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Chapter 3379 | Ohio Arts Council

 
 
 
Section
Section 3379.01 | Ohio arts council definitions.
 

As used in this chapter:

(A) "Arts" includes but is not necessarily limited to literature, theater, music, the dance, painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, and motion pictures.

(B) "Council" means the Ohio arts council created by section 3379.02 of the Revised Code.

(C) "Professional artist" means a person who devotes a major portion of his time to practicing, performing, or teaching any of the arts.

Section 3379.02 | Ohio arts council.
 

There is hereby created the Ohio arts council, which shall foster and encourage the development of the arts in this state and the preservation of Ohio's cultural heritage.

The council shall consist of fifteen voting members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate, two nonvoting members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker, and two nonvoting members of the senate appointed by the president. The members appointed from each house of the general assembly shall not be from the same political party. Terms of office for members appointed by the governor shall be for five years, commencing on the second day of July and ending on the first day of July. The legislative members shall be appointed within forty-five days of the convening of the first regular session of each general assembly and shall serve through the thirty-first day of December of the following year. Each member shall hold office from the date of the member's appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of such term. Any member appointed by the governor shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the member's term until the member's successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first. The governor shall name the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the council, and they shall serve in such positions at the governor's pleasure. Members of the council shall serve without compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for expenses incurred in connection with official business of the council.

Persons appointed to the council by the governor shall have broad knowledge and experience in the arts. At least a majority of the members of the council shall be persons other than professional artists. In making appointments to the council, the governor may appoint such professional artists as are necessary, in the governor's judgment, to ensure that the council is broadly representative of all the arts.

Last updated September 22, 2023 at 2:12 PM

Section 3379.03 | Duties of council.
 

The Ohio arts council shall:

(A) Conduct a survey of the cultural and artistic resources and needs of the state and maintain a continuing inventory of such resources;

(B) Develop a plan for better and fuller use and enjoyment of the state's cultural and artistic resources by all the people of the state;

(C) Assess the role of the arts in the growth and development of the state;

(D) Report at least biennially to the governor and the general assembly on the state of the arts. Such report may include recommendations based on the council's surveys.

(E) Administer the per cent for arts program pursuant to section 3379.10 of the Revised Code;

(F) Establish guidelines for the administration of the council's duties that pertain to the position of Ohio poet laureate pursuant to section 3379.12 of the Revised Code and for the qualifications of the Ohio poet laureate appointed under that section.

Section 3379.04 | Powers of council.
 

The Ohio arts council may:

(A) Within the limits of available funds, employ and fix the compensation of a staff director and such other personnel as will facilitate the work of the council. The staff director shall serve at the pleasure of the council, and other employees shall serve at the pleasure of the director.

(B) Establish and appoint members to advisory committees to advise and assist it in the performance of its functions, and it may, within the limits of available funds, contract with such consultants as may facilitate its work.

(C) Adopt such rules as are necessary for administration of Chapter 3379. of the Revised Code.

(D) Award and administer grants to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

Section 3379.05 | Purchase of insurance against loss or damage.
 

The Ohio arts council may purchase a policy or policies of insurance to insure against loss or damage by fire, lightning, theft, accident, or other peril to any work of art, whether or not owned by the state, while under the control or supervision of the council as part of the performance of its duties in presenting art exhibitions or in providing transportation to and between museums, galleries, and other places of exhibition.

Section 3379.06 | Meetings.
 

The Ohio arts council shall meet at least once during any calendar year and may meet more frequently if its workload demands. Council members, however, may not receive expenses for attendance at more than four meetings each year. The council may meet anywhere in the state.

Section 3379.07 | Council to receive and administer funds for development of the arts.
 

The Ohio arts council may receive and administer any funds granted to this state by the federal government for development of the arts, and shall administer any state funds appropriated for such purpose. The council may also accept and administer on behalf of the state any gifts, donations, or bequests made to it for the encouragement and development of any of the arts.

Section 3379.08 | Restrictions of council regarding local groups or agencies involved in the arts.
 

In the administration of Chapter 3379. of the Revised Code, the Ohio arts council shall not exercise any direct supervision or control over the policy or program determination of any local group or agency involved in the arts.

No general assembly appropriations to the council shall be used to eliminate or reduce any financial deficit of any local group or agency involved in the arts or of any other organization or person.

Section 3379.09 | Relationship with departments and agencies of the state government, and with agencies engaged in similar activities.
 

