Public Art

The Brattleboro Transportation Center's "Ask the River" kinetic sculpture. Photo: Evie Lovett.

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Public art influences the ways people see and connect with a place. It encourages attachment to a location through cultural and historical understanding while powerfully highlighting the unique elements in the spaces we live, work, and play. Art can be a key attribute in making communities more healthy and vibrant through goals of livability, walkability, safety, and economic vitality.

Murals, sculpture, memorials, functional or landscaped architectural elements, community art projects, digital media, performances, and festivals all add value. They provide opportunities for people to experience art—even for those have never set foot in a gallery, museum, or theater. These works enhance the built environment, create social connections, spark economic investment, build a distinctive sense of place, and support cultural tourism.

The Arts Council is committed to placemaking through the Art in State Buildings and Animating Infrastructure Grant programs and through support of the State of Vermont’s Better Places program.

The trout sculpture at the Roxbury Fish Culture Station, commissioned through the Vermont Art in State Buildings program, is one example of a creative placemaking effort. There are currently two public art commissions underway through the Art in State Buildings program.

For more information, please contact Michele Bailey.

admin-place August 1, 2017