Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 01/09/2025

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Funders to watch: 1) MN State Arts Board: http://www.arts.state.mn.us/grants/ 2) Southeast MN Arts Council: http://www.semac.org/ 3) Project for Public Spaces Community Placemaking Grants: https://www.pps.org 4) Local Foundations 5) St Olaf and Carlton collaborations Step 3: Call for Artists Once funding has been secured, it is suggested that a call for artists is issued for multiple sites, artists, and pieces. It is important to first develop a set of selection criteria for the process, and to pull from other values and principles that are central to Northfield. The themes of history, education, rural-identity, industry, and ecology are all central to community planning documents including the Comprehensive Plan, and these are guideposts for selection criteria and artist selection. The artist may be asked to have personal connections to rural identities or have experience with working in historically significant spaces, for example. When the call for artists is issued, it is important to work with local art networks like the State Arts Board, Arts Council, Springboard for the Arts, and the Arts Commission, who can outreach through social media to regional artists. While national or international talent has great potential, there is a value in focusing the call on regional artists with connections to Northfield or demonstrates a clear alignment with other selection criteria. The call should clearly state the funding amount, a site map, information about the site, insurance requirements, community engagement requirements for the process, and a materials and artist fee budget. The selection and approval process should be clearly delineated as well in the call. An artist selection panel should be formed that includes a variety of perspectives including local residents and business owners, city officials, tribal partners, arts administrators, and artists. After the new pieces are installed is a great time for holding events and to celebrate new spaces. It is recommended to hire an arts administrator to facilitate the call and work with the artists. Step 4: Public Art Conservation Plan It is recommended that the city develop a public facing website that provides a public art inventory of all the pieces in Northfield. Along with this, an art conservation plan should be developed for each artwork to establish annual maintenance practices as well as a lifespan and deaccession plan for each piece in the collection. Public art can be considered any artwork in public, weather they are city owned or owned by another entity. As new pieces are introduced, an art conservation plan should be developed to ensure that artworks are preserved in accordance with the artist and art conservator best practices.