, Maggie Inge; City of Kingston Planner Suzanne Cahill, SUNY New Paltz’s Dorsky Museum’s Executive Director Anna Conlan, and Isabel Nazario, past founding director of Rutgers University’s Center for Latino Arts and Culture.

More information at www.engagekingston.com/municipal-art-plan-policy.