In Winter 2009/10 Places Matter! partnered with ixia, the public art think tank, to deliver a series of public art seminars in the Northwest.

The seminars enabled attendees to reflect upon contemporary public art practice and to develop their understanding of specific contexts and issues which support and influence the delivery of public art. The seminars were devised for artists, curators, public art consultants and representatives of public and private sector organisations that promote and commission public art. In addition to hearing from speakers, attendees were encouraged to engage actively in discussions and to reflect upon their own work in relation to the issues discussed.

Please see below for details of each seminar.

The seminars were supported by Arts Council England: www.artscouncil.org.uk

Seminar 1: Public Art Needs Outsiders
7 October 2009, Grizedale Arts, Grizedale, Cumbria

This seminar was one of a series developed by ixia in collaboration with the research and commissioning programme Situations at the University of the West of England. Each seminar was framed by a provocative response to the statement: "What Public Art Needs Now!" looking at different aspects of emergent and alternative models of public art commissioning by focussing on exemplary public art projects.

Seminar 2: Public Art Evaluation Toolkit
12 November 2009, Number One Hotel, Blackpool, Lancashire

In response to Government's approach to evidence-based policy making, ixia and OPENspace (the research centre supported by Edinburgh College of Art and Heriot-Watt University) have created an Evaluation Toolkit for public art. This seminar enabled attendees to use the Toolkit to:

• carry out an appraisal of the feasibility of a public art commission
• maximise the potential of a public art commission and identify different goals
• identify and agree the outcome measures that are appropriate to assess impact
• agree systems for collecting, storing, analysing and reporting on data gathered

Seminar 3: Public Art and Health
8 December 2009, milkandsugar, 82 Wood Street, Liverpool, L1 4DQ

ixia has worked with Willis Newson, an arts consultancy specialising in healthcare, to prepare up-to-date guidance regarding the commissioning of artists within the context of different types of health initiatives.

This seminar was based on the guidance and was led by Willis Newson. It provided accurate information about current policy and practice. For those new to health, it explained the three main capital procurement routes: Private Finance Initiative (PFI), Local Investment Finance Trust (LIFT) and Procure 21 (P21). For those new to public art, it explained the process of commissioning public art and outlines a checklist for the commissioning process.

Seminar 4: Public Art and Building Schools for the Future (BSF)
27 January 2010, Urbis, Cathedral Gdns, Manchester, M4 3BG

The Government claims that BSF is the largest capital investment programme in schools in England for fifty years. Partnerships for Schools (PfS) is the government agency responsible for its delivery and has recently announced that every local authority must set up a mandatory Cultural Stakeholder Group responsible for advising on arts provision within BSF schools. As a result, the inclusion of public art within BSF is being promoted by PfS. 

In response, ixia prepared detailed guidance about public art and BSF. This seminar was based on the guidance and provided accurate information about current policy and practice and gave advice on how to create opportunities for public art within BSF.

Seminar 5: Public Art and the Planning System
24 February 2010, Preston Guildhall, Preston, Lancashire

This seminar presented ixia's findings from its ongoing review of the relationship between public art and the planning system. It included guidance on: the ability of local authorities to require the provision of public art by developers; the purpose and content of a Policy, Strategy and Supplementary Planning Document for Public Art; and the potential impact of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) on the provision of public art.