Peek-a-Bear

Recently I have taken an interest in percent-for-art programs. These programs are based on federal, state, county, and city policies that allocate a certain percentage of construction costs of public buildings for decorative purposes. The percentage used in the U.S. is typically between .5 and 2%. this percentage goes towards murals, sculptures or other visual art pieces that will reside within, on, or outside of the constructed building.

The Percent-for-Art programs developed over time. The first city to approve a percent-for-art ordinance was Philadelphia in 1959. Today there are over 300 percent-for-art programs in the U.S.

Denver has a percent-for-art program. In 2005 Lawrence Argent's piece "I See What You Mean", a 40-foot tall, blue bear was installed at the Colorado Convention Center. Follow the link above to see a video on how the bear was constructed. It's pretty cool to watch.