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
Committee’s report to President Kennedy included the “Guiding
Principles for Federal Architecture,” 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 program’s goal to commission the most
talented contemporary American artists to create works for the
nation’s 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 Administration’s
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