Public art creates a sense of place:
A brief history of the Public Art Resource Project
The Public Art Resource Project started six years ago at PCA&D as the Mural Resource Project. The Project’s goal was to provide resources for people working on murals in the community.
In 2007, when the College saw that the City of Lancaster had public art in its strategic plan, it broadened the core purpose of the Mural Project and changed the name to Public Art Resource Project. This reflects an expansion beyond murals to include many forms of public art such as fountains, sculptures, artist-designed furniture, and temporary installations.
Through a grant from the Lancaster County Community Foundation, PCA&D hired a public art consultant, Renee Piechocki, who is the founding director of the Office of Public Art in Pittsburgh, Pa. Renee spent much of 2008 meeting at PCA&D with the newly formed Public Art advisory committee, as well as visiting builders, developers, artists, community organizers, city officials and architects in order to gain their perspectives on public art.
In late 2008, PCA&D unveiled the public art action plan that Renee drafted for the city and presented it to the Mayor of Lancaster in a public ceremony.
Since then, the City hired Leslie Fordham as public arts manager and PCA&D has launched the Public Art Resource Project Web site. The site features a directory of artists working in media including and beyond murals and up-to-date information from the City of Lancaster’s public arts manager.
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Visit the Public Art Resource Project Web site for complete details.
Contact Tracy Beyl, PCA&D’s director of Continuing Education and coordinator of the Public Art Resource Project