The Ohio arts council may call upon any department or agency of the state government for information, advice, or assistance in its work. It shall coordinate its efforts with those of other agencies engaged in any similar activities.

Section 3379.10 | Per cent for arts program - definitions.
 

(A) Recognizing this state's responsibility to foster culture and the arts and to encourage the development of artists and craftspersons, the general assembly declares it a policy of this state that a portion of the money to be spent by state agencies on the construction or renovation of public buildings be spent on the acquisition of works of art to be placed in or on such buildings. In pursuit of this policy, there is hereby established the per cent for arts program, under which quality works of art are to be sold to such agencies by the Ohio arts council and, in the process, qualified professional artists are to be recognized.

(B) As used in this section:

(1) "Appropriation" does not include a reappropriation.

(2) "Proceeds" does not include the proceeds of bonds, notes, or other obligations issued in anticipation of the issuance of, or to refund, other bonds, notes, or other obligations.

(3) "Public building" means any building, facility, structure, or park built or renovated using state money, including any publicly owned lands or space surrounding or integral to the building, facility, structure, or park but not including:

(a) Parking lots, sidewalks, maintenance sheds, bridges, tunnels, sewers, trails, fishponds and fishways, or warehouses, unless such structures are adjuncts of the principal element of the project;

(b) Buildings of a temporary nature;

(c) Projects to correct any deficiencies or violations of a building or housing code enacted by law;

(d) Highway construction.

(4) "Renovation" does not include a project of which the principal purpose is the rehabilitation of plumbing, heating, ventilating, air conditioning, or electrical systems.

(5) "State agency" has the same meaning as in section 1.60 of the Revised Code and includes a state university or college, a community college established under Chapter 3354. of the Revised Code, or a technical college established under Chapter 3357. of the Revised Code.

(6) "Work of art" includes all forms of original creations of visual art, including, but not limited to:

(a) Paintings, including all media and both portable and permanently affixed works of art such as murals;

(b) Sculpture, including bas-relief, high relief, mobile, fountain, kinetic, environmental, electronic, and in-the-round sculpture;

(c) Prints, calligraphy, clay, drawings, stained glass, mosaics, photographs, fiber and textiles, wood, metal, plastics, and other materials or combination of materials;

(d) Mixed media, including any combination of forms of media.

(C) Except as otherwise provided in division (D) of this section, whenever more than four million dollars of state money, whether obtained from the sale of bonds or otherwise, is to be spent by a state agency on the construction or renovation of a public building, the agency that contracts for the construction or renovation, consistent with division (G) of this section, shall contract with the council to use one per cent of the state money appropriated for the project or, if applicable, one per cent of the nonappropriated state proceeds of bonds, notes, or other obligations authorized to be sold for the project, to purchase works of art from the council for display in or on the public building and to make related outlays under division (E) of this section. The council, subject to the approval of the director of budget and management, shall fix the prices at which it sells works of art for the project to the state agency contracting for construction or renovation. The calculation of whether more than four million dollars is to be spent shall not be cumulative but shall be based on the amount of each appropriation or each designation of nonappropriated state proceeds of bonds, notes, or other obligations authorized to be sold for a project.

(D)(1) Notwithstanding division (C) of this section, the director of budget and management, after consulting with the council about the matter, may determine that no state money, or a percentage less than one per cent of the amount specified in that division, shall be spent to purchase works of art from the council and to make related outlays under division (E) of this section if the director of budget and management feels that works of art would be out of place in or on the public building, that there will be little opportunity for public appreciation of works of art in or on the public building, that the value of some features or characteristics inherent in the architectural design of the public building should apply toward the one per cent requirement, or that the public building is or will be amply supplied with works of art even without works of art purchased from the council under division (C) of this section. The director shall make all final decisions with regard to whether and to what extent a construction or renovation project is subject to division (C) or (D) of this section.

(2) Not later than forty-five days after the effective date of a section of an act providing that more than four million dollars of state money is to be spent by a state agency on the construction or renovation of a public building, the director of budget and management shall prepare a preliminary report listing each appropriation and each designation of nonappropriated state proceeds of more than four million dollars for the construction or renovation of a public building, and indicating the amount of the appropriation or designation that shall be spent for the per cent for arts program. The amount specified to be spent for the per cent for arts program amount shall take into account any determination made by the director under division (D)(1) of this section. The director shall send a copy of the preliminary report to the council and to each state agency that received an appropriation or nonappropriated state proceeds of more than four million dollars for the construction or renovation of a public building under the act.

