Edinburgh Public Art Panel
The Edinburgh Public Art Panel exists to advise on the commissioning, acquisition, placement, and maintenance of public art, ensuring alignment with the City of Edinburgh Council’s Public Art Policy (PDF).
The Panel will
- ensure high artistic and design quality in public art projects while respecting and enhancing the city's historic and cultural heritage
- support the integration of public art into urban planning, regeneration, and conservation projects
- promote community engagement and inclusivity in public art initiatives, ensuring representation of Edinburgh's diverse cultural and historical narratives
- advocate for funding and partnership opportunities for public art development, including heritage funding streams
- provide guidance on decommissioning, conservation, and heritage-sensitive management of public artworks, supporting the development of future policy direction.
The Panel will examine new public art proposals in relation to the Public Art Policy, to ensure that projects meet the objectives and follow the commissioning guidelines to ensure that new proposals align with the heritage, culture and diversity of the city of Edinburgh. In making its recommendations, the Panel will also consider other relevant strategies, plans and environmental factors.
Panel meetings will provide an opportunity for applicants to present their proposals as well as discuss and explore key issues with Panel members. Reports produced from these meetings will feed into the Council’s Committee decision process on permission for new works of public art.
Functions of the Edinburgh Public Art Panel
The Panel will contribute constructive specialist advice, which can be used by developers of new public art works in the city in order to improve the quality and suitability of their project.
This will include tailored advice on relevant policy and guidance including
- promoting policy priorities at an early stage in the public art design process
- providing advice which is well reasoned and aims to be objective
- seeking to reach consensus on the advice provided and explain the rationale for this
- agreeing key priorities and provide written advice which summarises the discussion held at the Panel meeting
- monitoring the implementation of its recommendations and measuring whether advice has been taken into account before full applications are presented for Committee decision.