Program Name: Assessment and Appraisal of the Miami-Dade County Public Art Collection County/State: Miami-Dade County, Florida Categories: Arts and Historic Preservation
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1) Abstract of the Program
Assessment and Appraisal of the Miami-Dade County Public Art Collection
Established in 1973, Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places (MDAPP) is recognized as a leader in its field, and is one of the first programs in the United States to commission fully integrated site-specific works of public art. Over the past 42 years, the Art in Public Places Trust (the volunteer advisory board of civic leaders knowledgeable in art that oversees the program) has, approved the acquisition or commissioning of 770 works of art. The collection constitutes a thoughtfully curated county-wide “museum” of art created by Miami-Dade based and international artists, developed in collaboration with design professionals, artists, architects and engineers. Artworks are installed at diverse sites throughout the county (e.g., Miami International Airport, Metrorail/Metromover stations, PortMiami, Zoo Miami, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, parks, police and fire stations, libraries, public housing developments, courthouses, senior and health centers, etc.).
Entrusted with the responsibility for developing and conserving this world class, highly valued and valuable public asset, MDAPP determined that an expert, comprehensive assessment and appraisal would equip the program with critical tools necessary to manage and preserve our collection. To that end, MDAPP engaged one of the nation’s leading independent advisory firms specializing in fine art valuation to conduct a comprehensive appraisal of its collection, to develop a prioritized master plan for future maintenance of the art works and to document Miami-Dade County’s appreciating asset and investment in the visual arts.
2) The Problem / Need for the Program
Miami-Dade Art in Public Places (MDAPP) collection consists of more than 770 works of public art and is one of the largest, most innovative and prestigious public art programs in the nation. The program has commissioned some of the most significant artists in the world to create one- of-a-kind, site-specific works of art at over 150 sites. The MDAPP public art collection consists of artworks purchased or commissioned specifically for County facilities and is comprised of two- and three-dimensional, freestanding and integrated artworks. These artworks are rendered in a variety of media including, steel, marble, aluminum, vinyl, fiberglass, LED lighting, video, terrazzo, glass, etc. and present a great variety of dimensions and conditions.
The unique nature of the MDAPP collection makes it one of Miami-Dade County’s most valuable and exponentially-increasing assets. The program’s legacy of commissioning renowned contemporary artists made it apparent that the initial cost to create and install these works did not accurately reflect the current value of the collection. As well, in dealing with an aging collection, it was imperative that a thorough condition report be conducted to assess and prioritize the conservation/restoration requirements of the entire collection properly.
Program Name: Assessment and Appraisal of the Miami-Dade County Public Art Collection County/State: Miami-Dade County, Florida Categories: Arts and Historic Preservation
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3) Description of the Program
Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for qualified appraisers to conduct an initial appraisal of the MDAPP art collection in its entirety, provide reappraisals of artwork in the MDAPP art collection as requested by the County, and appraise individual artwork on an as-needed basis (newly acquired works). For each work of art, the appraisal firm was required to provide four components, which included the following:
1. A Certificate of Appraisal (signed by the Appraiser) 2. Appraisal and Valuation Report: A report on the fair market value of artwork, according to national appraisal standards, consistent with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice and in accordance with the Internal Revenue Service guidelines for the valuation of artwork. In addition to the appraised value of the artwork, the report also included title of artwork, media type, size, description, condition, purchase price, appraised value, County inventory number, digital photograph and relevant support information concerning the artwork. 3. Conservation Priority Listing of Artwork: A report regarding conservation of the artwork. The Conservation Priority Listing took into account the conservation needs for specific artwork based on a set of criteria that included the importance of the artwork and/or its artistic merit in its current context, the extent of repair/restoration required, the consequence of delay, the economy of undertaking conservation of a set of like works and other factors that may contribute to the prioritization of the work. 4. Recommended Reappraisal Timeline: A time period in which a reappraisal is recommended for the artwork; whether reappraisal of artwork is of individual pieces, in groups, or of the collection as a whole. 5. Documentation of Artworks: Printed copies and digital photos of artworks along with all appraisals conducted.
Gurr Johns, Inc., a leading independent advisory firm specializing in the acquisition and valuation of fine art, was selected and commenced work in April 2014. For eighteen weeks, a team of expert art appraisers evaluated 770 works of public art and visited over 150 sites throughout Miami-Dade County. Upon completing site visits, further research was conducted at the offices of Gurr Johns, Inc., with access to the Gurr Johns’ reference library and to authoritative online databases, including Artnet, Askart, and 1stdibs. Appropriate galleries and auction houses were contacted for information when necessary. The resulting report is an extensive 593-page document that provides a comprehensive assessment and appraisal, and a strategic maintenance and repair plan for the entire collection.
4) Responding to Economic Downturn (Optional) (N/A)
5) Use of Technology
Launched in October 2012, www.miamidadepublicart.org has become an exemplary resource for promoting and publicizing the Miami-Dade County Public Art Collection. The “front end” of the site provides an engaging experience where visitors can take a virtual tour of the collection, Program Name: Assessment and Appraisal of the Miami-Dade County Public Art Collection County/State: Miami-Dade County, Florida Categories: Arts and Historic Preservation
Page | 3 of 3 professional, visual artists can easily locate new opportunities, and County departments and municipal partners can find tools and resources on how to implement public art and work collaboratively with program staff.
The “back end” of the website is managed through CollectionSpace—a content management system (CMS) used by various cultural institutions—and has been populated with information gathered from the Assessment and Appraisal Report. The detailed information housed in CollectionSpace has enabled MDAPP staff to manage the extensive collection effectively and expedite annual reports through a web-based system that ensures all artworks throughout the County are properly assessed, inventoried and maintained. The system provides readily- accessible information related to conservation management and condition reporting; specialized instructions for maintenance and repair; tracking of artworks in progress; and data highlighting the creation of the work and biographical information on the artist.
6) The Cost of the Program
Miami-Dade County Code requires that 1½% of the construction cost of new government buildings be dedicated to public art projects through the MDAPP program. For each new project, 15% of the 1 ½% is set aside for a Repair and Restoration Fund. The assessment and appraisal of the collection was made possible through this source of funds.
The total cost of the project was $187,000.
7) The Results / Success of the Program
This 593-page, detailed report provides MDAPP staff with a proper mechanism for caring and maintaining for one of Miami-Dade County’s largest assets. Each work in the 770+ piece collection was photographed, assessed and given a priority condition, and assigned a fair market value. When available, the artist’s biographical information was included, as well as an exhibition and publication history of the work, if applicable. This report will be updated on as- needed basis and to reflect the current value and condition of the collection.
8) Worthiness of an Award
As one of the oldest and largest public art programs in the nation, MDAPP is committed to establishing “best practices” in the field of public art and is one of the first, if not only, public art programs in the nation to complete a comprehensive valuation and assessment of its public art collection. The information gathered in this report will be used to assess the inventory properly and strategically plan maintenance and repair schedules for the collection.
9) Supplemental Materials (optional) *Please see attached exerts from the Appraisal and Assessment Report.