No law mandates that a percentage of federal construction budgets be spent to commission fine art. The Art in Architecture (AIA) program is the result of a policy decision made in January 1963 by the U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) Administrator Bernard L. Boudin, who served on the Ad Hoc Committee on Federal Office Space in 1961-62. The Committeeâs report to President Kennedy included the âGuiding Principles for Federal Architecture,â which detailed a new quality conscious Federal attitude toward architecture.
The AIA program has been modified over the years, most recently in 2020 to align with Executive Order (E.O.) 13934 issued July 3, 2020, Building and Rebuilding Monuments to American Heroes. As mandated by E.O. 13934, the AIA program prioritizes the commissioning of artworks that portray historically significant Americans or events of American historical significance, or that illustrate the ideals upon which the Nation was founded. Priority should be given to public-facing monuments to former Presidents of the United States, and to individuals and events relating to the discovery of America, the founding of the United States, and the abolition of slavery. Such works of art should be designed to be appreciated by the general public and by those who use and interact with Federal buildings. When an artwork commissioned by GSA is meant to depict a historically significant American, the artwork must be a lifelike or realistic representation of that person, not an abstract or modernist representation.
The AIA program is being modified to align with E.O. 14029, Revocation of Certain Presidential Actions and Technical Amendment, which revoked E.O. 13934, and to support the goals of E.O. 13895, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. The AIA program continues to commission works of art from living American artists. One half of one percent of the estimated construction cost of new or substantially renovated Federal buildings and U.S. courthouses is allocated for commissioning works of art.
With the implementation of the policy, the AIA program actively seeks to commission works from the full spectrum of American artists and strives to promote new media and inventive solutions for public art. GSA has awarded over 500 commissions to artists with established careers and artists of local and regional prominence. In support of the AIA programâs goal to commission the most talented contemporary American artists to create works for the nationâs important new civic buildings, it is necessary to identify those artists. The National Artist Registry (Registry) offers the opportunity for artists across the country to participate and to be considered for commissions.
E.O. 13934 requires GSA to prioritize the commissioning of works of art portraying historically significant Americans or events of American historical significance or illustrative of the ideals upon which the Nation was founded. The ICR requests artists to respond to optional demographic information. This information is being collected to help ensure diversity in support of E.O. 13895. GSA estimates the number of submissions will increase due to the Administrationâs efforts to heighten awareness of the Registry and motivate artists to register. This will also help future assessments of the relationship between U.S. demographic trends and the composition of artists within the Registry.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58) includes a significant infusion of funding for prospectus level projects that would fall under the purview of the Art In Architecture program. To ensure that a diverse pool of artists and portfolios are considered for new commissions, GSA has chosen the interim rule option to remove the outdated policies in the program provisions in a timely manner. The current policies severely limit both the forms of art and artists that could be considered for commissions and would restrict the diversity and equity priorities of the Administration as stated in E.O. 13985. The interim rule enables GSA to revoke these restrictive policies in a timely manner before numerous projects from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act are forced to follow the more restrictive policies.
In view of the foregoing, GSA requests emergency OMB approval for this ICR to be effective immediately.
EO: EO 13934 Name/Subject of EO: Building and Rebuilding Monuments to American Heroes
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Art in Architecture Program Historic Buildings and the Arts (PCAC); GSA 7437