(3) Not later than thirty days after the director sends the preliminary report required under division (D)(2) of this section, a state agency may deliver to the director of budget and management a request for the director to make a determination under division (D)(1) of this section or to reconsider a determination made under that division. If the director approves the request, the director shall revise the preliminary report consistent with the approved request. Not later than forty-five days after sending a preliminary report, the director shall send a final report to the council and to each state agency referred to in division (D)(2) of this section.

(E)(1) Where appropriated state money will be used to purchase works of art from the council under division (C) or (D) of this section, the state agency that has contracted to purchase the works of art shall make payment to the council for the works of art and related costs as follows:

(a) The state agency shall encumber sufficient money to pay for the purchase and installation of the works of art and shall authorize the council to make payments against those encumbrances for the purchase and installation of the works of art. The council shall use the encumbered money to acquire and install the works of art.

(b) If the council expects to make expenditures in connection with the selection of artists for a specific project, including expenditures for printing or for jurors, the council shall estimate the amount of such expenditures it expects to make and certify that amount to the state agency and to the director of budget and management. Upon determining that there is an unobligated balance in an appropriation for the state agency that may be used for the purpose, the director of budget and management shall transfer the amount certified from the appropriation to the per cent for art acquisitions fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury, on an intrastate transfer voucher. The fund shall be used by the council to pay costs it incurs in connection with the selection of artists for specific projects, including costs for printing and for jurors.

All amounts encumbered or transferred under division (E)(1)(a) or (b) of this section shall be applied toward the percentage requirement of division (C) or (D) of this section.

(2) Where nonappropriated state proceeds of bonds, notes, or other obligations will be used to purchase works of art from the council under division (C) or (D) of this section, the state agency that has contracted to purchase the works of art shall make payment to the council for the works of art and related costs as follows:

(a) The council shall submit to the state agency invoices requesting payment for the purchase and installation of the works of art.

(b) If the council expects to make expenditures in connection with the selection of artists for a specific project, including expenditures for printing or for jurors, the council shall estimate the amount of such expenditures it expects to make and submit to the state agency invoices requesting payment in that amount. The state agency shall promptly remit payment to the council in the amounts of all such invoices. Such remittances shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the per cent for art acquisitions fund.

All amounts remitted under this division shall be applied toward the percentage requirement of division (C) or (D) of this section.

(F) The council shall consult with the chief executive officer, or the officer's designee, of either the state agency spending state money on the construction or renovation or the state agency or agencies occupying or to occupy a public building for which the council will supply a work of art, or both, before making decisions about the following:

(1) Which works of art will be purchased and on which sites they will be placed;

(2) Which artists, if any, will be commissioned to create a work of art;

(3) The sale, exchange, and disposition of works of art used in the program.

(G) The council shall make all final decisions in regard to the matters described in divisions (F)(1) to (3) of this section.

(H) Each state agency that has purchased works of art from the council under division (C) or (D) of this section shall maintain the works of art and pay the costs of maintenance. Money spent by the agency for maintenance of the works of art shall not be applied toward the percentage requirement of division (C) or (D) of this section.

Section 3379.11 | Gifts and donations fund.
 

There is hereby created in the state treasury the gifts and donations fund. The fund shall consist of gifts and donations made to the Ohio arts council and fees paid for conferences the council sponsors. The fund shall be used to pay for the council's operating expenses, including, but not limited to, payroll, personal services, maintenance, equipment, and subsidy payments. All moneys deposited into the fund shall be received and expended pursuant to the council's duty to foster and encourage the development of the arts in this state and the preservation of the state's cultural heritage.

Section 3379.12 | Ohio poet laureate.
 

(A) The position of Ohio poet laureate is hereby created. The Ohio poet laureate shall be appointed by the governor from a list of not less than three candidates recommended by the Ohio arts council based on qualifications developed by the arts council under division (F) of section 3379.03 of the Revised Code. The arts council shall submit its list of candidates to the governor not less than ninety days prior to the beginning of the Ohio poet laureate's term of office.

(B) The term of office for the Ohio poet laureate shall be for two years. The initial term shall begin on January 1, 2016.

(C) In the event of the death, resignation, or any other vacancy or inability to perform the duties of Ohio poet laureate during an individual's unexpired term of office, not later than sixty days after the vacancy occurs, the Ohio arts council shall recommend a candidate to the governor to serve as poet laureate for the remainder of that unexpired term of office.

(D) An individual may be reappointed to subsequent terms of office, at the discretion of the governor.