In 1996, Atlanta installed 18 pieces of public artwork as part of preparations for the Summer Olympics. Since then, almost half of the bronze plaques identifying that artwork have gone missing, says Robert Witherspoon, the project supervisor for the city's public art program.
Atlanta has subsequently invested in stainless steel plaques for $500 each to replace some of the more expensive bronze and aluminum plaques that were stolen. Witherspoon says the remaining price tag for what needs to be fixed in the city's total public-arts collection is more than $600,000 — money which he says is hard to come by these days.
Atlanta is one of the many cities in an era of tight budgets having trouble affording the routine restoration and maintenance for public-art projects as well as occasional instances of vandalism and theft. "I think it's a national problem and every municipality is facing this problem as they are faced with the budget issues that are common today," said Margot Berg, the director of the Philadelphia Public Art Program.
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