With Nashville, Tennessee undergoing the strains of rapid economic growth combined with gentrification and persistent pockets of poverty, the city-county Metro Arts Commission issued a unique challenge: What would a public art program look like if its resources were organized to address issues of equity in the community, to achieve the vision that everyone in Nashville participates in a creative life?
Bressi, in collaboration with Via Partnership, worked with Metro Arts and the regional arts community to imagine a future in which public art is a critical component of creative community investment, citizen engagement, and strengthening Nashville’s creative work force.
The “Public Art Community Investment Plan” established new goals for a strengthened public art ecosystem, cultural participation, vibrant neighborhoods and vital public places. For each goal, the plan outlined a series of strategies and tactics, focusing less on recommendations for specific public art projects and more on the catalytic role that Metro Arts could play in unlocking and supporting the creative forces in Nashville’s communities. The plan also charted fruitful new partnerships with Metro agencies focused on providing services to Nashville’s underserved communities.
In 2019, Metro Arts was recognized by the Public Art Network for one of the first outcomes of this plan, a temporary public art exhibition, Build Better Tables. The project worked with food issues as a lens for examining urban development and understanding the effects of gentrification on community health and wellness. It was curated by Nicole Caruth.