City officials eye plan for public art

Boston likes to call itself the Athens of America, with its world-renowned symphony and ballet, libraries, and intellectual might. But some officials in a city that has long claimed itself a cultural hotbed worry that Boston has fallen far behind other cities in its promotion of public art.

Saying that dozens of other cities have set aside large funds for public art while Boston does little, City Councilor Michael Ross said he will propose today that the city require private developers to put 1 percent of their construction costs into a fund to finance public art around the city.

''We do a good job with memorials and statues and are very fortunate when it comes to art museums," he said. ''We're wealthy when it comes to museums. But in the public sphere, talk to people in the art community. They'll tell you that's probably where we're lacking."

Ross and arts community activists said similar programs across the country have produced memorable works of art, some of which have become iconic symbols of their cities, such as the Pablo Picasso sculpture in Chicago's Daley Plaza.

''This is a very good idea and would finally make Boston somewhat more competitive with other places in the country," said Ricardo Barreto, director of the UrbanArts Institute at the Massachusetts College of Art, which promotes public arts projects. Barreto said many cities have similar programs for publicly funded or publicly owned buildings. Boston has no such program.

Public art programs have become increasingly common nationwide. Most use public dollars to pay for art. But in Boston, financing would come from private developers, mimicking policies in a few other cities. Some public art advocates said developers can be sold on the idea.

''[Developers] understand that incorporating . . . public art is an asset for their development," Barreto said. ''So in many places, this is not seen as a burden, but understood as something that adds value."

But in Boston, where developers already face tough building restrictions and must set aside money for affordable housing and job training, they may not be eager to pay more.

''I understand that funds have dried up for the arts," said Michael McCormack, a lawyer and former city councilor who represents several developers. ''But you need to balance it against what the proposal is. It's a tax. Developers will look at it as yet another tax on doing business in the city, regardless of where the funds are going. At some point in time, developers will look at the cost of doing business and financing projects here and if it doesn't make economic sense, they will go elsewhere."

He noted that the proposal would affect not only well-heeled developers, but also healthcare institutions looking to expand their research facilities.

Robert Beal, a developer who installed a 60-by-20-foot Sol LeWitt collage in the lobby of the recently renovated state office building at 100 Cambridge Street, said developers would likely go along with the measure, up to a limit: The set-aside amount should not exceed a half-percent of construction costs, up to a maximum of $100,000, he said. In addition, builders should be given the option to locate the art in or around the building they are developing.

''We at the Beal Companies believe that buildings should have public art," Beal said. ''It's an issue worth discussing."

The details of Ross's proposal have not been finalized yet, he said, but it will likely contain a $100,000 cap on the amount a developer could be forced to pay.

In addition, he said, the city's Art Commission would administer the fund, siting the projects and choosing the artists. A public process would insure that neighbors and arts advocates have a say in the final product.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who supported a similar proposal in the 1980s, will approve the measure if it passes the council, said Susan Hartnett, director of the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism, and Special Events.

The city currently finances some public art through the Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund but does not have steady revenue that would enable it to do more. Among projects supported by the Browne Fund are the Vendome Hotel firefighters memorial on Commonwealth Avenue, the duckling sculptures in the Public Garden, and the Arthur Fiedler sculpture on the Esplanade.

''In every neighborhood, people are interested in public art, large-scale and small-scale," Hartnett said. ''We see them around the country, and we'd love to see them here," she said, noting the popularity of the $20 million ''The Gates" project installed in New York's Central Park last winter.

Bostonians, she said, are as open to avant-garde as anyone else, she said. ''People are much more open-minded than you would think. There is a stereotype that we're conservative, but we're also innovative. People want public art. They want beautiful pieces. With the right community involvement, you'd be surprised at how it can happen."