A list of public art resources in the
USA and abroad, including public art programs,
public art projects, and advice on participating
in public art projects.

 

ORGANIZATIONS ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

Art Production Fund
www.artproductionfund.org
A nonprofit organization dedicated to producing ambition
public art projects, reaching new audiences, and expanding
awareness through contemporary art.
Arts Council of Indianapolis
https://indyarts.org/public-art
Publishes an online Public Art Directory
The Association for Public Art
http://associationforpublicart.org
The nation’s first private, nonprofit organization dedicated to
integrating public art and urban planning. Commissions
, preserves, promotes and interprets public art in Philadelphia.
Provides links to public art resources in the Philadelphia area.
Chicago Public Art Group
www.cpag.net
Provides organizations, agencies, and schools with skilled artistic
leaders and the professional management needed to produce
community landmarks permanent, safe, meaningful, and
murals, mosaics, sculptures, seating, banners, and space design.
City of Los Angeles, Public Art Division,
Department of Cultural Affairs

http://culturela.org/percent-public-art 
Supports artists and cultural projects through two programs
in its Public Art Division: Public Works Improvements Arts
Program (PWIAP) and Private Arts Development Fee Program (ADF).
Community Arts International (CAI)
www.community-arts.org 
A nonprofit art organization that brings art to non-traditional
venues by fostering collaboration between artists and clients.
Projects range from curating museum quality exhibitions in airports,
hotels, department stores and office buildings, to the management of
architecturally integrated large scale sculpture and paintings,
to the development of public collections.
Creative Time 
www.creativetime.org
Commissions and presents ambitious public art projects in
New York City, across the country, around the world—and
now even in outer space.
Forecast Public Art
www.forecastart.org
A nonprofit organization that is instrumental in the creation
of many public art projects throughout the Midwest. Publishes
Public Art Review.
General Services Administration.
Art in Architecture Program

www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104456 
Oversees the commissioning of artworks for new federal buildings
nationwide. Sponsors a national artists registry. Artists interested in
being considered for Art in Architecture commissions may apply
to have their names placed a registry, which review panels use
when selecting artists for each new project.
Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council,
Public Art Resources

www.pittsburghartscouncil.org/public-art/public-art-resources 
Lists various opportunities and services related to public art
MTA Arts and Design Program,
Metropolitan Transit Authority 

http://web.mta.info/mta/aft/about/opportunities.html
Administers a Percent for Art program and visual arts, performing arts,
and design programs throughout the MTA Network. Artists are selected
through a competitive process to create original, site-specific
permanent artwork for new and rehabilitated stations.
Ohio Percent for Art Program
www.oac.ohio.gov/Portals/0/documents/Percent%20for%20Art%20Program%20Guidelines.pdf?ver=2016-01-11-114213-513 
The program is open to artists nationwide. Sponsored by
the Ohio Arts Council.
Project for Public Spaces, Inc.
www.pps.org
Specializes in public space planning, design and management.
Assists New York City agencies, community groups, private
developers, and planners in selecting and placing art in public spaces.
Public Art Fund
www.publicartfund.org
Promotes the integration of art into the urban landscape.
Sponsors art installations in public spaces throughout New York
City, and provides educational and information services.
Public Art Network, Americans for the Arts
www.artsusa.org/networks/public_art_network/default.asp
Provides professional services and networking opportunities for
public art professionals, visual artists, design professionals,
and organizations planning public art projects and programs.
State of Connecticut, Offices of Culture & Tourism,
Art in Public Places Registry
https://ctartistregistry.fluidreview.com
Sponsors the Art in Public Spaces Registry open to Connecticut
and out-of-state artists.
TriMet Public Art Program
http://trimet.org/publicart/index.htm
Incorporates artwork in various transit stations, in bus shelters, and in the commuter line that connects passengers to Portland, Oregon’s airport. Open to regional artists and artists nationwide.

PUBLICATIONS ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
(As an Amazon Associate, the Artist Help Network  earns from qualifying purchases.)

Along the Way: MTA Arts for Transit
Author/Editor: Sandra Bloodworth and William Ayres
A tour of works commissioned by MTA Arts for Transit for the subway
system, initiated since 1985. A collection of more than 150
site-specific public art projects.
Publisher: Monacelli Press
Publication Date: 2006
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Art in Other Places
Author/Editor: William Cleveland
Features accounts of artists working in the community. Topics include
projects that focus on the elderly, prisons, hospitals, youth at risk,
and people with disabilities.
Publisher: University of Massachusetts
Publication Date: Revised 2000
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The Art of Placemaking:
Interpreting Community through Public Art and Urban Design

Author/Editor: Ronald Fleming
A presentation of site-specific public art that engages the popular
imagination through common references to history, folklore,
culture and geography, and demonstrates how the integration of
approachable art with local landscape, architecture and urban design
can facilitate identification with locale. Includes case studies of
spectacular and innovative works accompanied by practical information,
artist interviews, examples of failures and major controversies, and
strategies for the future.
Publisher: Merrell Publishers
Publication Date: 2007
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Art Opportunities Monthly 
A listing of opportunities for artists, including public-art commissions.
Available via email. Published monthly.

