Commissioning public art

Whether you are an organisation or developer, our Economic Development and Implementation Team can help you to secure public art.

We can offer initial advice, and put you in touch with specialists who can:

• provide expert arts advice including the potential for public art and writing the artists brief
• give guidance on finding an artist and selection processes
• project manage the commission
• act as an agent for the client in working with the artist

You will always need a brief for a public art commission, to explain the context and detail the project. As-well as commissioning an artist to produce work to a brief, you can also work with artists by: 

• offering artists a residency during the course of a development
• appointing an artist as a member of the scheme design team

The role of the architect

Your architect will usually be best placed to assess possible types of art and how to embed it sympathetically within the scheme. 

Ideally, an artist will work alongside the architect to integrate artwork within the development.

The artist’s brief

The artist’s brief is important to clarify the type of artist you need and set important aspects of the project, such as:

• your artistic vision
• the context
• the budget
• engagement and community involvement

The brief should be clear but allow room for artistic creativity. You can appoint a specialist agency or an artist to prepare a public art brief on your behalf. You should consult as many relevant people as possible at the briefing stage rather than at the proposal stage.

Choosing themes

Your public art should be based on themes relevant to the site. This could be the nature of the building, land use, local landscape or local activity and history. 

We may encourage particular forms of art in line with our cultural strategy and public art strategy.

Public involvement and consultation

Art encourages conversation, brings communities together, raises awareness, is a source for inspiration and promotes positive change.

For these reasons we recommend that you clarify parameters by engaging early at the brief preparation stage. This will help avoid criticisms based on personal taste, which can happen if you only consult at the artist’s proposal stage.

We also encourage artists to involve the local community when developing the artwork as an effective way to gain public awareness and support.

If an artwork requires planning permission in its own right, consultation will take place automatically.

Local involvement is even more important when the art does not form an intrinsic part of the architecture or landscaping of the development.

The decision-making process

Key decisions should be taken by:

• the organisation
• the architect
• a planning officer
• a local representative

This includes decisions on the content of a brief, selection of an artist and approval of the work.

Once you have agreed on the theme, location, artist and budget, you should not allow bureaucratic concerns to interfere with the creative process. 

Using local artists

We encourage you to use local artists from Chelmsford or Essex. You can choose an artist from outside the area if the work needs a specialist, and renowned artists are also welcomed. 

The key is finding the right artist for the project. This means you need to create a robust brief, with clear objectives, priorities and goals, which you can refer back to when selecting an artist.