Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz was joined today by Legislature Chairwoman April Baskin (2^nd District), Legislator Howard Johnson (1^st District), and Public Art Curator Aaron Ott of the Albright Knox Gundlach Art Museum as he signed the Public Art Act of Erie County into law. The new local law, sponsored by the Legislature’s Majority caucus, provides for public financial support for public art in Erie County capital projects.  

“Public art enlivens neighborhoods, beautifies public spaces, and shows that we are a community that cares about where we live. On the tenth anniversary of our hugely popular inaugural public art offering, Shark Girl, and with the numerous other public art successes that have captivated Erie County since then, today we are expanding our scope to include public art in Erie County capital projects,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “This new local law will power the placement of public art in spots where county capital construction is taking place, with locations chosen by a new Public Arts Committee guided by a Public Art Master Plan. Not every project will include public art, but there will be many that do. This law creates a mechanism for bringing more beautiful, thought-provoking art to spots all around Erie County for all residents to enjoy and I thank the Legislature for their sponsorship of it.”

Under the new law, depending on the size and type of the capital project, Erie County will allocate 1% of the cost of a building construction project (up to a maximum of $10,000) for the acquisition, maintenance, and management of public art at the site. A Public Art Fund will be created by the Division of Budget and Management to hold funds for implementation of the projects finalized in the Master Public Art Plan and/or projects selected by the Arts in Public Places Committee (“the Committee”).

The Committee will consist of five members, three of whom will be appointed by the County Executive. The Majority Caucus and Minority Caucus leaders will each appoint one member, and all five will be subject to Legislature approval. All committee members must be experts in the fields of art, art history, architecture, or architectural history, must be Erie County residents, and may not serve on any other county advisory board or be a county employee or officer.

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