The city of Coquitlam is set to develop a public-art policy.

Its council approved a proposal that was presented to council in a report dated June 8. Coquitlam can now begin to develop its own guidelines about what should be considered public art, where it should be placed, and who will fund it.

“The next step is to now research other communities with public-art policies and see how they developed them,” says Lori Mackay, the city’s manager of parks and leisure. “It’ll be a public consultation process with open forums, so that we make sure it engages the community in all the steps along the way.”

The decision to devise a public-art policy emerged from the recently adopted 2010-2020 Cultural Services Strategic Plan earlier this year. The plan identified a need for a public art policy.

Other municipalities, like Richmond, Vancouver, and North Vancouver, already have public-art strategies in place.

Although Coquitlam has a history of supporting public art, the city wants a policy to guide future acquisitions, according to Mackay.

“It’s a positive element for a community,” says Mackay. “There are some iconic pieces that identify the place and give it a sense of identity, but the pieces also build community pride and make art accessible to a wider audience.”

By March of next year, the city hopes to have a public-art program plan to present to council for consideration. This summer will be spent consulting internal and external stakeholders.