Public Art in UNC System Plagued by Lack of Funds

"We don't have very much public art," said Charlotte Brown, director of the N.C. State University Gallery of Art and Design. "This is primarily for two reasons. First of all, the Artwork for State Buildings was closed by the legislature. Second, we have a very small amount because, well, it costs money."

Previously, money for public art was the primary domain of the Artwork for State Buildings Program. From 1988 to 1995, the program gave one-half of 1 percent of any new state construction money to public art, said Jeffrey York, public art and community design director for the N.C. Arts Council. The program installed many works at various campuses throughout the state.

At UNC-Chapel Hill, the program was responsible for five works, including the hanging aluminum sculptures inside of the Student Recreation Center.

York said that once the program closed, the N.C. Arts Council attempted to take over the planning of public art programs by developing a grant program for such works.

"We are basically working with the community to facilitate these public art programs," York said.

Stressing the importance of public art, Western Carolina University Outdoor Sculpture co-chairwomen Marya Roland, associate professor of art, and Beth Johnson, assistant director at the Hinds University Center, said such programs can strengthen community ties.

"A public art program can be a huge asset to a university," Roland said. "It's absolutely essential for the spirit of a university to have public art. Art nourishes the soul."

WCU brings in public art by means of competition, Roland said. Every year, the outdoor sculpture committee judges artists' submissions and awards an average of three artists with about $2,800. Part of this honorarium, Roland said, is that the artists must install their works on the WCU campus for one year. Through this process the campus has a revolving supply of public art.

"There is no budget here for buying sculpture and placing it on the campus," Johnson said. "It's expensive to even borrow, and we feel very limited with what we can do here."

Limitations seemed a lesser problem at Eastern Carolina University, said Art Haney, assistant dean of the ECU School of Art. "We've got art all over campus," he said.

"We have some form of sculpture in front of almost every building on campus."

But ECU only has one structure funded by the Artwork for State Buildings Program: Sonic Plaza. Haney said Sonic Plaza is especially intriguing because of its mixture of auditory and visual effects.

He also said the university is building a new science center where there will be a great deal of public art. But arts faculty in the UNC system, including Haney, said the present dip in the state's finances lessens the possibility for the growth of on-campus public art.

Haney said with the state that the system budget is in right now, art funding may be neglected in order to deal with other issues. "Art oftentimes takes a backseat," he said.

Still, committees like N.C. State's University Art Acquisition Committee and Campus Environmental Design Committee continue to work for the placement of public art on college campuses. Roland, Brown, Johnson and Haney expressed hope that such efforts will give public art a greater presence in the UNC system.

But Brown said she still has her doubts.

"In this climate of austerity, one is inclined to find less costly ways to better one's environment."

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