New York, New York, United States
Kendal Henry is an artist and curator who lives in New York City and specializes in the field of public art for over twenty-five years. He illustrates that public art can be used as a tool for social engagement, civic pride and economic development through the projects and programs he’s initiated in the US, Europe, Russia, Asia, Central Asia, Papua New Guinea, Australia and the Caribbean. Kendal believes that the most successful public artworks start with the question, “What is the artwork to achieve?” and takes into account the audience and surrounding environment in the creation of that artwork. He’s currently the Director of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for Art Program and an adjunct professor at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. He is a guest lecturer at various universities and educational institutions including the Abbey Mural Workshop at the National Academy Museum & School of Fine Arts; Rhode Island School of Design Senior Studio; and Pratt Institute’s Arts and Cultural Management Program. Kendal served as the Director of Culture and Economic Development for the City of Newburgh, NY where he created the region’s first Percent for Art Program. Prior to that post he was Manager of Arts Programs at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Arts for Transit for eleven years. During this time, he has overseen the commissioning, fabrication and installation of MTA’s permanent art projects, served as a member of the MTA’s in-house design team, and produced temporary exhibitions at Grand Central Terminal. Previous to this experience he served as a Project Manager at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs’ Percent for Art Program. Kendal was also elected to serve two 3-year terms on the Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Council.
• Reinforce CEC’s mission to engage communities through international art partnerships in Eastern and Central Europe, Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus • Work with local governments and businesses to create sustainable programs that incorporate artists as partners • Create public art projects to engage the community and stimulate dialogue • Conduct career development workshops for artists and arts administrators • Conduct public lectures on public art as a tool for social engagement and economic development
• Instruct in all aspects of the field of public art, and the completion of proposals, models or prototypes for a public art project • Execute ephemeral and performance-based proposals during the residency which may be included as part of a citywide public art exhibition • Conduct lectures and walking tours to expose participants to a variety of considerations involved in the conception and fabrication of public artworks, including site, proposals, engineering, budgeting, installation and presentation
• Encourage cultural and economic development through art • Provide a range of professional arts management services specializing in the integration of contemporary art into the built environment. • Consult with design team to allow for seamless integration of art into the environment • Establish project scope by identifying artwork locations, materials, themes • Generate written artwork specifications for inclusion in contract bid documents • Determine budget and performance/fee schedule • Curate selection of artist and/or coordinating artist selection process • Conduct community outreach • Identify appropriate fabricator to translate the artist’s design into final built medium • Negotiate contractual agreements between artists, fabricator, and clients