City of Madison - File #: 84319

• File #: 84319
• Version: 1
• Name: Adopting the Board of Park Commissioners Policy for Private Art and Expressive Displays in Parks
• Type: Communication
• Status: Approved
• File created: 7/3/2024
• In control: BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS
• Final action: 7/10/2024
• Title: Adopting the Board of Park Commissioners Policy for Private Art and Expressive Displays in Parks

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
7/10/2024	1	BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS	Approve	Pass

Title
Adopting the Board of Park Commissioners Policy for Private Art and Expressive Displays in Parks

Body
WHEREAS, the Board of Park Commissioners has the statutory authority, under Wis. Stat. § 27.08(2)(a), to govern, manage, control, improve and care for all public parks within the City of Madison, and to secure the quiet, orderly and suitable use and enjoyment thereof by the people, and to adopt rules and regulations to promote those purposes; and

WHEREAS, the Parks Long Range Planning Subcommittee is a subcommittee of the Board of Park Commissioners under MGO 33.05(5)(c) tasked with advising the Commission regarding procedures and policies of the Parks Division, including the proposed policy; and

WHEREAS, the primary mission of Madison Parks is to provide residents and visitors with open space and facilities for recreation and relaxation. Under regulated circumstances, a park event permit can be used to reserve park space for a special event; and

WHEREAS, depending on event size and other parameters, applications for a special event in a park are reviewed and approved by staff, the Facilities, Programs and Fees Subcommittee, or the full Board; using policies previously adopted by the Board ; and

WHEREAS, in recent years, various requests have been made to display private art or expressive displays in park space. Examples are requests for murals, sculptures, photo displays, paintings, performances, and other forms of art, all of which are private and not part of the City’s public art collection. The Board has not adopted an official policy or procedure to deal with such requests; and

WHEREAS, the City of Madison Arts Commission (MAC) has several programs for reviewing and funding artwork that will become part of the City’s public art collection, some of which are recommended for placement in a City park, and this is different from the private art requests described above. MAC has authority and expertise when it comes to selecting public art for...