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Since it was
created in 1977 under Public Act 80-241, the Illinois
Art-in-Architecture program has worked to promote and preserve the
arts of Illinois by securing artwork of all media for public
buildings constructed with State funds.
The entire
focus of the Art-in-Architecture Program has been on the acquisition
of art work by Illinois artists. As a result, the Art-in-Architecture
Program has become an important documentation of contemporary art in
Illinois. The Art-in-Architecture Program, through its direct support
and coupled with other public and private efforts, has not only
fostered the growth of the art community in Illinois but has also
helped to stem the exodus of Illinois artists to other cultural centers.
The Capital
Development Board spends one-half of one percent of the construction
appropriation on the acquisition of artwork for new and renovated
buildings that are open to the general public. A committee of
artists, community representatives and state officials oversee each
project and select the artwork.
Since its inception in 1977, the Art-in-Architecture Program has
purchased or commissioned more than 600 works of art by Illinois
artists for display at more than 100 locations throughout Illinois.
Collections have been assembled throughout the State that provide an
overview of current activity in ceramics/glass, printmaking, fibers,
drawings, photography, computer art, painting and sculpture.
Just as
the artwork varies in media, it also varies in style ranging from
the representational works of Harold Gregor and Peter
Fagan
to the Chicago imagist work of Roger
Brown
and Ed Paschke. Internationally famous craft artists such as ceramicist
Ruth Duckworth, fiber artist Claire
Zeisler
and glass artist Bill Carlson have been commissioned to create important
works of art for Illinois.
In late 1990,
work was completed on the Illinois Collection for the State of
Illinois Center in Chicago, since renamed the James R. Thompson
Center. The collection of 150 works of art has become a time capsule
of art in Illinois during the 1980's. The best artists in every media
in Illinois were included in this collection. Art historians of the
future will have the opportunity to see exactly what took place in
Illinois during the 1980's by examining this one collection housed in
one building.
Notable and
recently completed projects include the 40 x 110 x 30-foot
"Upwells" sculpture plaza by Stephen Luecking for the North
Campus of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and the 12 x
20-foot cast bronze bas-relief by Preston Jackson for the Cahokia
Mounds Museum and Interpretative Center.
"Portrait
of Illinois" - a collection of 33 paintings, drawings, prints
and photographs - was assembled through a state-wide open competition
for the Illinois State Library in Springfield. In addition to
numerous other projects, the Art-in-Architecture Program is currently
conducting a statewide competition - "Sculpture for the Third
Millennium" - to commission work for various universities and
community colleges throughout the State.
Today,
Illinois is recognized for its cultural vitality which attracts
artists from around the world. As this vitality continues to manifest
itself in the visual arts of Illinois, the Capital Development Board
is committed to supporting and documenting these activities. |
Welcome
to the Capital Development Board's Art-In-Architecture
