Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Arts Program works to showcase the potential of artists to act as civic leaders, drawing attention to and encouraging dialogue around pressing problems. The Public Art Challenge, founded to further this work, supports temporary public art projects that engage communities and enrich the quality of life in cities.

The program, launched in 2014, engages mayors of U.S. cities with 30,000 residents or more to collaborate with artists and arts organizations to develop temporary public art projects that address civic issues.

In 2015, we announced the first round of winning teams – Los Angeles, California; Gary, Indiana; Spartanburg, South Carolina; and Albany, Schenectady, and Troy, New York (a collaborative project). Their projects, which all opened in 2016 and catalyzed $13 million for local economies, spurred civic leaders and residents, as well as local nonprofits and businesses, to work together to advance solutions to critical urban challenges such as abandoned properties, environmental sustainability, community-police relations, and creative sector economic development.

In 2018, the second round of this challenge was announced, and selected Anchorage, Alaska, Camden, New Jersey, Coral Springs, Florida, Jackson, Mississippi, and Tulsa, Oklahoma as winners. The projects resulted in $100 million in total economic benefit for five local economies, had 18.4 million in-person views of the public art projects, included 1,000 creative professionals and volunteers, created 226 project partnerships between city governments and nonprofits with community organizations, universities, and local businesses, and featured 128 artist commissions for 142 installations including sculptures, murals, films, photography, performances, and events.

Applications for the third Public Art Challenge for U.S. cities opened in 2022, with eight cities selected as winners in the fall of 2023 to execute their projects over 24 months: Atlanta, Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland, Honolulu, Hawaii, Houston, Texas, Orlando, Florida, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phoenix, Arizona, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

See more in videos from our past Public Art Challenge winners.

 

“The Public Art Challenge brings people together to look at issues from new perspectives and uncover new solutions. The winning projects from the first competition all made a real and lasting impact in their cities.”

-Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term mayor of New York City

Breathing Lights helped stimulate discussion and transform public perception by literally shining a light on vacant and abandoned buildings in distressed neighborhoods…The Public Art Challenge opened the door to unprecedented collaboration and cooperation among our three cities, and allowed us to look at blight and revitalization through an entirely different lens.

- Kathy Sheehan, Mayor of Albany, NY, Breathing Lights

One hundred years after the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, the Greenwood Art Project is advancing healing in our community through art, Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “For generations, the worst event in Tulsa history wasn’t spoken about in public. Today, artists are helping to educate and inform people all around the world about this tragedy – and by doing so honor the memory of our neighbors who were lost.”

- G.T. Bynum, Mayor of Tulsa, OK, Greenwood Art Project

‘A New View’ is all about envisioning a future for the city, with art playing a central role in reinforcing Camden as a place for creativity and innovation. We’re so excited to…transform spaces which were previously plagued by illegal dumping. Partnering with artists, our city will reclaim these public spaces, and showcase how art can make a space more dynamic, attract community, and change neighborhood perception.

- Francisco Moran, Mayor Camden, NJ, A New View

When it opened on the one year anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas tragedy, the Temple of Time has served as a place where police officers, firefighters, politicians, and the community joined hands to remember how the violence that shook our community, did not break our community

- Scott Brook, Mayor of Coral Springs, FL, Power of Art

The Public Art Challenge provided an opportunity to build, repair and strengthen police-community relations in the city, said Spartanburg Chief of Police Alonzo Thompson. “To bring the expansive installation in 10 different neighborhoods to life, residents from vastly different parts of the city came together on a common ground. All were at the table with equal voices.”

- Alonzo Thompson, Chief of Police, Spartanburg, SC, Seeing Spartanburg in
A New Light