Public Art Program

Background

The City allocates a set amount for transfer into the Public Art Fund through the biennial budget process.  In the 2023-2024 biennium, $50,000 is included in the budget each year for ongoing public art program.

Current Public Art Collection

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The Public Art Committee

Vision
In 2016 the City of Bainbridge Island revised its comprehensive plan to include a Cultural Vision for the next twenty years. In this plan, it stated that the arts and humanities are an integral part of the community fabric and contribute to the economic vitality, community character, livability and quality of life of the island. 

Mission
The mission of the public art program is to enhance the natural beauty of the island, foster diversity and inclusion, inspire contemplation, create community, and build a vibrant culture for locals and visitors alike through free access to art in public spaces. 

Funding
The City includes funding for the arts and humanities in its biennial budget. In 2019 the City amended Ordinance 3.80 that created the Public Arts Works Program and Fund to allow $50,000 per year to be directed to the Public Art Fund. The City Council approves all expenditures and the City Finance Director administers the funds.   Today, the City’s portfolio of public art is valued at more than $350,000 and includes more than 25 permanent pieces of art, in addition to rotating or temporary exhibition programs.   

For more information on the Committee, or on how to get involved, please visit the AHB Public Art Program website, or contact AHB at programs@ahbainbridge.org.

Link to the Currents Online public art page.

Staffing
The Public Art Program is managed by the Public Art Committee (PAC) and receives administrative support from the nonprofit Arts Humanities Bainbridge (AHB) paid through the Public Art Fund.  AHB supports PAC by providing administrative functions, marketing and communications, collection maintenance and liaison work between artists, City staff and City Council.

PAC members are citizen volunteers chosen from the community and appointed by AHB. They include local artists, designers, landscape architects, photographers and other creative people with a passion for public art.  Under the City’s Cultural Element Goals, PAC is responsible for proposing new works and public art programs, assisting with design and installations, partnering with both private and public agencies, reviewing donations of artwork and providing stewardship of the city’s portfolio.