The
POWER of PublicART provided ave been Photos h cil for rts Coun by the A them it ch. Vis Long Bea slb.org. rt .a t www online a
16
Chamber Executive
By Bethany Orban
P Spring 2019
ublic art can be a powerful chamber ally in solving community challenges from education and workforce to health and crime prevention. Across the country many chambers are realizing the role public art can play within their communities.
ment professionals, public art is a tool to enhance a community’s well-being and empower community members. Public art can mean different things to different people, but no matter the meaning, it is a powerful form of expression that can influence a community.
Public art is defined as any work of art that has been planned and executed with the intention of being staged in a space that is accessible to all. To some, public art is the perfect background for their new profile picture, their favorite place in the park to eat lunch and even the place to pay their respects to a movement or event that happened in history. To community develop-
Using public art to shape, build and differentiate a community is not a novel concept; however, its place in the realm of community development is gaining more traction and credibility by community development professionals. With over 400 registered artists, Long Beach, Ca., has already capitalized on the community development tool that is public art.
