VOA文化艺术2023--For US, Art in Federal Buildings Is a Must

For US, Art in Federal Buildings Is a Must

Artwork has been a part of federal structures almost since the founding of the United States.

A good example is the U.S. Capitol Building with its domed² ceiling, paintings and statues. And the Washington Monument to honor the nation's first president was completed in 1888.

Jennifer Gibson is the director of the Center for Fine Arts at the General Services Administration (GSA), the agency that supervises federal buildings. She says art in federal buildings is a record of the past and "creates a dynamic presence in towns and cities and border stations across the country."

In the 1960s, a presidential committee stated that "...fine art should be incorporated into the designs of federal buildings with emphasis on the work of living American artists."

Today, the government still spends about 0.5 percent of the federal budget to commission, or order, new artwork for federal spaces.

The commissions are decided³ by a group that includes the lead designer of the building, those who will occupy the space, community members, arts professionals, and the GSA. Artists are given details about the building project and asked to propose artwork they think is best for the space.

New York artist James Carpenter created two artworks for federal buildings. They included a ceiling for a courtroom in Phoenix⁴, Arizona, and a sculpture for another courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Carpenter said, "My work is really about how to enhance or influence, in a very positive way, people's experience of spaces..."

For some artists, requests to provide art for federal buildings may not be related to making money. Artists can make commissions as much as $1 million from non-government artworks. The average commission for art in federal buildings is around $100,000. And the process can take several years, limiting an artist's ability to work on other art projects. Carpenter said the Salt Lake City project took a total of 12 years.

"They're looking at it as a way to participate in what's going on in the nation and to be part of its history," Gibson says. "This is for the nation. This is permanent. We will take care of it. And it's your way to participate."

The commissioned artworks can be found in 428 federal buildings across the country. Overall, the GSA's fine art collection contains 26,712 works, including some that date back to the 1850s.

Most of the artworks are paintings, sculptures and photographs created in the 1930s. That was the time the government employed artists during the Great Depression.

The collection belongs to the American people as a record of the history of American culture.

Words in This Story

dome¹ –n. a shape; the top of a building that has a round shape and a circular base

ceiling –n. the top of a room

incorporate –v. include

dynamic–adj. having a lot of ideas, energy and interest

sculpture –n. a form of art in which hard materials are worked into object that has width, height, and depth

enhance –v. to increase or improve in value, quality, desirability, or attractiveness

participate –v. to have a share in something in common with others

photograph –n. images made with a camera

1 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

2 domed   

adj. 圆屋顶的, 半球形的, 拱曲的 动词dome的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• I gazed up at the domed ceiling arching overhead. 我抬头凝望着上方弧形的穹顶。
• His forehead domed out in a curve. 他的前额呈弯曲的半球形。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。