Hi,

If the project is indoors and not too complicated or ambitious an artist who works in wood or recycled materials could probably pull something off for $90,000. That assumes that they would make most of it them selves. Tight budget though. If the Client could provide the engineering for the footing/slab attachment as well as a crane if necessary that would be great. Wood --as long as it is not tropical hardwood-is typically a much more environmentally friendly material than new steel or cast bronze, aluminum or something made out of plastic or some other petroleum based material.

LED lights are actually fairly inexpensive now and if the artist worked with a supplier who could also do some lighting design that would help.

Obviously $150k or $200k would be ideal.

Thank you,

Charles Bergen AIA LEED AP


Charles Bergen Studios




On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 12:15 PM Julia Muney Moore <jmoore@indyarts.org> wrote:
Lots to think about with this.  What is the client expecting by way of scale and materials? Is there to be integrated electronics and lighting? What is the expected longevity of the project?  Do they want a “name” artist or just someone who can do a good job?  

Any artist can work with any given amount, but what they come up with may not meet the expectations of the client.  If the client wants all the bells and whistles included in a piece 50 ft tall and 20 feet wide, $90,000 is not going to cut it.  I recommend getting all those things figured out up front and then setting the budget—then communicating the expectations to applicant artists.

Julia Muney Moore
Director of Public Art

Arts Council of Indianapolis
924 N. Pennsylvania St.
Indianapolis, IN  46204
o (317) 631-3301 x240
m (317) 332-8382
e jmoore@indyarts.org





On Oct 11, 2018, at 11:58 AM, James Martin (via public_art_network list) <public_art_network@americansforthearts.simplelists.com> wrote:

Hi all, one of my public art clients is seeking advice about appropriate budget amounts.

This is the largest project that this small client has ever undertaken, and it is creating a lot of heartburn for the key stakeholders.

The project is located in a mall, with thousands of viewers. There has been discussion of setting the budget at $90,000. From my perspective, the bare minimum for a successful project is $150,000. I have advocated that the ideal budget amount is $200,000.

I have explained that most artists working in the public realm are like small businesses, and have accrued significant debt while learning how to work successfully as an artist in the public realm. I have also explained that, because most public artists are sole proprietors, they often need a significant break after a big project, which is difficult to pull off if they have a lot of debt.

Your thoughts?
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