That the City Manager work with the Cambridge Arts Council and Community Development Department to make the appropriate updates to the City's 1% for arts ordinance

City of Cambridge O-7 IN CITY COUNCIL January 7, 2019 COUNCILLOR MALLON MAYOR MCGOVERN WHEREAS: In 1979, the City of Cambridge enacted its 1% for arts ordinance, which requires that 1% of all construction costs for public projects are allocated to on-site public art; and WHEREAS: This ordinance is now over 40 years old and aspects such as site-based public art, the accessibility of the art, and the art discipline that is being funded and created have yet to be revisited; and WHEREAS: As construction costs have increased over time, the 1% rule has not been equally applied, as the City often meets the 1% mandate for less expensive projects, but fails to reach this benchmark for other, more costly projects where the amount allocated to public art would be much greater; and WHEREAS: It has been recently unclear as to whether or not a $100,000 cap for the arts applies, as this cap appears nowhere in the ordinance but has been imposed on select projects over the years; now therefore be it ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Cambridge Arts Council and Community Development Department to determine: • Which projects have met the 1% threshold and which have fallen short • Why the 1% threshold is met with certain construction projects but not others • The origin of the $100,000 cap, and whether or not it still applies to current projects • Equity considerations related to site-based art, such as whether the art is publicly accessible (in the case of the King Open School), or whether art is concentrated in select neighborhoods The distribution method of funds and whether it can be adjusted to account for ensuring that all mediums and disciplines of art, including live performance art, receive funding; and be it further ORDERED: That the City Manager report back to the City Council on this matter as soon as possible.