MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL
REPORT FOR INFORMATION

COMMITTEE: ECONOMY, EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS OVERVIEW AND
SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

DATE: 12 NOVEMBER 2008

SUBJECT: REVIEW OF PUBLIC ART

REPORT OF: DIRECTOR OF CULTURE

PUPOSE OF REPORT:

To outline the current position in relation to public art, in terms of both asset management of the existing portfolio and projects under consideration.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the report is noted.

FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES FOR THE REVENUE BUDGET: None

FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES FOR THE CAPITAL BUDGET: None

WARDS AFFECTED:
All

CONTACT OFFICERS:
Virginia Tandy, Director of Culture
Tel: 0161 235 8801, e-mail [email address]

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS
Manchester City Centre Strategic Plan 2008 - 2012, report to Economy, Employment and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee, 3 March 2008

IMPLICATIONS FOR:

Implications for the Environment: Development of the projects outlined will improve the quality of public spaces in the City.

REPORT ON PUBLIC ART FOR ECONOMY, EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE, 12 November 2008

Purpose of the report

This paper aims to outline the current position in relation to public art, in terms of both asset management of the existing portfolio and projects under consideration.

Introduction

There is a growing acknowledgement and awareness of the importance of the quality of the public realm in relation to both successful neighbourhoods and city centres. At its best it creates a sense of place bound up in history and identity, and a tourist destination. The standard of care and maintenance gives strong messages about civic pride and collective self-esteem. Public art, integrated into high quality public realm, can deliver distinctive and memorable places. The events or ideas that public art works represent communicate a city's or neighbourhood's values and ambitions.

Background

The history of public art in Manchester is there on the streets and in the parks for everyone to see. The traditional commemorative statuary of monarchs and leading 19^th century politicians are familiar landmarks, as are the many war memorials across the city.

In the latter part of the 20^th century the City Council and partners commissioned work from artists, both local and international in reputation, in order to:

Responsibility for Public Art across the city

Scope

Manchester City Galleries is responsible for war memorials and public art owned or commissioned by the City Council. An initial survey conducted by Manchester City Galleries in 2002 identified 280 public art and war memorial pieces. Subsequent investigation as part of the current programme of improvements has identified over 150 individual works of public art and 398 war memorials. Not all of these are owned by, or located in property owned by, the City. Of those that are the responsibility of the City, 12 are listed as being of architectural significance by English Heritage.

Funding

In 2004 the City Council approved £200k to address the restoration of the Cenotaph and Memorial Gardens in St. Peter's Square and 7 prominent war memorials across the city, and a further £200k to commission a memorial to commemorate civilians killed in Manchester during WWII. These projects were managed by Manchester City Galleries Department and completed for the 60^th anniversary of the end of WWII in 2005.

In acknowledgement of the growing public interest in war memorials and public art and the quality of the public realm, and the need to develop an inventory and a strategy for their on-going care and maintenance, since 2005 additional funds have been allocated for this purpose, and are now built into the revenue budget. This has enabled a programme of work on both war memorials and public art to be delivered, prioritising listed structures, works in key locations, and those which have been the subject of correspondence from residents.

Programme Manager: Public Art

A proportion of the funding was identified to fund a Programme Manager: Public Art and War Memorials, who has been in post since March 2007. The post holder is an experienced conservator who, in addition to undertaking the surveys, assessments and project management, is able to undertake limited conservation tasks thus making more cost effective use of the budget and achieving better value from the funds available.

Projects currently under consideration

City Galleries:

In addition to the asset management work on existing pieces outlined above and in Appendix 1, the following are under consideration:

In the light of public interest in this scheme, work is currently underway to identify the resources needed in order to put in place a process for approvals and historical verification, with a view to once again encouraging and advising those who wish to erect a plaque to follow appropriate legal and Health and Safety procedures and raise the funds required (c. £300 per plaque).

Cultural Strategy:

As part of the Cultural Strategy Team's work with programmes across the city, a range of public art has been commissioned in consultation with residents, e.g. the Rolls Royce piece by George Wylie in Hulme, a piece selected to recognise the history of the area as part of the Valuing Older People programme; and temporary programmes such as Cow Parade, which allowed for community participation, generating local pride and identity, and creating a trail which encouraged visitors and residents to explore the city.

Current projects also include proposals in the context of the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders, such as the commission to mark the centre spot of the old Manchester City Football Club pitch as part of the new housing development at Maine Road, and work in East and North Manchester, supported by a range of funding partners. This work is being carried out with the participation of local residents, encouraging community engagement.

Other commissioning activity:

A number of developers, such as Argent and Allied London, have commissioned

works as part of major new developments in the city centre to create a sense of identity in the new developments around Piccadilly and Spinningfields, which have both created new public spaces.

The new hospital on Oxford Road has identified a range of commissioning opportunities for artworks in both interior and exterior spaces, in consultation with the Arts & Health organisation, Lime. It is now accepted that works of art assist in both patient and visitor orientation in large public buildings, encourage patient and staff participation in creativity, and can speed up recovery times.

City South Partnership:

A public realm strategy, including public art, is being considered as part of the regeneration of this area, to create a distinctive identity, and to highlight the key institutions on Oxford Road. The ambition will be to create a unique environment which creates a destination and draws people to the University, the Manchester Museum and the Whitworth Art Gallery.

Conclusion

To date, due to the organic nature of public art commissioning in the City, there does not appear to have been any detailed assessment of the economic impact of works produced. The primary motivations for many of the commissions to date have been social or aesthetic. Plans are in place to evaluate the Housing Market Renewal programme when it is completed at the end of this financial year.

