Art Exhibition Planning

From 17,000 to 148,000 visitors a year. That's what happened to the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History when Nina Simon took over in 2011. Revenue went from $630,000 to $2.5 million. Over 4,000 local artists and community groups collaborated on programming. The museum didn't get a bigger building. It didn't land a blockbuster exhibition. What changed was the operating model. Simon turned the museum into a place where the community wasn't just welcome, it was needed. People didn't come to look at things behind glass. They came because something they cared about was happening there, and their participation mattered. This is the part that makes cultural operators nervous. It means accepting that the institution doesn't own the entire cultural conversation. It means creating spaces where visitors interact with each other, not just with the collection. It means the curator moderates rather than dictates. The results speak clearly. But I think the reason more institutions haven't followed is not that they disagree with the model. It's that ceding cultural sovereignty feels risky when your board expects control and your reputation is on the line. The compromise might be simpler than it looks. You don't have to transform the entire museum. You could start with one evening a month. One discussion format. One space where the audience contributes. The Santa Cruz story isn't about ambition. It's about permission. Permission to let the community in, a little bit, and see what happens. I unpacked this case and others in the newsletter this week. The common thread is surprisingly consistent.

Across parts of Brazil, discarded plastic bottles are being transformed into large public art installations that bring color and creativity into streets, parks, and cultural spaces. Instead of ending up in landfills or waterways, thousands of bottles are collected, cleaned, and assembled into massive sculptures shaped like animals, waves, flowers, and abstract designs. What was once everyday waste becomes eye-catching artwork that draws visitors and sparks conversations about recycling and environmental awareness. Many of the installations are created by local artists working alongside schools, volunteers, and community groups. The bottles are cut, painted, lit from inside, or arranged in patterns that glow beautifully during the evening. Some sculptures tower above public squares, while others stretch along waterfronts or festival grounds, turning ordinary spaces into open-air galleries. The projects often encourage residents to donate bottles directly, making the artwork feel connected to the community itself. People are drawn to the installations not only because of their size and appearance, but because of the message behind them. A material commonly viewed as disposable suddenly becomes part of something creative, memorable, and valuable. Visitors frequently stop to take photographs, explore the details up close, and learn how many recycled bottles were used to complete each piece. The installations show how art and sustainability can work together in powerful ways. Through imagination and collaboration, plastic waste is transformed into public landmarks that inspire curiosity, creativity, and a new perspective on recycling. #PublicArt #RecyclingInnovation #SustainableCreativity

Meaningful to see The National Gallery making changes in how it works with the public. For the first time, they're using a Citizens' Assembly made up of people from across the UK to help decide the Gallery's future. 50 people, chosen by lottery, will work with the Gallery to set its priorities, followed by a long term panel to keep developing ideas over the coming years. This approach fits brilliantly with Brett Hennig's thinking in "The End of Politicians: Time for a Real Democracy," where he argues that citizens' assemblies are the future of democratic decision making. Choosing people through lottery rather than relying on career politicians gives us a genuine range of opinions and perspectives that reflect the diversity of the community. This shows a strong and much needed shift for museums and galleries, moving away from speaking at people to speaking with them and working together with art professionals to make decisions around what gets displayed in our shared visual spaces. It creates a vital opportunity to hear diverse opinions and experiences in a space traditionally run by a small group of wealthy individuals, toward more balanced and representative decision making. It's perfect that the National Gallery is leading this change, as it was the first public gallery, established between the poorest and richest areas of London that was specifically dedicated to serving people. The Fourth Plinth, one of the world's most famous public art commissions facing the National Gallery, is a great example of this democratic approach, with artworks chosen through public consultation. This is exactly the kind of participatory approach we've always championed at MTArt Agency. We published our very first cultural strategy for Camden Collective and Euston Town back in 2019, using a collaborative approach in commissioning public art projects because we believe that the relationship with audiences shouldn't be passive. As I mention in my book The Visual Detox, published by Penguin, the visuals we see in our institutions should represent us and these visual spaces should be democratic. In a world that's led by visuals, we should have a say in who and what we elevate visually every day as it shapes so much of the society we live in. By welcoming more people into the decision making process, we can make sure that art belongs to everyone, and not just the few. This move from the National Gallery shows that big institutions can change for the better, and hopefully other museums and cities will follow this example. Now the real test is to make sure we support these initiatives so they can thrive.

