Acoup's motives are to
Acoup urges art consultants, their clients and anyone commissioning artworks to rely on the review of CVs and portfolios of previous projects in selecting artists for public projects. There appears to be an assumption that the solicitation of unpaid, competitive proposals is a quick route to choosing the best proposal for the site, but this 'wide net' approach is counterproductive in a number of ways;
Acoup's intent is to improve process and fairness for all involved in commissioning artworks.
- maintain the best possible quality in art in the public realm
- optimise the commissioning process
- encourage good working practice to protect public artists
Acoup urges art consultants, their clients and anyone commissioning artworks to rely on the review of CVs and portfolios of previous projects in selecting artists for public projects. There appears to be an assumption that the solicitation of unpaid, competitive proposals is a quick route to choosing the best proposal for the site, but this 'wide net' approach is counterproductive in a number of ways;
- selection panels can be confronted with a high number of proposals to assess
- many of the most talented and busy artists will simply not apply
- most artists working to produce a proposal 'upfront', cannot take the time and expense to travel to a site to carry out research
- the solicitation of a large number of competing proposals creates a dangerous incentive for artists to 'over-propose' in hopes of winning the commission - promising more than the budget may be able to support
Acoup's intent is to improve process and fairness for all involved in commissioning artworks.