Art in Public Spaces Working Group

The purpose of the Art In Public Spaces Working Group is to provide strategic and technical advice and expertise to Staff in order to advance the City’s public art programs. The Working Group will formalize a mechanism for community consultation and will contribute to a cohesive trajectory for the City’s public art program, informing and following projects from start to finish, to create the conditions for deeper community engagement, consistency and accountability.

The Working Group consists of six applicants from the public, who:

• are residents of the Nanaimo or Regional District of Nanaimo.
• have demonstrated experience and/or training in aspects of visual art; and
• represent a variety of professions with expertise in public art, including: artists, arts administrators, art historians, art conservators, educators, curators, landscape architects, design professionals, architects, Indigenous cultural knowledge keepers. 

Working Group Purpose:

•  To collaborate to advance priorities articulated in City plans and policies, including the City Plan: Nanaimo Reimaged (2022), and subheadings under C4, as well as subsequent updates by providing input grounded in best practice, on future policy development.
  
• To provide both strategic and technical advice as required, and act as a resource on matters relating to art in public spaces.
  
• To champion the role of artists and creative practitioners as professionals and promote processes and policies that support the livelihood and well-being of the creative economy.
  
• To promote awareness and understanding of the public value of art in the City and its potential roles in the public realm.
  
• To contribute community-based knowledge related to equity, diversity and accessibility priorities. 
  
  

You may contact us directly with questions or comments at cultureandevents@nanaimo.ca or 250-755-4483.