Association for Public Art

The Washington Post interviews Charlotte Cohen, Executive Director of the Association for Public Art and former GSA Fine Arts Officer, about the uncertain future of the General Services Administration’s public art collection—over 26,000 works—amid federal job cuts. “If the fine arts collection is left to exist on its own without a staff to oversee or maintain it, or if the collection is broken up, it’s an enormous loss of our history and legacy of this country,” says Cohen. Watch the interview: https://lnkd.in/e-q-8a8A

Artists! Join us for the Mural Arts Institute’s Spring Artist Forum on March 25th at Triple Bottom Brewing, featuring our very own Susan Myers, Assistant Curator & Project Manager at the Association for Public Art! This forum's focus is on how to build strong applications when submitting to public arts opportunities. Register at https://bit.ly/3DvZE10

"Real people, especially heroic figures, are guaranteed to fall short. They can be misconstrued and misrepresented and even subject to attack. Samuel had the right idea leaving those choices open for discussion. And more than a century later, those kinds of conversations continue to add value to both process and product. When we raise our sights beyond individual heroes, we invite the possibilities for a greater monumentscape built on character and contributions." Read the full op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer from our Board member Kenneth Finkel: https://lnkd.in/ezy-Ssmu

?? Want to propose a public art installation in Philadelphia's Maja Park? Now accepting proposals for #ArtontheParkway through April 4th! Organized by the Association for Public Art in partnership with the Parkway Council and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Art on the Parkway returns as a juried open call inviting Philadelphia-area artists, designers, and creatives to propose a temporary public art installation in Maja Park on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The selected proposal will be commissioned for summer 2025 as part of The Oval summer festivities. We’re excited to introduce three new jurors for this cycle: José Ortiz-Pagán, Dejay Duckett, and Rachel Hsu Learn more ?? https://lnkd.in/eqRYwS_x

Grantee Spotlight: What does “freedom” mean today as we approach America’s 250th birthday? For the Association for Public Art's 2026 installation of Paul Ramírez Jonas’ “Let Freedom Ring” at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, visitors are invited to ring a 600-pound bell and declare their own visions for freedom. APA executive director Charlotte Cohen previews the project and explains how it serves as a model for “how we can work as a society together to fulfill the promise of freedom for everyone.” #PewArtsGrants

Join our team! The Association for Public Art (aPA) seeks a hands-on and detail-oriented Program Coordinator to assist with coordinating, organizing, and implementing aPA’s public programs and community engagement activities through in-person and virtual opportunities. This is a full-time, hybrid position based in Philadelphia, PA, with a one-year renewable term (up to two years). Learn more and apply at the link ??

?? Artist opportunity! Our friends at Creative Philadelphia (City of Philadelphia) are seeking an artist or artist team to create a statue honoring Sadie T.M. Alexander—a trailblazing civil rights activist and Philadelphia native. The sculpture will be installed at Thomas Paine Plaza (across from City Hall), and will be the City’s second public art statue honoring a historic African American woman, after Harriet Tubman. Minority and women-identifying artists and those who live or work in the Greater Philadelphia area are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more and submit qualifications by DECEMBER 30TH at https://lnkd.in/eGz6ki-j

Webinar TONIGHT, 12/5 @ 6 PM: "Art Versus the Great Outdoors: Wrestling with the Meaning of Repair" – Rosa Lowinger, founder of and conservator at RLA Conservation Art+Architecture , will discuss the many challenges and evolving ethics of outdoor public art conservation in this talk presented by The Institute of Fine Arts, NYU. As an organization dedicated to public art and its care, we're excited to share this event for anyone interested in conservation! Register: https://lnkd.in/espBTgX2

Congratulations to our board member, Antonio Fiol-Silva, and his firm, SITIO architecture + urbanism, on receiving a 2024 Excelencia in Hispanic Business Award from the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GPHCC)! See the other awardees and get tickets to the December 4th ceremony at https://lnkd.in/eKqbgG2k

Our Executive Director, Charlotte Cohen, shared her thoughts with The Washington Post on this week’s unexpected addition to Philadelphia's Maja Park: "Cohen said that when she first saw the statue, she thought that perhaps it was pro-Trump and antiwoman and that its placement next to the Maja statue was disrespectful. 'When I saw the text, I realized it was not that at all, but was making a different case about his behavior and actions over the years,' Cohen said. 'And that’s what public art is about, igniting these kinds of conversations and dialogues. And it is often confusing and cause for debate and can be very subjective in interpretation.'" Read more in the full article. https://lnkd.in/eNTcY83X