Make Great Places, Artfully
Todd W. Bressi leads an innovative design practice that explores the intersection of public art and placemaking, cultural planning and city design.
OUR VISION
What Would a City Be Like if Artists Designed it?
This was the question that animated the founders of Phoenix’s public art program nearly 40 years ago.
Cities and the practice of public art have changed dramatically since then, but this is still the question that we ask every day.
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Public art can transform individuals, neighborhoods and the way that a city operates — whether it serves as a gateway, a point of community pride, or a conversation starter; whether it is work by the nation’s finest artists or by local creative practices.
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Public art can connect people to a deeper understanding of what a place is all about. It can reveal the meanings, histories and aspirations of a place in ways that are fresh, unexpected and deeply meaningful.
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Public art can be a living, ongoing resource. Artworks, along with continued programing and
education, can activate public spaces, strengthen the fabric of a community and add to the mix
that will attract visitors, business and residents to a city. -
Public art provides people with access to art experiences that they might not otherwise have in the course of their daily lives. These experiences can enrich us as individuals, enable us to enjoy our surroundings, sharpen our creative voice, broaden our outlook on the world, and help us participate more fully as members of our communities.
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The most powerful plans come from the inspiration of the people we meet. Public art projects, and the processes by which they are created, can heighten social and cultural awareness, strengthen community bonds, give voice to marginalized communities, and build a path to constructive civic participation.
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Public art brings an artistic voice to public space. Public art plans and programs must consider how to stimulate artistic creativity, empower artists to create new work in the public realm and support the viability of public art practice.
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Public art can tap into the conversations that a community has having about its past, present and future — thereby strengthening a community’s civic, cultural and social fabric.
If you are interested in launching a public art program; creating a vision and plan for your program; developing policies, procedures and guidelines to manage your program; organizing a curatorial strategy, initiative or project; or evaluating the work you’ve done, you’re in the right place.
If you’re a public agency, an arts organization, community organization or private developer, we can bring direct and deep experience to support your work.
Key services include planning (strategic plans, master plans, annual plans, policies, guidelines), project development (curating, artist selection, project management), program support and program evaluation.
We work with local governments and public agencies, arts organizations and artists, and community groups and developers who are committed to working with public art and placemaking as a way of creating lively, engaging public realms.
At the core of this work are the people we collaborate with — through these relationships, ideas take shape and places come to life.
