Hi Robbie and PAN Colleagues,

Text is a fantastic element in the public art palette. Words can be evocative, transformational, contextual and informational.

For transit infrastructure with Seattle Metro (1992) and Pierce Transit (1998, Tacoma, WA), I embedded text art in the informational infrastructure of riders' schedules, distributed within transit racks on buses and transit centers. Printed brochures and maps are accessible to the general public and engage diverse viewers.

The Multnomah County Office of the Artist in Residence was a fictitious office established with permission inside the County Executive's offices in 2000.  My conceptual text work, with brochures, licenses, business cards and 'field offices' embedded in the fabric of government practice, was made possible through RACC, the Regional Arts and Culture Commission in Portland, with the terrific leadership of Peggy Kendellen.

The Pacific Northwest has extensive history with this type of work.  Seattle's Offices of Arts and Culture commissioned the West Seattle Cultural Trail in 1998 by artists Joe Fedderson, Don Fels and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, expressly to attach memories to place. https://artbeat.seattle.gov/2013/08/15/weekly-art-hit-west-seattle-cultural-trail/

For the Seattle Arts Commission, I managed Salmon in the City, a multi-site public art effort in 2000 putting visual and verbal art in areas affecting the migration of salmon across Seattle. We commissioned poet Judith Roche, pairing her with the federal Army Corp of Engineers, to write a poem, create a broadside and an audio reading hear at the fish-viewing vwindows.

4Culture structure King County's BrightWater, the 2003 award-winning water infrastructure effort, including video and spoken art: https://www.kingcounty.gov/services/environment/brightwater-center/art.aspx  The lead artist planners were Jann Rosen-Queralt, Buster Simpson and Ellen Sollod. They made wonderful presentation at a PAN conference - in 2004, maybe?

There are challenges, especially with issues of cultural inclusivity for diverse speakers and those with diverse abilities.
Contact me off list if you want to discuss the range of artist's commissions for the projects with which I was involved. 
Good luck!

Helen Lessick
HelenLessick.net



Challenges to this type of work

On Tue, 3 Mar 2020 at 17:43, Kienzle, Robbie L <robbiel.kienzle@okc.gov> wrote:
Understanding that language is a powerful tool, the City of Oklahoma City’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs would like to ask network members about their experience using text/written word as a basis for public art.  We’d like to see examples of workwith small and large budgets and we’d love to know about artist fees for work as small as one line and as large as a paragraph.  We’re especially interested in examples in sidewalks, trails and benches or other infrastructure improvements.  Thank you. 
 
Robbie L. Kienzle, Arts Liaison & Program Planner
Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs
Oklahoma City Planning Department
o:  405/297-1740  m: 405/664-2363
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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