Municipal government

New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

New York, New York, US

Representative organizer image for New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
Representative organizer imageImage: nyc.gov ↗© City of New York. 2025 All Rights Reserved. (as credited at source)Artwork: Ben Rubin. Photographer not identified in the reviewed source. (as credited at source)

Explore this organization

Follow its documented programs to understand how artists and artworks are selected.

A documented program is not a current invitation to apply. Selection routes and program history reflect the linked dated sources. Confirm current availability, eligibility and application terms with the organizer.

Program context & project planning

How the program works

The Artist Directory is an internal commissioning tool

New York City’s Percent for Art Artist Directory is used by Cultural Affairs staff to research artists for public commissions; it is not a public marketplace. Artists submit their own contact information, statement, biography and work examples, and staff check submissions for completeness and consistency. Intake is ongoing. An artist who works both independently and within a collective should submit separate entries showing the relevant work for each practice.

NYC Cultural Affairs — Artist Directory FAQ ↗ · Reviewed

Big Art Partners planning question

Do the individual and team portfolios clearly distinguish authorship, responsibilities and completed work?

Follow project meetings as well as open calls

The directory FAQ explains that new Percent for Art projects are announced at local community board meetings before artist selection. The program publishes a public-meeting calendar and sometimes issues project-specific open calls. Artists already aware of a project can express interest through the program’s stated route. This creates two complementary research habits: keep the directory submission complete and follow the civic project discussions that explain what a particular neighborhood or facility needs.

NYC Cultural Affairs — Artist Directory FAQ ↗ · Reviewed

Big Art Partners planning question

Which publicly announced capital projects fit the artist’s medium, experience and connection to the site?

A commission is integrated into a civic setting

NYC describes Percent for Art as bringing artists into the design process for eligible city facilities. The program includes sculpture alongside mosaic, glass, textiles and work integrated into architecture or infrastructure, with site-specific projects across the five boroughs. It can acquire or commission work for city-owned buildings. For a large-art project team, the practical starting point is therefore the facility and its design process, rather than an assumption that every opportunity seeks freestanding sculpture.

NYC Cultural Affairs — About Percent for Art ↗ · Reviewed

Big Art Partners planning question

How will the artwork relate to the building, landscape, circulation and people using the facility?

Documented programs

Representative organizer image for Percent for Art
Representative organizer imageImage: nyc.gov ↗© City of New York. 2025 All Rights Reserved. (as credited at source)
Public art commissions

Percent for Art ↗

New York City Department of Cultural Affairs · New York, New York, US

Documented selection route
Artist Directory research and occasional project-specific open calls.
Source checked
2026-09-21

Program context: The Artist Directory is an internal commissioning tool · Follow project meetings as well as open calls · A commission is integrated into a civic setting

Opportunity records from this organization

No individually reviewed call is linked here yet. Check the organizer’s own listings for current information.

Sources & review dates