While in recent years, with additional resources, significant progress has been made on the care and management of the existing portfolio of public art, statuary and war memorials, it is recognised that a more co-ordinated and integrated approach to commissioning new work, ensuring the best possible outcomes, would be desirable, and in line with the city's ambitions. Arts Council England, North West has indicated a willingness to support the City Council's work in this area, and discussions are underway to progress this.

Virginia Tandy

Director of Culture

November 2008

APPENDIX 1

Asset Management Programme

Manchester City Galleries are currently working with Valuation & Property Services and the Asset Management Programme to develop the scope of work for an on-going programme of development, care and maintenance for the City's portfolio of civic sculpture, public art and war memorials as part of the Heritage Asset Strategy. Following the on-going programme of condition surveys, a costed programme of work will be established, and proposals for on-going funding will be submitted to Members at a future date. The aim is to establish a national model of good practice in the care of civic statues, public art and war memorials.

Inventory, Surveys and Condition Reports

The effectiveness of the on-going programme of work is dependent on the creation and maintenance of a comprehensive inventory of works, lost/found status, ownership, or perceived significance. Assessment criteria have been developed, based on art historical/heritage significance and maintenance requirements, to enable key works to be identified and prioritised.

Through this process a large number of works have been identified as “Heritage Assets”. These will be documented on Ke Emu (a specialised collections management software system adopted by all museums and galleries in Manchester), photographed and subsequently made publicly accessible through Manchester City Galleries' website. All Heritage Assets will be assessed on site, and recommendations made for short-term treatment and on-going maintenance.

The needs of non-heritage assets (“secondary works”) will be addressed in part during this programme, with the aim of developing generic approaches to maintenance that can be delivered as part of an on-going, five-yearly programme of rolling maintenance.

Ownership and responsibility

War Memorials:

Ownership is not always easy to establish, particularly in cases where a memorial was funded by public subscription and put up on donated land by an ad-hoc committee that dissolved itself once work was completed. Ownership may have been formally handed over to the local secular or ecclesiastical authority, but often there was simply an assumption that the memorial would be cared for without any official agreement in place.

The current inventory of war memorials in the city has been drawn from items listed on the United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials. The majority of these are within churches or church grounds, or are associated with public-sector organisations such as the Police, Fire Service or railways, or private companies. A proportion of these, many of which are not Council owned, are listed as “lost” due to demolition, but are included on our inventory list for completeness.

Public Art:

“Public Art” is a broad term that can apply to a wide range of installations throughout the City, ranging from local community-based art works and industrial art pieces to “artistic interventions” (e.g. decorative tesserae set into the paving in the Northern Quarter). These works may have been commissioned by a range of public and private bodies as either ephemeral pieces, or more permanent installations.

Defining the scope of works within the City's portfolio is problematic. As with war memorials, works may have been commissioned without consideration of long-term care, and their design, manufacture and/or installation may present significant maintenance problems. Regardless of who owns them, works in poor condition will reflect badly on the City and may have Health & Safety implications. For this reason, the principle of the inventory has been that all works should be recorded and included unless non-MCC ownership can be established, and that owners are able to ensure effective maintenance and upkeep.

Commissioning and de-commissioning

It is essential that all newly commissioned works are designed, fabricated and installed to the highest standard, and that future maintenance costs and complications are considered at the earliest stage of the commissioning process. Ideally, funding for maintenance should be secured as part of the commissioning process, and (if necessary) a fund established for the lifespan of the artwork or memorial.

Whilst there is a presumption that works will be installed in perpetuity, it is also essential that clear thought is given to the anticipated lifespan of a new commission. Ideally, permissions for de-installation and/or relocation should be secured from all stakeholders (funding bodies, artists, community group, etc.), and funding commitment secured to ensure that the process can be implemented.

Based on national standards of good practice, the Programme Manager has produced draft guidelines for commissioning and decommissioning. After appropriate consultation, it is recommended that these be adopted as part of the planning process.

Additions and amendments to War Memorials

Correcting omissions on public war memorials:

Under the War Memorials (Local Authorities Powers) Act of 1923 (amended 1948), local councils are empowered to “correct any error or omission in the inscription on any such memorial”. This legislation is permissive rather than conferring any obligation on the council.

Missing names of casualties from WWI and WWII have been added to two memorials during this programme - Collyhurst war memorial (4 new names added at public request, 2 reinstatements of illegible initials, and 1 correction), and Clayton war memorial (1 new name).

The request for names to be added has come from living family members. Their request was made in writing to the Principal Manager: Collection Care and Conservation at Manchester City Galleries. Information provided was checked, as a formality, against the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records. Once agreed, names were inscribed by approved stonemasons. All documentation is held on file by Manchester City Galleries.

Commemorating post-1945 conflicts:

Only WWI and WWII war memorials in Manchester include personal names of military personnel who died in service.

To address the need to commemorate all post-1945 military deaths, a new plaque was commissioned in 2005 for the City Centre Cenotaph Gardens and put in place for Remembrance Sunday in 2005. In addition, during the refurbishment of Collyhurst war memorial (WWI), there was much discussion about including wording or names to commemorate people who died in the Second World War. The lack of space on the memorial precluded individual commemoration, and it was agreed, after consultation with Manchester and District Ex-Servicemen Association (MADLEA), that a new inscription would be added on the upper south face of the memorial to recognise those who died in subsequent conflicts.

Future Work

The Programme Manager has established a workspace for stone and sculpture conservation at Queen's Park Conservation Studios. This will enable him to deliver an efficient and cost-effective service to support the existing programme, and enable a rolling programme of maintenance to be established through the Asset Management Programme. He has also been commissioned by other Departments to advise on the installation of new work.

Summary

The funding of works to date has resulted in:

It has also identified: