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Gordon Church, founding member of Public Art Network, passes away in Albuquerque, NM
August 04, 2006— Americans for the Arts regretfully shares the news that longtime member Gordon Church (58) passed away July 31 in Albuquerque, NM. Gordon’s career in public art spanned 25 years. He founded public art programs in the city of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, and the state of New Mexico. In 1978, the Albuquerque City Council passed one of the country’s earliest percent-for-art ordinances. Two short years later, Gordon was the city’s first contract, and eventually full-time, administrator. Seeing the value of public art to its communities, New Mexico legislators became interested in starting a percent-for-art program on a statewide level. With Gordon’s technical assistance and strategic advocacy, the New Mexico Legislature and governor signed into law the state’s Art in Public Places Act in 1986. Gordon worked as the only contract public art program administrator for both agencies until the city hired him full time in the late 1980s. Many projects later, weathering community growing pains and public art successes and controversies, Gordon was again asked to assist with the creation of a third public art program in Bernalillo County. Having established himself and the city’s program as one of the cutting edge leaders in the emerging national public art industry, and prior to the existence of Americans for the Arts’ Public Art Network (PAN), Gordon fielded countless daily requests for information about how to start and run a public art program, all the while growing the city’s program to four full-time staff with an annual budget of more than $1,000,000. Gordon participated in the earliest efforts of the development of PAN and continued to assure that the City of Albuquerque Public Art Program remained dedicated members of Americans for the Arts. Gordon was a Vietnam Veteran and Fulbright Scholar who studied in Romania. He was an artist, dancer, and teacher. Gordon not only dedicated himself to a career in public art, but he lived every minute of his life holistically connected to art, community, history, literature, and most of all the spirituality of place. In both his private and professional life, Gordon affirmed that art is a required yet natural part of our society, our built environment, and our inner, spiritual worlds. He will most certainly be missed.
Albuquerque Tribune Article:
http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_local/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19858_4888266,00.html
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