Alteration, Removal, Relocation or Deaccession Public artworks generally enter the public environment through a careful process informed by the best available professional judgment and advice from affected public interests. They are created by artists specifically for the public context. In all circumstances, the City should seek to insure the ongoing presence and integrity of the work at the site for which it is created, in accordance with the artist's and TPA's intention. The primary concern should be to assure continuing access to the work by the public. The City Department shall not move a work of art from its site or alter the site so that the work of art is obscured, altered significantly or jeopardized.
Public art has a long historical tradition of controversy.
Review of the status of a public artwork should be undertaken cautiously, in order to avoid potential influence of fluctuations in taste and the immediate pressures of public controversy. A work should not be removed from public view simply because it is controversial or unpopular. A decision may implicate basic questions of public trust, freedom of artistic expression, censorship, contractual obligations, copyright, moral rights, and the integrity of the work. Decisions about relocation and removal must include a deliberate and explicit review process, assistance from professionals, and thorough on-going documentation of the process. Because the City has the responsibility for conserving the collection, and because the disposal of artworks may have serious implications, the de acquisition of a work of public art should be a deliberate and seldom-used procedure.