The students at Bethel's M.E. School* couldn't stop talking about their tire swing. The memory of their enthusiasm stuck with Seward-based artist Justine Pechuzal as she pored over the photographs she'd collected on her visit to the school. "It was one of the things that struck me—the sense of wonder and play and possibility the children had," she recalled.
Pechuzal captured that childlike wonder in a public art piece that depicts three children soaring on their tire swing above the town and into a starry night sky. The project, along with Pechuzal's stint as a teaching artist at the pre-K through second grade M.E. School, was made possible by Percent for Art, a state program that requires one percent (or half a percent for rural Alaska) of the existing construction budget to be set aside for site-specific artwork in new or renovated buildings. Now in its 30th year, the program is administered jointly by the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Department of Transportation with the mission to provide access to works of art in public spaces and contribute to the development of Alaska's professional artistic community.
"The artworks commissioned through this program are almost like mini construction projects within the larger construction project," explained Alaska State Council on the Arts executive director Shannon Daut. As an arts program, Percent for Art often finds itself on the chopping block whenever the State faces budget woes; as recently as this March, program supporters testified to the importance of Percent for Art in an effort to quash House Bill 160, which would have imposed a moratorium and sunset on the program.
Public perception
Part of the problem, said Daut, comes from a misunderstanding of how Percent for Art works. "People hear 'public art' and think it's like writing a giant check to an artist for a painting."
In fact, each commission includes a variety of items—everything from the artist's design fee to materials, to travel and accommodations—and makes possible the kind of unique opportunity the Bethel students enjoyed when Pechuzal became M.E. School's teaching artist.
"Process in art is often not seen or understood because we see artwork already on a building or in a museum, and it's sort of a mystery how it went from point A to point B," Pechuzal said. Instead, her students got to see and participate in every part of the artistic process, from coming up with a concept to sketching to working with color and shape, as she developed her lightbox installation and helped the children design a mural that reflects the plants and wildlife native to their community.
That's the beauty of the "public" part of public art, Pechuzal added. "It's a visual statement about who people are and what's important to them."
Community input
Public art has come a long way since the "plop art" of the 1970s, said Daut, when it amounted to "a big sculpture plopped down on a lawn." Thanks to programs like Percent for Art, the creation of public art today is much more grassroots. The committee that designs each project's request for qualifications and ultimately commissions the artists includes architects, project managers and DOT representatives, but is mostly made up of the community members who will enjoy and benefit from the art.
"Having public art that's meaningful to a place is especially important in rural Alaska, where the connection to community is much stronger," said Andrea Noble-Pelant, Visual and Literary Arts Program director for the state council. "Rural schools aren't just places where students learn during the day; they're community hubs. Successful public art projects create spaces that engage the whole community."
These projects also record the history and heritage of a village. Through Percent for Art, photographer Kevin Smith has completed photo murals for as many as 16 rural schools, from Akiachak to Noatak, that incorporate archival photos with life-sized portraits of elders and other locals. "When these projects go up, it's a huge sense of community pride," he said. "You get the ancestry of three, four generations of people on the wall, and it ties the community into the school. I've even heard reports that kids behave better in these spaces, as though they feel their elders are watching them."
Smith also gives 8-by-10-inch prints to each person who sits for a portrait and donates copies of his images to the local school for archival use.
For the artists, said Daut, "The program can be a game changer because there's consistent funding for public art projects. It's hard to make a living as an artist anywhere, but especially in Alaska because there's such a limited market."
Big opportunities
"It's great for rural artists because when you apply, you're all on the same playing field, and selection is based on your work, not where you live," said Gail Niebrugge, a painter who now resides in Palmer but lived in Copper Center when she got her first commission with Percent for Art. Painting a panorama of Seward for the Alaska Skills Center enabled her to complete a large-scale piece—something few artists can afford to do on their own—and garnered attention for her work that led to further commissions, greater exposure and multiple shows and exhibits.
While the council doesn't offer a formal mentorship program, Percent for Art allows Daut and Noble-Pelant to connect emerging artists with seasoned artists who can help them navigate and coordinate the requirements of a state arts program. The council also works closely with artists to develop their project budgets or help them transition from two-dimensional pieces to three-dimensional work.
"Public art allows artists to experiment while staying within a budget; it's planned experimentation," Noble-Pelant said.
Experimentation like the kind that led to the creation of Pechuzal's lightbox installation at M.E. School, the result of her first Percent for Art commission. She hopes that this experience helps her win future commissions so she can keep creating and teaching. "It's great working with the state arts council because of the guidance and support they give. It's clear they're interested in creating good public artwork, but also in creating new generations of artists."
*Corrected from print edition
This article appeared in the Fall 2015 issue of 61°North. Contact 61° editor Jamie Gonzales at jgonzales@alaskadispatch.com.