How do communities actually get invited into public art? I talk about community engagement constantly—its role in the process, how to work with a community well. But I realized I'd never actually laid out what it looks like in practice. So for my latest Public Art Curious piece, I did. I sorted it into two buckets: 💠 During a work's creation—charrettes, story gathering, artmaking days, the placement exercises to see how a work will actually fit into a space. 💠 After it's installed—openings, tours, special events, and the evaluation moments that are far rarer than they should be. What stayed with me while writing: deliberate engagement tends to fade once a work is up. We pour so much into making a piece, then leave it to sit. Is the point then for the work to do its job on its own or a missed opportunity to keep the conversation going? I'd love to hear from those of you who've been part of this work: has an engagement moment ever stood out and made you feel more connected to a public artwork? Link to full article in comments below👇 #PublicArt #CommunityEngagement #PublicArtCurious #ArtsAdministration #CivicArt #PlacemakingAndPlacekeeping #ArtsAndCulture

Artists, crafters, creative and culture groups could for sure play a bigger part in our town and city centres. 🎨 We know from our work with #TheVacantShopsAcademy that many would love to if we can overcome the barriers. So it’s exciting to be connecting with creatives in one of our locations to try assess interest levels. 🖊️ “Would you like to have an arts & crafts, creative, culture, community-based shop in your local town centre…? Maybe, short term, starting as part of a pop-up shop project, but longer term if it works well for you. Could you stock and run the shop on your own or would it work better with other makers – either people you know already or could meet as part of a wider project. Are there other ways you think creative individuals, groups and organisations could get involved.”   Examples we’ve see in other places include: + Makers Collectives – where groups of artists and crafters combine to run a shop; 🖼️ Art Galleries which feature a number of artists, and they run together; + Community art classes and workshops run from town centre units; + Markets (both indoor and outdoor) that feature local crafts as all or part of their offer; 🧵’Knit & natter’ groups and others where people get together to practice their art or craft skills in a town centre setting; + Wall art, shutterart or on-street art installations where local artists and crafters contribute to making their place look better. Accepting that there are barriers to overcome here, it feels like a sector that has huge potential to help with tackling #highstreet vacancy and the wider #placemaking conversation. Let’s see. 🤔 What do you think…?

As a Placemaker, your most powerful tool in curating inclusive public space is community. Two summers ago, my firm, MASSIVart, launched a Placemaking Pilot Study with the The Waterfront BIA in Toronto. Through our community engagement approach that involved key stakeholders and interviews with residents, we were taken aback by the number of responses that indicated a desire for comfortable furniture, public art, and spaces for games and activities. While not initially what we anticipated, this study taught us a couple of things. The biggest is that once we take a step back and actually ask people what they want, the more impactful the final result can be. In listening to the community, we were able to see tangible results in the placemaking activation that we produced. We saw an increase in foot traffic by 22%, and more tellingly, nearly 40% of activity in the location shifted from simple strolls to people stopping to eat, sit, engage with artwork, or engage with each other. While only a single snapshot of the benefits that happen when spaces integrate art and culture, creative placemaking is a powerful tool to engage our people. Community voice holds powerful indicators of what will turn your space into a place. https://lnkd.in/eSmAKmbM #MASSIVart #TorontoWaterfrontBIA #AlphaBravoCharlie #CKJJ #CreativePlacemaking Coryn Kempster Julia Jamrozik

A year later, I can finally talk about Hands-On Vibes. When we launched Building Bridges (Zine 0007), we asked artists to submit works exploring what it means to build bridges: between people, practices, or perspectives. Instead of sending in a painting or design, Ottawa Design Club submitted an event. That event was Hands-On Vibes. Four artists (Pooja Pawaskar, Andrew Doxtater, Hailey Wyatt, and Steph Babij) each led interactive stations where attendees could create alongside them. It was not polished. It was not finished. But it was alive. By the end of the night, nothing was “done.” That was the point. The community’s contributions became the foundation. The artists then took those unfinished works back to their studios, added final touches, and the results became part of the Building Bridges exhibition and zine. In other words, the audience did not just attend. They became part of the submission. At the time, I could not post about it. I thought it was timing. In reality, I needed distance to understand why it mattered. Here is what I learned: When you turn an audience into co-creators, the energy shifts. The connection deepens. And the impact lasts longer. This is something any organization can learn from: if you want real engagement, do not just invite people to watch. Give them a role in shaping the outcome. Hands-On Vibes was messy, beautiful, and unforgettable. It blurred roles in a way that forced us to let go of control. And that is exactly why it worked. 📸 First 5 photos by Finn, artwork photo by Maryn Devine from Uncommon

