Why is public art important?
Public art, a vibrant and essential aspect of modern-day communities, is a captivating medium that impacts people in various profound ways. It encompasses outdoor sculptures, murals, installations, and many other forms of art found in urban and rural spaces alike. Many cultural and social benefits come with public art, and the impacts it imparts on communities around it are phenomenal. These impacts are discussed below:
1. Inspiring Creativity: Public art provides an endless amount of inspiration to young and aspiring artists who, in turn, contribute to the art world. It creates an avenue for people to learn and experiment with skills.
2. Promoting Social Interaction: Public art creates gathering spaces for people to mingle and share experiences with each other, fostering positive social interactions.
3. Promoting Historical Preservation: Art helps in preserving and sharing the history of an area and making it accessible to the public for years to come.
4. Community Identity and Pride: Public art projects can help foster a sense of community identity and pride, encouraging social cohesion.
5. Boosting Tourism: Artistic installations become landmarks that attract tourists, bringing in more revenue for businesses and further development to the area in the long run.
6. Economic Impacts: Public art boosts jobs creation; it creates sustainable employment opportunities for local artists, providing them with exposure for their work and helps spur creative economic development.
7. Mental Health and Well-Being: Art installations provide an avenue for emotional expression and healing which can positively impact mental health and well-being.
Public art has multitudes of benefits and embracing it in communities is crucial in encouraging creativity, contributing to local culture, social interaction, historical preservation, economic development and overall mental well-being. Whether it’s reviving abandoned buildings, creating community gathering spaces or repurposing spaces in public areas, public art is a tool that can promote growth and development.
Public art fuels creativity, sparks social interactions, promotes community pride and spurs economic opportunities.
Decorative Crosswalks
I painted two identical decorative crosswalks near Garden Ridge and N. Valley in Lewisville, Texas. I was selected through a Call for Artists to paint my designs in November of 2021. These crosswalks, together are called “Good Morning, Sunshine!” and a time-lapse video of the first crosswalk being painted can be viewed on The City of Lewisville’s Twitter feed. Drone footage of the completed crosswalks can be viewed on the Internet Archive website, as well. I was totally honored to be selected as an artist for Lewisville and I stood there in awe after I finished the first one because I was still amazed that they were paying me to paint on their streets. More info about Lewisville’s award winning crosswalks can be found on the city’s site.
