City of New York Art Commission

The Art Commission of the City of New York was established in the
City Charter in 1898 as a means of providing the city with an
overall design review agency.  The Art Commission reviews designs
for art, architecture, and landscape on city owned property.  There
is a movement in the current City Council to abolish the Art
Commission.  (See NY Times article Metro section Thursday May 25,
2000).

Design issues aside, the Art Commission through its Conservation
Advisory Groups--one for wall painting and one for outdoor
sculpture--provide an impartial review of conservation treatments.
The Conservation Advisory Groups, composed of local conservators and
art historians provide a means of insuring that conservation
treatments on city owned, public art is done in an appropriate and
ethical matter.

Some critics of the Art Commission have indicated that this
conservation review will be taken up by the Parks Department or by
the Landmarks Commission if the Art Commission is disbanded.  This
might only be true for public art that is on Parks Department
property or on buildings and grounds deemed a landmark. This would
definitely not include public art which is on property under the
jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation or the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority.  Some public art is even under the
jurisdiction of the Department of Homeless Services. These
Departments generally do not have the staff or expertise to be able
to provide for the safe, ethical treatment of public art.

Conservators of outdoor sculpture or wall paintings who would like
to voice their concern over the potential disbanding of the Art
Commission should send comments to:

    Honorable Speaker of the Council Peter F. Vallone
    City Council
    City Hall
    New York City, NY 10007
    212-788-7210
    Fax: 212-233-3928

and

    Honorable Rudolph W. Guiliani
    Mayor
    City Hall
    New York City, New York 10007
    212-788-3000
    Fax: 212-788-7476

Lisa Bruno
Brooklyn Museum of Art


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:61
                   Distributed: Monday, June 5, 2000
                       Message Id: cdl-13-61-013
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