Image Credit: NYC Public Design Commission.

Butler has been serving the Public Design Commission in various roles for 15 years. On December 16, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Keri Butler as the Acting Executive Director of the Public Design Commission (PDC). The Public Design Commission serves as the City’s design review agency. The Commission oversees the design of permanent structures, landscape architecture and art proposed on City-owned property, and considers the appropriateness of the design, the materials used, how the space can be maintained and how a design best serves the public. Butler will be taking over for Justin Garrett Moore, who had been the Executive Director of the Commission for the past five years.

Keri Butler has a Bachelor of Arts in Art from the University of North Texas as well as a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She served various roles with the Public Design Commission for 15 years, and most recently was the agency’s Deputy Executive Director. She managed Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts and recently led the transition to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of moving remotely, Butler developed online events to increase public engagement and participating in the design review process.

She has also represented the Commission during public events and panels that highlight the City’s art collection. Butler has worked with various agencies and private partners to preserve the City’s art collection and expanded the City Hall tour to highlight Black history. She has managed collaborative events such as the Annual Awards for Excellence in Design, Sustainable NYC and Women-Designed NYC.

Mayor de Blasio stated, “Keri Butler brings deep experience and a forward-looking vision to the Public Design Commission. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant our city must rely on its public spaces more than ever, and I know she’ll guide us toward creative, useful and beautiful solutions for every New York City neighborhood.

Keri Butler stated, “New Yorkers deserve excellence and equity in public art and design, and I’m honored to lead this agency through a crucial moment in our city’s history. I look forward to enhancing the PDC’s mission and supporting innovative and sustainable designs that will improve lives and move New York City forward.”

By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School student, Class of 2018.)

Image Credit: NYC Public Design Commission.