FORWARD: Issue #5: Housing
About This Publication
FORWARD, a digital publication and conversation series from Forecast, highlights how artists are partnering with cities, institutions, and communities to courageously tackle the vital issues of our time. It focuses on how cities, communities, organizations, and others can benefit from partnering with and hiring artists to help meet the essential needs of communities. Each issue is created in collaboration with partnering and sponsoring organizations; partners have included the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine, ArtPlace, Smart Growth America, PolicyLink, and MASS Design Group, with sponsorship from Franz Mayer of Munich. Focused on housing, this issue was created in partnership with NeighborWorks America and with sponsorship from Vicki Scuri SiteWorks.
We continue to update each living publication as we learn about new work in the field of public art as it intersects with each issue's focus: thus far, public health, transportation, community safety, redefining sustainable design in Indian Country, and now, housing.
Here at Forecast, we invite policy makers, public health workers, urban planners, architects, artists, city managers, funders—anyone interested in working to advance justice, health, and human dignity—to engage, contribute, and learn with us. This publication is free, allowing us to reach people anywhere, without barriers to access. If you are able, we invite you to support this new effort with a financial contribution, sponsorship, or publishing partnership.
Meet Forecast
Who we are
Forecast is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1978, that partners with community organizations, transportation agencies and departments, city and arts administrators, artists, and other public and private groups and individuals nationwide throughout the entire process of creating public art that advances justice, health, and human dignity. We consult with decision-makers and stakeholders on public art and cultural planning efforts; help find, select, curate, and commission public artists and artwork; and support public artists with funding, training, and opportunities to cultivate partnerships and advance their public art careers. We place particular emphasis on access for BIPOC artists and groups that are traditionally excluded.
Who we work with
Forecast works with stakeholders and community members across the country to meet their public art and engagement needs.
Are you looking to hire an artist or incorporate public art into a project or plan?
We can help.
- We support all aspects of public art commissioning and curation, including RFQ creation, artist selection, project management, and more.
- Our accessible and equitable arts and culture planning and engagement efforts include creative community engagement, public art planning and mapping, community and environmental scanning, technical assistance, public art program and collection equity reviews, and more.
- We break down the hard and soft skills for successful public art practice in our Institute via training and workshops focused on helping public artists, administrators, and affiliated professionals enlist culture and creativity to address equitable and healthy community outcomes.

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We are committed to publishing a diversity of voices. Opinions offered by featured writers or other contributors in the written publication series and/or panelists in the conversation series do not necessarily reflect the views of the publication and do not constitute an endorsement of any position or person.
with Paul Singh, Dr. Lisa Yun Lee, Tiff Beatty, Mark Valdez, and Jenn Lamb A FORWARD series panel conversation about how artists are helping to address the housing crisis. Panelists include Dr. Lisa Yun Lee and Tiff Beatty of the National Public Housing Museum and featured interviewees for FORWARD 5; artist Mark Valdez, who is also the co-creator of The Most Beautiful Home... Maybe; and Jennifer Lamb of Southwest Minnesota Housing Services, who helped create the play and podcast, A Prairie Homeless Companion.
Amidst a national housing crisis, artists continue to push for bold solutions that aim at alleviating the root causes of housing instability and inequity. Learn how artists are partnering with housing organizations and others to make changes to help bring about housing justice. Watch the conversation, which was held via Zoom on Tuesday, November 15, 2022.
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FORWARD: Issue #5
Housing
© COPYRIGHT 2022 FORECAST PUBLIC ART ISSN 2768-4113