I have been lurking for a while, but found this question curious enough to answer.  I am not familiar about art development programs at the municipal level, however I use to work for the General Service Administration Historic Building and the Arts Center of Expertise. Though my office
handled mostly collection management, I did have an office relationship with the Art-in Architecture program, which has been commissioning art projects for federal  buildings since 1963. From the budget standpoint, GSA is allocated up to 2% of a building construction cost for the
purchase of artwork for the building The selection process is a bit more convoluted, rising from a misjudgement of public understanding of what constitutes as art. During the 70's and 80's, NEA headed the selection process. Though the organization selected world recognize artist, such
as Sugarman and Calder, and installed "cutting edge art", there were several incidents of public outcry for installations that many felt clashed with traditional concepts of art and as a waste of federal funds. Since that time, Art-in-Architecture adapted a more community sensitive
stance in selecting artwork. Selection of the commission come from a group of artist that GSA has on record that have shown interest in participating in the program and have submitted examples of their previous works. From this group, architects of a building project selects a few
artist that would best compliment the building design. From this short list, GSA works with community leaders, ranking building occupants (such as federal judges), the architects, and government representatives. for final selection of an artist and final commission design. Depending on
the project, architects can submit special request for a particular artist, or if a local flavor is desired for a building, there is an active search for a regional artist that could represent the area through their art. Probably the most valuable lesson to be learned here is that if
you are planning to have public art, insure the public has a voice in selecting piece. For more information about GSA involvement in the arts check out the web page: http://www.gsa.gov/pbs/pn/ and do a keyword search for "fine arts". I have extensive experience on the database (over
17,000 pieces) on this webpage, including digital imaging . If there are still individuals with questions about the appropriateness of databases for their collection, I would happy to oblige. Though it seems a bit taboo on the list, I would like also to note that I am looking for
employment if anybody need a computer literate employee that has a masters in Museum Studies.

Cheers,
Andrew Morrow

DONNA GAIL HERRON wrote:

> Lowell, MA.  Contact the Lowell Office of Cultural Affairs
>
> *******************************************************************************
> Donna Herron                                      The Kelsey Museum
>
> On Fri, 6 Aug 1999, McManus,Greg wrote:
>
> > Hello everyone:
> >
> > Can anyone give me information about cities or towns, anywhere in the world,
> > that have ongoing programmes for purchasing/commissioning/etc. sculpture for
> > permanent display in public places. Sculpture gardens and sculpture trails
> > are of particular interest.
> >
> > The City of Rotorua here in NZ is considering developing an ongoing
> > committment to funding the provision of large-scale public sculpture,
> > probably in the form of a trail through the district, with the ultimate
> > long-term goal of developing an internationally-significant collection.
> >
> > Any information, such as amount of money committed annually, how sculptors
> > are chosen (comepetition, straight commission, etc.) would be most helpful.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Greg
> >
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