press room

For Immediate Release

12/16/2004

Contact:
Virginia Anagnos
Goodman Media International
212.576.2700


Five Elected to Council to Advise Growing Field of Public Art

Washington, DC — December 16, 2004 — Americans for the Arts announces three newly elected members and the re-election of two members to its Public Arts Network (PAN) Council, a group which advises the Board of Americans for the Arts on the expanding and diverse field of public arts. PAN is designed to provide services for the broad array of public art practitioners and to develop strategies and tools to improve communities through public art. More than 350 public art programs currently exist in the United States at both the state and local levels.

“The experience embodied by these individual artists, curators, and administrators will help Americans for the Arts promote and emphasize the importance and impact of public art throughout the country,” said Robert Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “We look forward to sharing their vision and insight.”

Public art projects are often commissioned by local arts agencies to display works outside the traditional walls of a museum. Public art can be sculptures located in an office building lobby or the intricate architecture of the local courthouse. Public art projects, as well as how they are financed, vary from city to city. Americans for the Arts encourages the collaboration of public art professionals, government officials, city planners, artists, and designers in this growing field that merges art with the built environment.

Following are brief bios on the elected PAN members:

Porter Arneill is executive director and public art administrator for the Kansas City Municipal Art Commission in Kansas City, MO. He is also a member of the adjunct faculty for the Kansas City Art Institute. Prior to this position, he served as the director of public art and education for the Regional Arts Commission in St. Louis from 1997 to 2002. During this time, he also served as the director of The People Project, a $1 million, self-supporting, 12 county, bistate temporary public art event in St. Louis.

Janet Echelman is an artist living in New York City. Her most recent projects include a $1.2 million permanent commission for Praca Cidade de Salvador, Matosinhos, at the Port of Portugal, and an installation at the Cruise Terminal and Port for Art Rotterdam in the Netherlands. She is part of the team selected to design the 9/11 Memorial in Hoboken, NJ. She teaches at the New School University, where she developed a public art curriculum.

Jean Greer is vice president for public art at the Arts and Science Council of Charlotte/Mecklenburg (NC). Under her guidance, a Public Art Master Plan was completed and both Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte have adopted one percent for art ordinances as a result. Prior to this appointment, Greer served as public art and design administrator for the Broward County Cultural Affairs Division in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, in which more than 45 projects were completed during her tenure.

Kendal Henry is a public art administrator and curator living in New York City. He has served as the manager of Arts Programs at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Arts for Transit Program. During this time, he oversaw the fabrication and installation of 25 permanent art projects; served as a member of the MTA’s in-house design team; and produced temporary exhibitions at Grand Central Terminal, as well as the MTA’s award winning post program.

Marc Pally is an artist, curator, and arts administrator based in Los Angeles. Since 1990, he has worked as a private consultant on policy, planning, and public art projects. He is currently serving as the artist on a design team for the Central Facility for the San Diego Water Department, and has completed numerous commissions and planning projects in California, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. His artwork is included in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Orange County Museum of Art, among others.

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of more than 40 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.

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