Public Art

Percent For Public Art Policy

The County of Fresno and the Fresno Arts Council are pleased to announce the formation of a Percent for Arts Program on public buildings. The Board of Supervisors recently approved the selection of the Fresno Arts Council as the County’s Public Art Consultant for the program for all Fresno County capital development projects.

The Fresno Arts Council will partner with the County to administer the art policy. Fresno now joins many other cities and counties in California and the west coast that have adopted a percent for public art. Sacramento, Oakland, Seattle, and San Francisco are a few of those that have an active public art program.

If you are a local artist, you may now register on the Fresno Arts Council's Public Art Registry.

Galleries / Exhibitions Accessible to Public

FAC administers exhibitions on the 1st, 2nd and 4th floors of City Hall. Annually, Requests for Proposals (RFP) are sent to our mailing and e-mail lists and also posted on the website with links to the nomination form for Valley artists interested in exhibiting. A peer panel chooses the exhibiting artists for the following calendar year. Each month the public is invited to view the exhibition with a reception and to meet the artists. These openings draws between 100 and 400 people. In 2007, over 200 artists will show their artwork in groups and solo exhibitions. City officials and their employees as well as the public will view the exhibitions. FAC hires a curator and an assistant to oversee this program.

FAC sponsors ArtHop which is open to all valley artists and art venues. Currently there are 65 galleries, artists' studios and other exhibition spaces open to the public free on the first Thursday of each month. Annually, 30,000 brochures are printed, listing all the locations in downtown, Central and North areas with maps to each site and are distributed to the public.

Art in Public Spaces

The FAC formed a partnership with the City of Fresno in 2004 to administer its Public Art Program. FAC meets with appropriate City Departments to review capital improvement projects where public art is appropriate and suggests needs, sends RFP's, screens the applicants and, with input from the City, property owners, and a panel of jurors, selects the art. Mosaic floor murals were installed in two new City fire stations in 2005. This Spring, FAC will send out RFP’s for a sculpture to be installed at the Convention Center.