Paintings, murals, and sculpture adorn many of our public spaces and buildings due to a bill passed by the 1985 Utah Legislature. The 1% for Art bill, passed over fifteen years ago, allocates public funds for art to be incorporated into new and/or renovated state public buildings. The Utah Arts Council was given the authority to provide leadership in this endeavor, along with the State’s Division of Facilities Construction and Management.

In response to this threat to the Public Art Program, Bonnie H. Stephens, Director of the Utah Arts Council, and Jim Glenn, director of the Public Art Program, appeared before the committee in early February 2001. They made a presentation urging the Legislature to retain the 1% funding for art in public buildings. However, when the committee presented its budget proposals to the Executive Appropriations Committee on February 21, their proposal contained the following language: It is the intent of the Legislature that the state funds appropriated for capital projects not include funding for art. This effectively eliminated all funding for art in public buildings for the year 2001. During the 2002 Legislative session, the Legislature will once again consider the issue of funding for art in public buildings.