The City of Houston supports the community’s desire to utilize public space as locations for temporary art installations. Each City Department has discretion and jurisdiction over the review of temporary art placement. The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs works with all departments and divisions within the City of Houston and any individual or group interested in placing temporary art on City property. Please note that any installation of temporary artwork should not interfere with the regular operations of the space where artwork is being proposed to be installed [i.e. – will not block walk ways on sidewalk, access to public park space, interfere with City employee operations/access to space, etc.].
The City may permit temporary placement of a work of art on City property for a period of time not to exceed 90 days, subject to the approval of the Director of the City Department having jurisdiction over the site upon which the work of art will be placed. The Director may extend the temporary placement for two consecutive periods of time not to exceed 90 days each, for a total of 270 days. Please note that temporary art displays cannot become permanent installations once the permits have expired!
Required Documents to begin application
- Proposal statement [basics of who, what, where, when]
- Visuals of artwork [photos or artistic renderings]
- Aerial view of where on the property artwork is to be installed [clearly marked with box where artwork will be]
- Certificate of insurance of $1,000,000
Upon receipt of application (via application portal below) someone from the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs will reach out to you to discuss next steps. If your project is approved to proceed, you will be required to sign (and have notarized) a standard release form and return to the City of Houston, at which point you will receive the Temporary Art Permit notifying you that you have notice to proceed with your display. Again, per the Civic Art Ordinance, temporary art permits last for 90 days and are eligible for two extensions (totaling 270 days).
Contact Information:
Phone: (832) 393-1099
Email: Cultural.Affairs@houstontx.gov
