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TRANSFORMING URBAN SPACES WITH DYNAMIC PUBLIC ART

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge encourages mayors to collaborate with artists to develop innovative public art projects that address critical issues in their communities.

In February 2018, U.S. mayors of cities with 30,000 residents or more were invited to apply for the 2018 Public Art Challenge to receive up to $1 million in funding for temporary public art projects that address an important civic issue.

After announcing 14 finalists, five cities were selected as winners of the 2018 Public Art Challenge: Anchorage, Alaska; Camden, New Jersey; Coral Springs, Florida; Jackson, Mississippi; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The foundation’s first Public Art Challenge, announced in the fall of 2014, supported creative projects in four cities: Gary, Indiana; Los Angeles, California; Spartanburg, South Carolina; and a collaborative team from Albany, Schenectady and Troy, New York. The inaugural Public Art Challenge generated significant activity across four regions, including catalyzing $13 million for local economies, 10 million views, 245 partnerships, and 490 public programs.

 
 

 
 
 

Unique among todayʼs leading philanthropists, Mike Bloomberg has run both a multi-billion-dollar company — Bloomberg LP, a technology company he founded in 1981 — and one of the worldʼs largest cities. His entrepreneurial spirit, public-policy experience, and belief in the power of cities to drive solutions to pressing global problems define Bloomberg Philanthropiesʼ approach to making the world a better place.

Bloomberg Philanthropies focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: arts & culture, public health, environment, education, and government innovation. These five areas encompass the issues Mike Bloomberg and his team are most passionate about, and where they believe the greatest good can be achieved. While Bloomberg Philanthropies works on a wide range of issues within each focus area, they apply a distinctive approach to all of our undertakings.