photo by: Mike Yoder/Journal-World File Photo

“A Ribbon of Light,” by Dierk Van Keppel, hangs in the middle of the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St., as shown in this file photo from July 2014. It is one of the art pieces funded by a city of Lawrence program that sets aside up to 2 percent of a project’s budget for public art.

As the city of Lawrence prepares for several large-scale building and renovation projects, there is another element in the pipeline — hundreds of thousands of dollars for public art.

Several multimillion-dollar building projects mean that the city’s long-standing resolution allowing it to set aside up to 2 percent of a project’s budget for public art is allocating a significant amount of funds. Together, the $5.33 million renovation of Fire Station No. 1, the $4.5 million new bus hub and the $17 million new police headquarters set aside about $450,000 total for public art projects.

The police headquarters project accounts for the bulk of those funds, with the city’s budget allocating $340,000 for public art to be incorporated with the project. The headquarters will be built on 29 acres of undeveloped land owned by the city near Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive and will also include a city park.

Arts and Culture Director Porter Arneill said though the Percent for Art Program dates back to the mid-1980s, the $340,000 for public art at the new police headquarters will be of a larger scale than past projects.

“I think it’s a really exciting opportunity in a program that’s existed since 1986,” Arneill said. “This may be the largest budget project so far.”

Arneill said one of the last public art pieces funded by the program was the cut-glass sculpture that hangs in the middle of the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. He said that project, “A Ribbon of Light,” by Dierk Van Keppel, had a $75,000 budget.

In accordance with the city resolution governing the Percent for Art Program, the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission is responsible for choosing the art and artist for each project. The LCAC sends a recommendation regarding the project to the City Commission for further consideration and ultimate approval.

Commissioner Leslie Soden has been a proponent of putting more art into public places, such as parks, and said she thinks setting aside money for art is an appropriate use of a building project’s budget. She said Lawrence is known for being unique and interesting, and that public art exemplifies that.

“Creative pursuits are really important in Lawrence, so I think it’s appropriate for city leaders to fashion creative engagement throughout our city with these public projects,” Soden said.

As far as the realm of possibilities when it comes to such projects, Arneill said it ranges from traditional framed artworks, sculptures and murals to more inventive projects. Arneill provided multiple examples from other cities across the country. Those included sculpture parks with large, lifelike animals, colorful glazed brick mosaics incorporated into building exteriors, and functional sculptures that double as city benches or playground equipment. He also noted that some work integrates landscaping, sounds or other elements.

“In many instances, they start with a traditional idea and then expand it for a whole new experience,” Arneill said.

The City Commission approved a design contract for the police headquarters building as part of its meeting Tuesday. During the meeting Soden asked for more details about the public art process, which will be separate, and said she’d like to consider more engaging and perhaps less traditional art projects.

Soden later explained to the Journal-World that what she doesn’t want to see, for instance, is art that is tucked away inside the police headquarters building or in a place where the public won’t really see it or engage with it. In addition, Soden said she thinks the adjacent city park is a good opportunity to do something different, and she would like to see more functional artwork, or perhaps sculptures that kids can play on.

“The fact that we have this park next to the police facility is a good way to be more creative with the public art dollars that might have more limitation with it being attached or inside of the police station,” Soden said.

The Fire Station renovation project, which also includes renovation of the adjoining Senior Resource Center, is underway, as is the public art process. In March, the city put out a request for qualifications for artists to develop “innovative, original art” as part of the restoration, which set aside $25,000 for public art. The call was limited to artists residing in Kansas and Missouri, and it has since been narrowed down to four finalists, Arneill said.

Arneill said due to the larger budget of the police headquarters project, that the city will likely put out a nationwide request for qualifications, which would still be open to local artists. Arneill said there is not a date for when the police headquarters public art process will begin.