Iowa: 35th Anniversary Commemoration of Percent for Art Program

Shattering Silence, by Iowa artist James Ellwanger, from Making Art Public Educator Guide

The Iowa Arts Council (IAC) marked the 35th anniversary of its Art in State Buildings (AiSB) program with a multifaceted, year-long commemoration centered on an exhibit about the history and evolution of Iowa’s public art. IAC developed the show, as well as its educators’ guide, in partnership with the State Historical Museum of Iowa. To complement the exhibition, IAC convened a conference of the Iowa Public Art Network, a group of artists, arts managers and other stakeholders that advances professional standards for and practices of public art. Subsequently, IAC published the AiSB 35th Anniversary Report to highlight the legacy of the program—which, as legislated in 1979, allocates 0.5% of the capital costs of new and renovated state buildings for the installation of public art—and to reinforce the cultural, educational and economic value of investing in public art. Finally, IAC shared hundreds of images of artwork in the AiSB collection with the Public Art Archive, an on-line visual database created by WESTAF, and the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs’s Iowa Culture App, which maps the myriad cultural resources of the state. For more information, contact IAC Administrator Matthew Harris.