Public Art
Public art has the potential to visually connect civic spaces, inspire creative communities and accentuate our environment with community character. This list of resources includes tools artists and communities can use to explore and successfully develop public art in Iowa.
Resources
Community Mural Toolkit
The Community Mural Toolkit, by Iowa Artist Fellow Jennifer Drinkwater, offers an introduction to the nuts and bolts of community mural making and an invitation to consider and explore your community's goals for creating community art.
Forecast Public Art
Forecast Public Art activates people, networks and proven practices to advance the transformational power of arts in public life. They provide information and examples of all aspects of public art from contemporary ideas and resources to a guide to the entire process of creating public art.
Americans for the Arts Public Art Network
Americans for the Arts Public Art Network is an online portal of tools, resources and opportunities for those in the public art field.
- Public Art for Community Stakeholders: Americans for the Arts provides resources and information for community stakeholders who want to learn more about public art. Resources include educational training, frequently asked questions, research and more.
- Best Practice Goals and Guidelines for Public Art: Americans for the Arts published a Best Practice Goals and Guidelines for Public Art. The article outlines the guidelines for the field in order to ensure a process that is ethical, fair, and reasonable for artists, curators/arts administrators and more.
ArtUps
These free professional development events presented by the Iowa Arts Council are designed for Iowa’s artists, arts organizations and communities. Participate in online and in-person learning and networking opportunities to enhance the quality and capacity of public art in Iowa as well as access the ArtUps archives to view past webinars.
- Public Art Possibilities: The “ArtUp: Public Art Possibilities” webinar, by Forecast Public Art, discusses global examples of public art, their benefits and how communities can begin the conversation around developing public art plans.
- Murals & Other Public Art: The “ArtUp: Murals & Other Ways to Introduce Public Art into your Historic Downtown” webinar, hosted by Paula Mohr, Cheryl Peterson and Laura Sadowsky of Iowa State Historic Preservation Office, focuses on how to incorporate public art into a downtown area while being sensitive to historic preservation and aesthetic considerations. The discussion includes technical aspects, ordinance language and best practices.
- RFQ How-To: The “ArtUp: RFQ How-To” webinar, presented by Jen Krava and Aki Shabata of Forecast Public Art, highlights how to formulate a call, market it to artists and facilitate an equitable selection process.