press room

For Immediate Release

01/07/2008

Contact:
Beth Olsen
Goodman Media International for Americans for the Arts
212.576.2700 ext. 243 or bolsen@goodmanmedia.com


Five Elected to PAN Council to Advise Growing Field of Public Art

Washington, DC — January 7, 2008 – Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America, announces three newly elected members and two re-elected members to its Public Art Network (PAN) Council, a group that advises the Board and staff of Americans for the Arts on the expanding and diverse field of public art. 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.

“We are proud to welcome these new members to the council, as we work to build and strengthen public art programs in communities around the country,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “The expertise of the newly elected and re-elected members of the council will be invaluable to the field of public art.”

Public art projects are often commissioned by local arts agencies to display works outside the traditional walls of a museum. Public art can be a sculpture located in an office building lobby or integrated into the 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 natural and built environment.

Following are bios on the three newly elected PAN members:

Charlotte Cohen
Fine Arts Officer, US General Services Administration, New York, NY
Charlotte Cohen is an arts administrator with many years of experience working in the field of public art.  Currently, she is a Fine Arts Officer with the US General Services Administration, managing new commissions and the collection in the New York Region.  Prior to joining GSA in 2005, Cohen directed the New York City Percent for Art Program for nine years.  She has also worked for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in Washington, DC, and was Program Director at Maryland Art Place, a nonprofit contemporary art center in Baltimore.  Cohen is an adjunct faculty member at New York University’s Masters Program in Visual Arts Administration.

Larry Kirkland
Artist, Washington, DC
Larry Kirkland, has collaborated with design professionals and community leaders for more than 30 years to create meaningful places throughout the United States and abroad. Recent public artworks have been installed at the Federal Courthouse in Sacramento, CA; Pennsylvania Station in New York City; Central Station in Hong Kong; the California Museum of Science in Los Angeles, CA; the American Red Cross Headquarters and the National Academies of Science, both in Washington, DC. Kirkland holds an undergraduate degree from Oregon State University and a Master of Fine Art from the University of Kansas, both degrees with Honors.

Peggy Kendellen
Public Art Manager, Regional Arts & Culture Council, Portland, OR
Peggy Kendellen has worked in the public art field for nearly 15 years. Among her responsibilities are managing site specific and temporary public art projects, launching and sustaining a Public Art Murals Program, acquisitions of works on paper for the Visual Chronicle of Portland, and creating and managing a public art residency program. Peggy earned her B.F.A. and M.A. in art from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Midwest Artists Fellowship. Her artwork is included in the collections of Neiman Marcus, Northwest Mutual Life Insurance, and Moritex USA in Tokyo.

Following are bios on the two re-elected PAN members:

Kendal Henry
Director of Cultural and Economic Development, City of Newburgh, NY
Kendal Henry is the Director of Cultural and Economic Development for the City of Newburgh, NY. He’s also a public art and urban design consultant, artist and curator living in New York City and works on a variety of public projects and programs in the US, Europe, Russia, Asia, and Australia. Kendal has served as a Manager of Arts Programs at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Arts for Transit for eleven years.  Previous to his experience at the MTA, he served as a project manager at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs’ Percent for Art Program for four years.  In his 17-year career as a public art administrator, he has commissioned over 90 permanent and temporary works of art.

Porter Arneill
Director of Public Art and Education, Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis, MO
Porter Arneill holds a Bachelor’s degree in fine art from the University of Colorado and Master's degree in fine art from the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. He has served as the Director of Education and adjunct curator at Laumeier Sculpture Park and Museum and as the Director of Public Art and Education for the Regional Arts Commission, both in St. Louis. Since 2002, he has served as the Director and Public Art Administrator for the Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Art Commission and sits on several local arts-related boards including the Art in the Loop Foundation and Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts.

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 48 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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