Title
Bloomberg Public Art Challenge Grant Application (Ordinance S-49550)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to apply for, and, if awarded, accept and enter into an agreement for up to $650,000 in Bloomberg Public Art Challenge funds for Fiscal Years (FY) 2023-24 and 2024-25. The grant funds would be used by the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture to support the ¡Sombra! initiative identified through the department's planning process. Further request authorization for the City Treasurer to accept, and for the City Controller to disburse all funds related to this item.
Report
Summary
The Bloomberg Philanthropies' Public Art Challenge encourages cities to partner with artists, elevating the value of including the creative sector when developing solutions to significant urban issues. The program supports temporary public art projects that celebrate creativity, enhance urban identity, and encourage public-private collaborations.
If awarded, the grant funds will support a free, family-friendly festival that introduces a dialogue about Phoenix's urban heat challenges to a new audience. The festival will engage residents with experiential and educational public art installations and activities for children, food, and music to celebrate the community. The festival will feature up to 12 artists whose work responds to the urban heat crisis. These works may include shade and cooling structures that create street-scale microclimates; installations that promote the protective beauty, comfort, and cooling power of hats and parasols; and other participatory arts experiences that provoke dialogue about rising temperatures and sustainable heat mitigation tactics. These installations will debut at the one-day ¡Sombra! festival but installations will remain on display for a year.
Financial Impact
The grant may not be used to fund 100 percent of project costs. The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture FY 2023-28 percent-for-art Capital Improvement Program (CIP) will be used to offset costs not included in the grant funds.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Inger Erickson and the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.