NEW YORK, NY.- Since 1983, the New York City government has commissioned and funded almost 200 works of public art through the Percent for Art program. In public places throughout the five boroughs--plazas and parks, community centers and schools, transportation terminals, police stations, firehouses and courthouses--New Yorkers now live and work with remarkable, permanent installations of art thanks to the program. The process of creating these artworks has brought community residents and contemporary artists into dialogue with one another, while establishing a model for other cities around the world.

Now, for the first time, it will be possible to enjoy the full, exuberant range of these artworks in one place. On April 28, 2005, Merrell Publishers will bring out City Art: New York's Percent for Art Program, a colorful, illustrated, comprehensive catalogue of the program to date. On the same day, the Center for Architecture--the public gallery of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter--will open a lively exhibition of the same name, exploring how these artworks came about. The exhibition, presented by Target, will remain on view through September 3.

The large-format, 240-page City Art book, edited by curator and educator Marvin Heiferman, features striking, newly commissioned photographs by David S. Allee of selected public artworks and sites; a photographic index of 189 completed Percent for Art projects; essays by cultural commentators Adam Gopnik and Eleanor Heartney; interviews with artists, community members and key participants in the program; and a preface by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. The book was made possible by a generous grant from the Joy of Giving Something Inc. (JGS).

The Center for Architecture exhibition, curated by Marvin Heiferman, offers an engaging multimedia display--with lightboxed photographs, models, plans and sound--revealing the complex process behind successful public art. A schedule of public programs is also planned.

Additional support has been provided by Furthermore: A Program of the J.M. Kaplan Fund and by The Fund for the City of New York.

Publication of the book and presentation of the exhibition are timed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the completion of the first Percent for Art commission: Jorge Rodriguez's Growth (1985) at East Harlem Art Park.

As Mayor Bloomberg writes in his preface, “It is no surprise that in a City as richly diverse and artistically dynamic as New York, we lay claim to one of the most extensive and influential public art programs in the world. The outcome of this unique collaboration between artists and communities is a body of artwork that is both approachable and engaging. It tends to be more boisterous than restrained, more experiential than cerebral, more subtle than apparent, and more democratic than exclusive. Above all, it is art for the public, and each piece echoes the philosophy behind the program that every New Yorker deserves an enriching built environment. After all, good design doesn't cost more; it's just better.”

According to Kate D. Levin, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, which has administered the program since 1986, “At no other time in recent memory has there been such consensus about the value of public art in cities across the United States. That's why City Art is so timely. This is the first-ever complete documentation of Percent for Art's twenty-two-year history. Both the exhibition and the book offer New Yorkers--and everyone interested in the field of public art--a perspective on how and why artists work together with communities, architects and the government to shape and transform our built environment."

“Percent for Art gives artists a say in how the public domain is built,” notes Charlotte Cohen, Director of the Percent for Art program. “At the same time, the program works with communities to deliver something that all New Yorkers can embrace. I believe that when people see the City Art book and exhibition, they will be astonished, not only by the success of the program but by the magnitude of that success.”

"Public art transforms mere public works projects into civic structures that create pride of place and

a sense of neighborhood. The superlative Percent for Art projects exhibited at the Center for Architecture

similarly heighten awareness of the value of artists and architects working together." comments Rick Bell, FAIA, Executive Director, AIA New York Chapter and the Center for Architecture.