Bloomberg Philanthropies
Evaluating the Impact of Public Art Across the U.S.
Client
Location
Theme
BOP is working with Bloomberg Philanthropies as the national evaluator for its Public Art Challenge, measuring impact and demonstrating how place-based public art can drive cultural and civic value across eight U.S. cities.
Project Team
The Public Art Challenge invites cities to partner with artists and community organisations to create bold, temporary public art projects that address pressing civic issues. Selected cities receive up to $1 million in funding, along with tailored support to deliver projects that combine artistic excellence with measurable social impact.
BOP acted as the national evaluator for Round 2 of the programme (2019–2021) and is currently evaluating Round 3 (2023–2025). Managing eight local evaluation teams, our work has established a clear framework for understanding the programme’s impact across all participating cities. It has also enabled Bloomberg Philanthropies to articulate more clearly the coherence and aggregate value of the programme.
The resulting evidence base for the role of public art in addressing civic challenges, has since provided a transferable framework for understanding how cultural investments can be adapted to different places and contexts.
