FORWARD: Issue #6: Climate
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, MASS Design Group, and NeighborWorks America, with sponsorships from Franz Mayer of Munich and Vicki Scuri SiteWorks. The Toolkit in this climate-focused issue was created in partnership with the US Water Alliance.
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, sustainable design in Indian Country, housing, and now, climate.
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 establish equitable and healthy community outcomes.
- This map of US states, commonwealths, and territories shows where our team has worked, meeting with stakeholders and partnering with communities. In 2022, we served 350 artists directly, and we worked with 40 public and private partners nationwide to hire artists and expand local artist capacity.
Like this publication? Share it!
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.
A FORWARD series cross-sector discussion of how agencies and organizations are embedding artists as creative partners to address climate issues.
This panel, hosted by Forecast and in partnership with CAIR Lab, features the following speakers:
- Benny Starr, musician and cultural strategist who served as the U.S. Water Alliance’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence and Senior Arts & Culture Fellow, and is the founder of Watercolor Creative.
- Maura Jarvis, award-winning water communications specialist and One Water superhero, previously with Philadelphia Water Department’s (PWD) Public Affairs division and Program Manager for Equitable Infrastructure at the US Water Alliance.
- sTo LeN, interdisciplinary artist whose recent work has centered on collaborations with abused landscapes and municipal agencies.
- Barry Keppard, head of MAPC's Public Health Department and supervisor of the agency's regional and local public health department projects as well as the department's Health in All Policies (HiAP) and healthy community design projects.
This panel is moderated by Johanna K Taylor, PhD, a hybrid scholar and arts administrator whose work explores how artists and designers collaboratively expand democratic actions in arts institutions, Associate Professor at Arizona State University and co-founder of CAIR Lab. Watch the conversation, which was held via Zoom on April 25, 2024.
Please consider a donation to make events like this possible.
with Emma Robbins, Travis Sheridan, and Dr. Galen Treuer. A FORWARD series panel conversation about how artists are helping to address the climate crisis.
In this cross-sector discussion, learn how public artists are collaborating to help address climate change and work toward climate justice.
This panel discussion, hosted by Forecast Public Art, will feature the following speakers:
- Emma Robbins (Diné), an artist, activist, and community organizer, managing director of Planet Women, and the founder of The Chapter House.
- Travis Sheridan, chief community officer at Wexford Science + Technology, where he forges strong ties with university partners, civic leaders, and community groups.
- Dr. Galen Treuer, head of Climate Tech and Eonomic Innovation for Miami-Dade County.
Watch the conversation, which was held via Zoom on Friday, December 8, 2023.
Please consider a donation to make events like this possible.
FORWARD: Issue #6
Climate
© COPYRIGHT 2023 FORECAST PUBLIC ART ISSN 2768-4113