The big picture
At a Nov. 4 meeting, Sugar Land City Council voted 6-1 to approve a $117,525 consulting contract with Moore Iacofano Goltsman Inc. to develop the plan, although District 2 council member Sanjay Singhal dissented, saying he would rather see the money go toward more public art.
However, Sharee Davis, Sugar Land civic arts manager, said a contract is necessary because the department does not have enough bandwidth to create a plan with only two employees.
The details
Davis said the new art plan will:
- Provide a set of policies, procedures and guidelines for public art
- Define clear roles for city staff, artists, partners and the community
- Develop community engagement standards and data tracking to gauge investments
- Create funding and partnership strategies to expand resources
- Establish a marketing and visibility strategy to make the city a regional arts destination
- Develop a maintenance and stewardship plan for current and future art initiatives
- Reflect a community informed vision
Going forward
The arts department will be “okay for about another two years” before struggling to maintain the city’s current projects, Davis said. The new contract will allow for an evaluation of funding balances and any growth in the coming years.
The arts department currently conserves 60 art pieces in Sugar Land, an increase from 44 in 2023.
