Public Art Commission Calculator

Estimate the total budget for a public art sculpture commission including fabrication, installation, and site preparation.

Sculpture height (ft)

Primary material

Art type

Site complexity

Contingency (%)

Tab to move between fields

Total project budget

$48,023.00

≈ 4 years of state college

Fabrication$12,100.00

Artist design fee$2,178.00

Foundation & site prep$10,000.00

Installation$11,700.00

Lighting$3,100.00

Structural engineering$1,500.00

Permits$1,500.00

Contingency$5,145.00

Cost per foot$6,003.00

How to Use This Calculator

Enter sculpture height (ft) and select primary material (bronze, steel, stone, wood, mixed media).
Select art type (figurative, abstract, functional, interactive) and site complexity.
Set contingency (%) (10-20% for public projects with community review).
Review total budget including fabrication, design fee, foundation/installation, and contingency.
Public art commissions require separate insurance riders -- budget $1,500-$5,000/yr for installation coverage.

How the result changes with Sculpture height (ft)

Sculpture height (ft): Overall height of the sculpture in feet.
Primary material: 0 = bronze, 1 = stainless steel, 2 = Cor-Ten steel, 3 = aluminum, 4 = stone.
Art type: 0 = figurative, 1 = abstract, 2 = kinetic/interactive.
Site complexity: 0 = simple (open, accessible), 1 = moderate, 2 = complex (urban, restricted).
Contingency (%): Budget contingency percentage. 10-15% is standard.

Total project budget: Complete estimated budget including all line items and contingency.
Fabrication: Cost of fabricating the sculpture.
Artist design fee: Artist fee (18% of fabrication).
Foundation & site prep: Concrete foundation and site preparation.
Installation: Crane, rigging, and installation labor.
Lighting: Architectural lighting for the sculpture.
Structural engineering: Engineering review and stamped drawings.
Permits: City/county permits and approvals.
Contingency: Budget contingency reserve.
Cost per foot: Budget per foot of sculpture height (useful benchmark).

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Sculpture height (ft) = 8, Primary material = 0, Art type = 0, Site complexity = 1 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate Total project budget
Total project budget = subtotal + contingency
48023 = $48,023
Calculate Fabrication
Fabrication = fabricationCost * scaleFactor
12100 = $12,100
Calculate Artist design fee
Artist design fee = scaledFabricationCost * designFeePct
2178 = $2,178