Can public art play a pivotal role in placemaking? 🎨 Absolutely! and here's how: 🖼️ By Creating a Sense of Identity: Public art helps define the character of a place. By reflecting the local history, culture, or values, it fosters a unique identity for the space, making it distinct and memorable. 🎨 ByEnhancing Visual Appeal: Art can beautify public spaces, transforming ordinary or underutilised areas into attractive destinations. This makes the area more inviting and visually engaging, encouraging people to spend time there. 🖼️ By Encouraging Social Interaction: Public art can serve as a focal point that draws people together. Interactive or participatory art can inspire conversations and social connections, contributing to a vibrant community atmosphere. 🎨 By Promoting Local Engagement: When residents are involved in the creation or curation of public art, it gives them a sense of ownership and pride in their environment. This engagement often strengthens community ties and local identity. 🖼️ By Improving Perceptions and Safety: Well-designed public art can contribute to feelings of safety and security by making spaces feel more cared for and less neglected. Art can also help to reduce vandalism by creating spaces that people respect and feel connected to. 🎨 By Supporting Economic Development: Public art can attract tourism and foot traffic, benefiting local businesses. It may also act as a catalyst for investment in the area, spurring further development and revitalisation. 🖼️ By Creating a Platform for Dialogue: Public art can challenge perceptions, provoke thought, and spark conversations on social, political, or environmental issues. This can lead to greater community awareness and participation in local and global matters. Cityheart’s latest project, Stopford Park in Stockport, is a perfect example. Alongside 442 new homes, a restored Grade II-listed former school, and vibrant public spaces, the development centres around an art park — weaving creativity into the everyday fabric of the community. It's been a pleasure working with the lovely team at Cityheart, Sheila Bird Studio, Layer.studio and Russell Bolton Consulting to help bring this vision to life, capturing how art can spark conversation, create memorable moments, and anchor a sense of belonging. Our Studio Ltd are proud to have played a role in visualising this unique development and can’t wait to see how Stopford Park’s cultural heart helps shape the future of Stockport. #Placemaking #PublicArt #StopfordPark #Cityheart #OurStudio #Storytelling

✨ Nine Years Later — and Still Grateful ✨ During doctoral training as an Albert Schweitzer fellow, an experiment rooted in muralismo asked two deceptively simple questions: Could mural painting address research participation challenges among U.S. Latine? And… could it help us collect sensitizing data that traditional methods were missing? The answer turned out to be yes—in ways that went far beyond what we initially imagined. The work showed that mural-based engagement: • Was not dependent on shared language or literacy • Could be done locally, embedded in neighborhoods • Welcomed all ages • And fit naturally into the social structure and daily life of the community More importantly, during these mural projects, community members shared openly: • Health behaviors and lived strategies • Challenges to adherence • Cultural stigma surrounding mental illness Not in a survey. Not in a clinic room. But side by side, painting, talking, observing, and being together. That moment led to: • Many more art-based, community-centered activities • A peer-reviewed publication • And a lasting shift in how I think about research design, participation, and trust What began as a single mural became a reminder that data doesn’t always arrive in rows and columns. Sometimes it arrives in color, story, gesture, silence, and shared space. Nine years later, I’m still carrying this lesson forward at AltaMed Health Services, where we deeply believe in the healing power of art: If we want better science—especially in communities that have been historically excluded—we have to design methods that honor how people actually live, communicate, and connect. Grateful for the communities who taught me that rigor and humanity are not opposites—and never were. 🎨❤️

Biennials and triennials are proliferating across the globe, often launched by local governments as tools for tourism and city branding. But these art events risk weakening ties with the very communities and territories they claim to elevate—the foundations from which meaningful development should arise—when outsiders are at the helm. The inaugural edition of the Boston Public Art Triennial , by contrast, is grounded first and foremost in two essential elements: a deep understanding of the local community and a sensitivity to the city’s social and natural ecologies. In the 2025 Boston Public Art Triennial, artworks and artists are not parachuted into the city as spectacles, but rather positioned as catalysts for resonant exchanges rooted contextually in the city. Leading the initiative is artistic director Pedro Alonzo, an internationally recognized curator with extensive experience in biennials and public art, but also someone profoundly embedded in the local landscape, having lived in Boston for years and raised his children there. Cognizant of the global glut of biennials, Alonzo set out to create something thoughtful and truly impactful—something that could stand apart. His point of departure was a deceptively simple but critical set of context-specific questions: Where are we? What is happening here? Where many curatorial statements drift into academic opacity—more convoluted than the exhibitions they purport to articulate—Alonzo has opted for clarity, centering the Boston Public Art Triennial on a direct, accessible theme that also functions as its curatorial engine: art as a tool and catalyst for exchange and conversation. “So the premise of the show is the exchange of ideas and how we influence each other,” he says as he walks us through a series of public installations. Working within this dialectical framework, the Triennial embraces art’s transformative potential, aspiring to create genuine, lasting impact within the communities it engages. Full review on Observer https://lnkd.in/e-WaTAQG #BostonTriennial #PublicArt