Concord is one of 11 communities selected by the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) for “Making it Public” 2023.
Town representatives will complete a free, five-week virtual training designed and facilitated by Forecast Public Art (FPA) and offered in partnership with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) Arts and Culture Department. It is intended to strengthen local capacity to support, create and promote more vibrant and just public art making.
At the conclusion of the training, municipal administrators will have the tools needed to create their own call for temporary public art and, with guidance from MAPC, an understanding of how to apply those tools within the context of Mass.
Participating municipalities receive a $15,000 grant from NEFA to fund artists selected through a call for temporary public art in 2023.
Donna McIntosh, communications manager, and Beth Williams, economic vitality and tourism manager, both from Concord, are attending the training.
The program is in its beginning stages, said McIntosh. After developing a plan for public art as part of the training, a call for artists will be prepared and sent out between May and December.
“’Making it Public’ empowers municipalities to foster vibrant and engaging places, and the focus on temporary public art – which is installed/exhibited for up to 18 months – creates more equitable access to the program,” said Director of Arts and Culture at MAPC Annis Sengupta.
“Making it Public” covers practical and tactical subject matters for administrators at all stages of their career facilitating public art, such as stakeholder considerations, community engagement, preparing a call-for-artists, equitable selection processes, contracting, and more.
