Policy Number: 201.11
Policy: Art Siting Policy
Date Originally Adopted: September 2006
Revision Date: May 2009
Reference: MCA 22-2 401-408
Approved By: George M. Dennison, President
Art on The University of Montana Campus
The role of art on The University of Montana campus is to present inquiring and developing minds with a
sense of aesthetics and in so doing, to provide human made experiences of balance and proportion,
harmony, grace and beauty. It is also to provide images that inspire contemplation, questioning, and reexamination. Art allows us to reflect upon, inform and reform our perceptions of the world.
UM’s Art Siting Program/Percent for Art Policy
While state-based building projects fall under the administrative services of the Montana Arts Council,
(the full Act is listed under Libraries, Arts and Antiquities in the Montana Code Annotated Section 22-2401-408), UM-funded or privately funded projects do not. When considered a UM-funded or privately
funded project, the selection, siting, installation and maintenance costs of artworks are determined and
managed by the UM Art Siting Committee.
On June 22, 1998, Series E Revenue Bond Procedures incorporated UM’s Percent for Art Policy, which
states:
Each bond project (with the exception of Administrative Computing, Stadium renovations, Crosswinds
acquisition and parking improvements) shall budget one percent (1%) of the construction cost for art.
The selection and siting of any art to be purchased by this allocation shall comply with appropriate
campus policies.
Art selected through the Art Siting Program are considered part of the Montana Museum of Art &
Culture’s Permanent Collection at The University of Montana. The Permanent Collection consists of
more than 10,000 artworks and objects, some of which are on view in our public buildings, offices,
lobbies and outdoor locations.
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PROCEDURE
Structure and Purpose of the Art Siting Committee
The Art Siting Committee (previously Campus Art Committee) serves as a subcommittee of the
Committee for Campus & Facilities. Its responsibilities are:
•
To develop and maintain an overall plan for selection, siting, and funding of Public Art
throughout The University of Montana campus;
•
To represent The University of Montana in its various art project collaborations with the State of
Montana and specifically with the “Percent for Art” program and fund;
•
To select public art pieces for permanent and temporary exhibition on campus through an
appropriate campus-based process that circumvents unilateral decisions on the selection or
placement of art on campus. (See “Responsibilities of the Montana Museum of Art & Culture”
below.);
•
To seek and develop various funding plans to support and develop the “Museum without Walls”
concept of art on campus.
Approval of any “permanent” (over three years) piece will be determined by the Art Siting Committee,
subsequently by the Committee for Campus & Facilities and ultimately by the President of The
University of Montana. Approval of any “temporary” piece (two weeks to three years exhibit) will be
approved by the Art Siting Committee. Approval of any “temporary” piece less than two weeks in
duration would require a completed Request for Temporary Exterior Art Site available at the Event
Planning office in the University Center.
The Art Siting Subcommittee is the appropriate committee to develop various projects as well as support
these significant art and artifact pieces to be displayed on campus, yet these individual projects and
selections must also involve the key administrators involved in specific areas of the campus (e.g., should
a project be developed to place a sculpture piece near the Journalism Building, the Dean of the School of
Journalism would be the appropriate person to sit on the Art Siting Committee for that specific project).
It is also expected that various projects would be originated with a specific site in mind and with
sensitivity to and an involvement with the faculty, students and staff members who inhabit facilities near
the selected site.
Art Siting Committee Structure
In order to provide expertise in the arts as well as input from various campus components, the following
committee structure is proposed:
Chairperson
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Director, Montana Museum of Art & Culture
Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts
Director of Facilities Services
Curator, Montana Museum of Art & Culture
One member, Committee for Campus & Facilities
One member, Art Department Faculty
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Member
Member
Ad hoc Voting Member
Student, College of Visual and Performing Arts
Student, ASUM assignee
The key member (administrator) of any unit on campus present
as a voting member when a recommendation or decision is being
made concerning the actual selection of an artwork when it
directly relates to that administrator’s building, area or grounds.
Meetings
The Art Siting Committee will meet on an as-needed basis as convened by the Chairperson.
Responsibilities of the Montana Museum of Art & Culture
When a capital project’s art selection process is not the responsibility of the Montana Arts Council, The
Montana Museum of Art and Culture (MMAC) will recommend artwork for purchase through the Art
Siting Program. These recommendations may come from the Museum’s Slide Registry Program or from
members of the Art Siting Committee.
The Art Siting Committee approves or disapproves the artwork recommended by the Museum. Artwork
shall not be accepted for consideration by the Art Siting Committee unless the following criteria are met:
a. The artwork is relevant to and consistent with the purposes and activities of The University Montana
in the Committee’s judgement and in consultation with the UM President or the President’s designee;
b. The University of Montana can provide an appropriate location for installation and storage (if an
artwork is eventually de-installed), protection and preservation of the artwork under conditions that
assure its availability for University purposes and comply with professional Museum industry
standards;
c. The artwork has a demonstrated authenticity, established provenance, and a clear proof of title;
d. The artwork has proven both legal and ethical integrity; if there is a suspicion that the artwork has
been stolen, looted, or otherwise illegally obtained, it will not be accepted;
e. The artwork is ready to display or in a condition in which The University of Montana has the
resources to prepare it for display (i.e., framing, matting, pedestals, etc.) or to restore and maintain it;
f.
Only an object of exquisite quality will be purchased, one that reflects the emphases of the Permanent
Collection of the Montana Museum of Art and Culture. Specifically, the following emphases, as
determined in part by a mandate from President George Dennison, will be given full consideration:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Contemporary works in all media that represent Montana
Contemporary works in all media by Native American artists*
Contemporary works in all media that represent the arts of Asia*
Contemporary works by nationally and internationally recognized artists*
Contemporary ceramics by national and international artists
Contemporary indoor and outdoor sculptures and installations
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* It is a priority of the MMAC Collection Committee that these areas of the Permanent Collection be
emphasized where possible, encouraging purchases that fulfill these emphases.
Art Siting Program acquisitions are property of The University of Montana and the MMAC; the artworks
are not property of the department where the artwork is sited.
Accurate records of Art Siting Program acquisitions shall be maintained by both the Art Siting Program
Committee and the MMAC.
Art Siting Program artworks will be catalogued by the MMAC. The Museum will establish an “Art Siting
Program Collection” database with information on the artist, artwork, location, insurance value,
condition, etc. to maintain the collection. The Museum will charge a one-time administrative/processing
fee of 10 percent of the art funding available for buildings seeking art purchases or commissions in 2009
and 2010. This Museum administrative fee will increase to 15% of available art funding beginning in
2011.
After a period of 10 years, the Museum’s Collection Committee may consider the integration of the Art
Siting Collection objects into the Museum’s Permanent Collection.
The Museum will organize and implement the rotation of those Art Siting Program artworks that are not
permanently sited or incorporated structurally into a specific site. Floor mosaics and wall murals are
considered permanently sited and therefore will not be rotated.
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