Public Art

ABOUT PUBLIC ART

NEFA supports the field of public art through professional development, networking and grantmaking.  Whether you’re an artist, nonprofit organization, community member or public art supporter, NEFA's public art program has something for you.

Services/Resources

NEFA serves the field of public art in New England through network opportunities and professional resources. In 2009, NEFA developed the Public Art Discussion Series to engage artists and organizations with their peers and with public art experts on a variety of topics developed with input from the field. 

The Public Art Forum on the NEFA Network is an online space dedicated to calls to artists, public art resources, workshops, events, and discussions to encourage dialogue around critical issues in the field in between in-person gatherings.

*New* NEFA has recently launched the Public Art Bulletin, a monthly e-newsletter with links to the latest calls to artists, current public art events, and other field resources.  Sign up for the Public Art Bulletin to start getting these updates in your inbox.

Grantmaking

Since 1998, NEFA’s public art program has supported projects that stem from artist and community partnerships. Though the term public art may refer to a wide variety of artistic expressions in the public realm, NEFA is focused on those that engage community members with professional artists towards the creation of new, site-specific, contemporary art work. To support community engaging public art, NEFA awards grants and develops network opportunities to strengthen the field.

NEFA’s public art grants are modeled on the pairing of professional artists with community-based nonprofit organizations. Organizations leading public art projects represent a range of sectors, including the arts, the environment, health care, community development, youth, and education. Artists work collaboratively with the community and represent a range of disciplines including: sculptors, painters, media artists, performing artists, landscape architects and interdisciplinary artists. Please reference the grants available for artist and organization eligibility requirements.

FUNDERS & PARTNERS

Anonymous
Fund for the Arts, a public art program of the New England Foundation for the Arts
State Arts Agencies of New England