The Fulton County Arts Council Public Art Program was initiated in 1993 when the Fulton County Board of Commissioners adopted the Arts in Public Places Resolution, which stipulates that one percent of the cost of acquisition, renovation or construction of any Fulton County building or facility must be set aside for the fabrication, installation, and ongoing maintenance of public artwork. A Public Art Master Plan, completed in 1995 with the assistance of over 200 citizens, provides further guidance for the implementation of the Public Art Program in Fulton County.

Since the approval of the Public Art Master Plan, 48 artists have been awarded commissions to create artwork for senior centers, libraries, parks, arts centers, court buildings, and even the medical examiner's office. The selected artists have created unique pieces of art that enhance the public spaces, making government buildings better places to work and to conduct business. Further, the artists' use of local images and local stories as source of inspiration serves to promote community pride.

The Public Art Program received national recognition in 2000, when the prestigious arts journal "Art in America" selected the Sol LeWitt project "54 Columns" as one of the top 24 public art projects featured in its annual year-in-review issue. The work was also prominently featured in a Yale University Press catalogue of the oeuvre of LeWitt, published in conjunction with a retrospective of the artist's work organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

In 2002, Fulton County celebrated A Decade of Public Art, with a public exhibition and catalogue that summarized the accomplishments of the Public Art Program in its 10-year history. The catalogue acknowledged the people who have supported the program throughout the decade, underscoring the network and support that is necessary for a successful public art program. It also included a checklist and photographs of the Fulton County public artworks. Catalogues are available at workshops, public events and by request.

Although the projects listed below have all been commissioned after the 1995 Public Art Master Plan, it should be noted that Fulton County's interest in public art began prior to the 1993 approval of the Art in Public Places Resolution. For example, as part of the construction of the Fulton County Government Center, completed in 1989, three artists received commissions to create artwork for the building: Wadsworth Jarrell, Jackie Ferrara, and Walter Dusenberry. Their work can be seen at the Fulton County Government Center Atrium and outside Assembly Hall.

Artists Registry

In 2001, the Arts Council established a Public Art Program Artists Registry to develop a pool of visual artists to be considered for public art projects funded through the Fulton County Arts Council's Public Art Program. The current guidelines and policies for selection are used to identify artists for projects initiated or funded in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Our program wants to be as forward thinking as possible which is why we accept of digital jpeg file format (on CD) as well as slides. In addition to being considered for public art commissions, there are many new benefits to being in the Artist Registry. An online newsletter will inform you of public art opportunities locally, nationally, and internationally. We offer workshops in areas such as proposal planning and budget management, artist talks, and mentorship development. It is our hope that these educational opportunities inform more visual artists of the many processes involved in the selection and completion of a public artwork, and give them a solid foundation from which they can confidently and efficiently approach large projects.

In order to be considered for upcoming public art commissions, visual artists must apply and be approved for the Public Art Program Artists Registry. The new biannual deadline schedule is April 10, 2009 and October 9, 2009.

For information on how to apply, please contact Morolake Odeleye, Public Art Registrar, at Morolake.Odeleye@fultoncountyga.gov or 404.612.5780 to receive a digital applicaiton or with questions.

The Registry is only open to visual artists who are full-time residents of the State of Georgia.

Past Artists

Since the Public Art Program's inception, the following artists have been awarded public art commissions for Fulton County:

• Afolayan, Tunde (Delaney Children's Shelter, 1997)
• Ajano, Fred (H.J.C. Bowden Senior Multipurpose Facility - Phase II, in progress 2005)
• Baker, Georgette (Welcome All Park, 1998)
• Bishop, Anne Howell (Roswell Senior Center, 1998)
• Blades, Lillian (East Atlanta Library, in progress 2005)
• Bluebird Sculpture Group (Palmetto Neighborhood Senior Center, 2002)
• Brown, Charles (Camp Truitt Senior Center, 1998)
• Chandler, Gordon (Sandtown Park, 2000)
• Clements, Robert and Rittenberry, Harold (East Point Library, 1998)
• Cook, Jeannine (Hapeville Neighborhood Senior Center, 2004)
• Dawe, Martin (Juvenile Court, 2000)
• Delsarte, Louis (Helene S. Mills Multipurpose Senior Facility, 2002) (Southwest Arts Center, 2008)
• Dillehay, Kyle (Creel Park, 2002)
• Favorite, Malaika (Harriett G. Darnell Multipurpose Senior Center, 1998)
• Gallucci, Jim (Newtown Park, 1998)
• Gentry, Cynthia (East Point Library, 1998)
• Gilbert, Ralph (Helene S. Mills Multipurpose Senior Facility, 2002)
• Guyton, Lisa N. (South Fulton Service Center/Annex, 2002)
• Haugen, Don and Stern, Teena Marie (Abernathy Arts Center, 2000)
• Helwig, Helen (New Beginnings Senior Center, 2007)
• Hunter, Tim (Hapeville Neighborhood Senior Center, 2004)
• Johnson, Gregory (Dorothy Benson Senior Center, 2000)
• Knapp, Cynthia (Ocee Library, 2004)
• Landesberg, Amy (Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center, in progress 2005)
• Landis, David (Government Center Atrium, 2001)
• LeWitt, Sol (Glen Iris Project, gift 1998)
• Longobardi, Pam (Medical Examiner Facility, 1998)
• Mather, Jeff (Ocee Park, 2000)
• Marshall-Linnemeier, Lynn (Southeast Neighborhood Senior Center, 2002)
• Odeleye, Ayokunle (Adams Park Library, 1999)
• Palmer, Charly (New Horizons Neighborhood Senior Center, 2000)
• Pickens, Donna (Southwest Arts Center, 1999)
• Pierotti, Ray (H.J.C. Bowden Senior Multipurpose Facility, 2000)
• Riley-Webb, Charlotte (South Fulton Service Center/Annex, 2002)
• Rittenberry, Harold (College Park Library, 1999)
• Sirlin, Deanna and Auslander, Phillip (Northeast Spruill Oaks Regional Library, 1998)
• Troy, Priscilla (Dogwood Neighborhood Senior Center, 2000)
• Turk, Gregor (Fulton County Fire Station # 18, 2001)
• Weinberg-Benson, Marianne (Southwest Arts Center, 1999) (Ocee Library, 2005)
• Whitehouse, Deborah Wian (Helene S. Mills Senior Multipurpose Facility)
• Wood, Michelle (Auburn Avenue Neighborhood Senior Center, 1997)