Public Art at the Courthouse

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Public art

Works from 23 artists from across the state are displayed in public areas of the new courthouse as part of the County’s Art in Public Places program. Fifteen of those artists are County residents.

More than $208,000 was used to commission 56 works in various media including acrylic, oil, watercolor, photography, egg tempura, handmade paper, silver prints, sepia ink and fiber.

The Art in Public Places program was created by Volusia County Council ordinance in 1990 to establish guidelines for the funding of art in publicly owned and operated buildings in the County. The ordinance requires that one half of one percent to one percent of the construction cost of County buildings be set aside for acquiring artwork for permanent display.

"This pertains to buildings owned and operated by the County to which the public has access during normal operating hours and public spaces that are an integral part of the building such as atriums or courtyards," said Dona DeMarsh, who administered the project at the time.

The Cultural Council of Volusia County (CCVC) appointed a seven-member art selection committee to determine sites for placement of artwork, view submitted proposals and make selections of artwork to be included in the program, DeMarsh said.

Open competition was used to select artwork for the Courthouse. A call to artists was issued in January 2000. Interested artists submitted slides or works for initial review.

The CCVC established criteria to ensure artists whose works were acquired for the program had achieved a certain level of expertise and recognition in their profession. Artists must have met at least three of the following five criteria to have their submissions presented to the committee:

The artist completed other public commissions on a similar scale.

The artist received awards, grants, or fellowships within the past five years.

The artist’s works were included in major private, corporate or museum collections.

The artist had at least one one-person exhibition at an American Association of Museum’s accredited institution within the past five years.

The artist had at least one exhibition at a public art institution.

For more information on the program, please contact Nancy Maddox in Parks, Recreation and Culture at (386) 736-5953.

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