Frequently Asked Questions: Public Art Insurance

• What is public art liability insurance?
  What is public art liability insurance?

  Our Public Art Insurance program offers liability insurance for the fabrication, installation, and/or exhibition of works of art that are in public areas (on the street, in buildings, etc). This insurance is generally required of artists that are commissioned by cities and other entities for such work. This program is the first of its kind. Nowhere else that we know of has a program specifically dedicated to public art. The insurance mainly covers against damage to the installation site itself and against injury to those who are somehow injured by the work itself. It can also cover damage to the artwork if the applicant requests it to be covered.

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• What are the limits of this insurance?
  What are the limits of this insurance?

  The limits are $2,000,000 general aggregate; $1,000,000 each occurrence; $1,000,000 personal and advertising injury; $300,000 fire damage legal liability; $10,000 medical expense coverage per occurrence; and $1,000,000 for rented vehicles.

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• Is there a deductible?
  Is there a deductible?

  There is no deductible for the liability insurance. For damage to the artwork, the deductible is $1,000 unless the damage is caused by extreme weather (hail, earthquakes, etc.), at which point the deductible is $10,000.

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• How much does it cost?
  How much does it cost?

  Each policy must be individually underwritten by the insurance company, so we can't guarantee a particular rate in advance. However, we can report that to date, liability policies are $350 (if the artwork is metal, it will cost slightly more) and artwork coverage runs $.30 per $100 of artwork value (determined by the amount of the commissioning contract) plus $250. These rates do not include our binder fee.

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• What can be insured under these policies?
  What can be insured under these policies?

  This insurance covers static works of visual art (sculptures, mainly) that are in areas accessible by the public.

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• What isn't insured under these policies?
  What isn't insured under these policies?

  This program does not cover any performing arts done in areas accessible by the public (this is insurable under the Event Liability Insurance program).

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