Percent for Art is a common way to fund public art programs in New Mexico communities as well as nationwide. The Las Cruces Public Art master plan recommended the City adopt a Percent for Art policy that would include public art funding in future construction projects to support the Las Cruces Public Art (LCPA) program. The master plan also recommends the City use different types of funding such as grants, fundraising events, private donors, and general funds to support the program.
Las Cruces City Council approved the Percent for Art ordinance in November 2021. The ordinance mandates that two percent of the total amount of voter passed GO Bonds will automatically be appropriated for acquiring public art related to the GO Bond projects. This was a big step forward for the LCPA program and shows the strong support of public art by the Las Cruces community.
ORDINANCE 2988; COUNCIL BILL 22-010 can be read in its entirety here: Percent for Art Ordinance
Community members recently voted to approve projects to be funded in the next GO Bond cycle. For more information, go to Las Cruces GO Bond 2022.