www.artopportunitiesmonthly.com 
The Artist’s Guide to Public Art:  How to Find and Win Commissions
Authors: Lynn Basa, Mary Jane Jacob, and Barbara T. Hoffman
Provides guidance on how to start and build a career in public art.
Presents information on how to find, apply for, compete for, and win
a public art commission. Includes interviews with artists and arts
administrators experienced in the public art field. The new edition
shows artists how to cut through the red tape and win commissions
that are rewarding both financially and artistically. Also discusses
recent trends in the field, such as: how the political climate affects
public art, the types of projects that receive funding, where that
funding comes from, how the digital age impacts public art, how
to compete with the increase of architecturally trained artists, and more.
Publisher: Allworth Press
Publication Date: revised 2019
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Competitions Magazine
 A monthly e-zine devoted to articles on public-art, architecture,
and landscape architecture competitions in the United States
and Abroad. Also publishes weekly email announcements.

www.competitions.org 
Designing the World’s Best Public Art
Author/Editor: Garrison Roots
A collection of public art works in the United States evincing a real
desire to delight and engage. Shows how public art projects can
transform mundane or ugly urban fixtures.
Publisher: Images Publishing Company
Publication Date: 2006
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Dialogues in Public Art
Author/Editor: Tom Finkelpearl
Interviews with people active in the American public art movement.
Includes a history and overview of public art in the United States.
Publisher: M.I.T. Press
Publication Date: 2001
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The Everyday Practice of Public Art: Art, Space, and Social Inclusion 
Editors: Cameron Cartiere, Martin Zebracki.
Examines the continual evolution of public art, moving beyond monuments
and memorials to examine more fully the development of socially-engaged
public art practice.

Publisher: Routledge
Publication Date: 2015
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New York’s Underground Art Museum: MTA Arts and Design
Authors: Sandra Bloodworth and William Ayres
Focuses on the MTA Arts & Design’s collection of public art projects featured
in New York City subways and buses, Metro-North Railroad, Long Island
Rail Road, and bridges and tunnels.
Publisher: The Monacelli Press
Pubication Date: 2014
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Pubic Art Review
https://forecastpublicart.org/inspiration-center/par 

Information about the field of public art, with stories from around the world.
Publisher: orecast Public Art.
Frequency: Four times a year

Public Art: Theory, Practice and Populism
Author: Cher Krause Knight 
Takes a bold look at public art and its populist appeal. It examines the
history of American public art – from FDR’s New Deal to Christo’s

“The Gates,” and challenges preconceived notions of public
art, expanding its definition to include a broader scope of
works and concepts.

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
Publication Date: 2008
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WEBSITES

Art Public
Subscription service with information about events, opportunities, public art
works, and artists mainly in Europe with some in the United States and in
other countries. Searchable database of over 6,000 artists, publications, and public art works.
www.art-public.com
CaFÉ
Sponsored by the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF). A user-friendly
online system that provides open call information on public art and other
opportunities for artists.
www.callforentry.org
CODAworx (Collaboration of Design + Art)
Devoted to commissioned artwork. It includes artists, designers, architects,
art consultants, fabricators, foundries, lighting designers, engineers, contractors,
and landscape architects. Membership for those wishing to submit
projects is free, but there is a fee to be listed on the website and
receive other membership services.

www.codaworx.com 
Public Art Archive
Sponsored by the Western States Arts Federation. A central repository
of public art projects collected from hundreds of public art organizations.
www.publicartarchive.org/content/about-public-art-archive
Public Art Directory
An archive of commissions, installations, and exhibitions in public spaces,
art projects in urban design, art in environment,
art in architecture,
public art commissions, projects, competitions, outdoor sculptures,
call to artists, sculpture competition.

www.public-art-directory.com 
Public Art on the Internet
Includes various types of information about the field of public art:
essays, articles, projects, links to other related sites, and an email
group for those interested in public art.
www.zpub.com/public
Public Art Online
Comprehensive and well thought out site. Includes advice, opportunities
and dialogues about public art. Hosted by the Glasgow School of Art.
www.publicartonline.org.uk
Public Art Web Links
Public art resources provided by Sheffield Hallem Univerity in England
public-art.shu.ac.uk/weblinx.html
Public Artist Forum
A discussion group founded by Lynn Basa, an artist specializing in
public art and author of Artist’s Guide to Public Art
groups.yahoo.com/group/publicartistforum
State Percent for Art Programs
Sponsored by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. Provides links
to 28 states and territories’ Percent for Art programs. 
Includes a summary of
each program, along with a description of the state arts agency’s role in it,
which varies by state, and how work is commissioned. 

https://nasaa-arts.org/nasaa_research/state-percent-art-programs