Public Art: Public Art: Completed

View the latest annual report on Northfield's 1% for the Arts program.
One of the most important goals of the Northfield Cultural Plan, adopted by the City in 2019, was the adoption of a 1% for the Arts Ordinance in order to provide sustainable funding for public art in Northfield and to ensure that art will have a place in public spaces throughout the city. On March 2nd, 2021 Northfield City Council approved this ordinance which requires all budgets for eligible capital improvement projects include an amount equal to 1% of the projected construction costs that is to be used for public art.

Once funding has been established, a Public Art Review Committee (PARC) is convened, typically consisting of members of the community, a city official from the sponsoring agency, and members of the Arts and Culture Commission. The site requirements and the nature of the community are seriously considered when the PARC makes its recommendations to the Arts and Culture Commission and City for final approval of the selected artwork.

A small investment with a big payoff, planning for public art plays a synergistic role in achieving goals laid out by other plans adopted by the city. As a part of the City’s 2018-2020 Strategic Plan, tourism is enhanced by way of arts and cultural events that bring people to Northfield. Over 170,000 people attend arts and culture events in Northfield every year. The Comprehensive Plan and Downtown Streetscape plan call for public art in prominent locations as an attraction for visitors. Public art can be a valuable tool in equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts, raising awareness about climate change and ecology, and can spur economic development in a variety of ways.