The Artist's Guide to Public Art

“What artists don’t know—but need to know.” —Jack Becker, Public Art Review. A comprehensive guide to the complex world of public art. Learn how to find, apply for, compete for, and win a public art commission.

First-hand interviews with experienced public artists and arts administrators provide in-the-trenches advice and insight, while a chapter on public art law, written by Barbara T. Hoffman, the country's leading public art law attorney, answers questions about this complex area.

Packed with details on working with contracts, conflict, controversy, communities, committees, and more, The Artist's Guide to Public Art, Second Edition, shows artists how to cut through the red tape and win commissions that are rewarding both financially and artistically. This new edition discusses recent trends in the field, such as: how the political climate affects public art, the types of projects that receive funding, where that funding comes from, how the digital age impacts public art, how to compete with the increase of architecturally trained artists, and more.

Written by an artist, for artists, this guide is packed with everything readers need to know:

• Finding commissions
• Submitting applications
• Negotiating contracts
• Budgeting for projects
• Navigating copyright law
• Working with fabricators
• And much more

From start to finish, Lynn Basa covers all the steps of the process. With The Artist's Guide to Public Art, Second Edition, even readers without prior experience will be more than ready to confidently pursue their own public art projects.

Lynn Basa, an artist for almost forty years, has conceived and produced site-specific work for hospitals, universities, corporate headquarters, and private collections. In 2017, she began The Corner Project, a community development initiative to revitalize the old working-class main street in Chicago where she lives and has a studio.