Philadelphia Public Art: The Full Spectrum

In fall 2008, the William Penn Foundation commissioned PennPraxis to study public art in Philadelphia with an aim of better understanding how the city currently supports public art and where gaps in programs exist, and to identify how Philadelphia might better manage existing public art programs. This effort was undertaken, in part, due to the encouragement of the Public Art Forum, an informal coalition of public art administrators and implementers convened by the Fairmount Park Art Association, and also as an outgrowth of Arts and Culture in the Metropolis: Strategies for Sustainability, a 2007 study commissioned by the foundation from RAND Education that explored how to provide sustainable funding and support for arts and culture in Philadelphia. It also coincided with the appointment of Gary Steuer as the city’s chief cultural officer and director of the newly created City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE).