FORWARD: Issue #8: Civic Health

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, NeighborWorks America, the US Water Alliance, New Monuments Taskforce, and CivicLex, with sponsorships from Franz Mayer of Munich and 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, sustainable design in Indian Country, housing, climate, monuments & memorials, and now, civic health.

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.

Photo: For their Forecast 2024 Mid-Career Project Grant, Tara Fahey and Sofía Padilla built two large bike lantern puppets at community hubs in South Minneapolis. At free public workshops, the artists invited the community to make smaller lanterns, culminating in a spectacular public ritual procession. Photo by Bruce Silcox.

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 in recent years, meeting with stakeholders and partnering with communities. In 2024, we served 410 artists directly through commissions, grants, and trainings; trained 265 administrators in workshops; engaged 4,700 community members in-person; and worked with 30 public and private partners nationwide to hire artists and expand local artist capacity. Our list is growing by the day.

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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.

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