PLANNING + ENGAGEMENT

Our consulting team partners with decision-makers and stakeholders in communities of all sizes. We offer consulting and technical assistance to support accessible and equitable arts and cultural planning efforts. We look at what you’re already doing and pull together comprehensive strategies to build cohesion in all of your public art and cultural efforts.

We conduct community engagement to understand what is important to residents, develop best practices for a variety of public art scenarios, write public art ordinances and policy, and provide suggestions for how to move your public art aspirations forward. We cultivate actionable public art and culture plans that grow with you as you continue to build your program.

We focus our pro bono and in-kind services in communities of color, rural communities, and Native nations.

PLANNING + ENGAGEMENT SERVICES

Artists and creativity can play a vital role in planning and engagement projects. The experienced consulting team at Forecast is ready to help!

Community Engagement: Engage individuals, groups and organizations through art to address issues that impact health and wellbeing.
Public Art and Memorial Planning: Create an actionable public art plan that supports existing public art efforts, programs, and organizations, enhances arts and culture activities, and reflects the area’s diversity.
Public Art Mapping: Tour, analyze and develop maps to showcase prime locations for public art and place-based activities.
Community & Environmental Scanning: Research and understand the conditions of your city or neighborhood, interpret relevant data and analyze existing and future plans to help identify opportunities for public art and place-based activities.
Public Art Program + Collection Equity Audits: Identify discrepancies in public art collections as related to race, gender, immigration status, and more. We will help you identify gaps, prioritize initiatives, set program goals, assign accountability, and measure the impact of initiatives. Watch an info session to learn more.

Are you seeking to hire an artist or incorporate public art as part of a project or development effort? Forecast can also help you with all aspects of artist commissioning and curation.

LEARN MORE

Forecast consultant Candida Gonzalez writes a list of traits under the heading "Public Art Is." The list includes words like Free, Engaging, Opportunity, Unexpected, Interesting, Purposeful, Invite Transformation, Potential for Unity and/or Discord, Potential for Conversation, and more

PRO BONO CONSULTING

Forecast offers pro bono public art consulting services in BIPOC communities, rural communities, and Native nations as these communities have historically been under-resourced.

In 2020, we responded to the pandemic by quickly offering pro bono consulting to over 150 artists and community leaders in every region of the country and Puerto Rico. We are currently providing pro bono services to a community group to share the history of Black residents in their rural city. And, in 2019, we offered training free of charge to artists on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

With your support we will build a Public Art for Racial Justice Fund to expand our pro bono public art consulting with a focus on reaching more groups working for racial justice in their communities.

We are committed to being part of creative solutions that drive equitable outcomes. To drive positive change, we want to help even more communities harness our knowledge of equitable public art practices. This work is urgent and it cannot take a backseat in this time of crisis in our country.

Please give today and help all communities benefit from the ways that public art fosters better and more just places.

D O N A T E

FEATURED PROJECTS

The mayor of Brooklyn Center poses with two children in front of community banner. The younger child, around 3 to 4 years old, holds a banner featuring their face and the word "hope."

Public art plan development // City of Brooklyn Center

a clear plastic dome structure sited on a sidewalk is filled with creative paraphernilia

Reopening business districts with artists // The Love Local Initiative

a masked Hmong person holds a bandana that says "Rice Street"

Facilitating the hiring of 4 local artist liaisons // Rice Street Visioning Study

At a Rice Street Visioning Project creative pop-up in St Paul, MN, community members of all ages shared with artist liaisons their vision for the future of their neighborhood.

A smiling young BIPOC child at an outdoor creative community event holds up a sign that reads, "my vision for Rice Street: BLM." In the background people interact at various stands. Colorful paper elements hang around the child.

How to Strengthen Your Next Community Engagement Project

Our team works in communities across the country and globe. These are the US locations where we have been on the ground—meeting with stakeholders and partnering with communities to meet their public art and engagement needs—and our list is growing by the day.

map of the United states with many pins in multiple states indicating several projects nationwide

What People Are Saying About Forecast

“Forecast’s Public Art Program and Collection Equity Review for St. Louis Park is a valuable assessment with concrete steps to implement and improve our processes, and ultimately our public art collection.”

Sean WaltherPlanning and Zoning Supervisor, City of St. Louis Park–Equity Audits

“This fellowship has provided me with a unique and long-desired opportunity to dedicate my professional experience in the field to an area of critical importance that has received little dedicated research.”

Amina CooperForecast Change Lab Research Fellow, focusing on Racial Justice in Public Art

“I can credit Making It Public to my art career today.”

Heather M. Coleartist and Making It Public participant–Making It Public

“I love your latest video about Indigenous women artists in your city! Please continue this phenomenal work.”

JaBani Bennettartist–Watch | Decolonizing Public Spaces

“Through Forecast’s network and support, I began learning the process of large scale murals and hope to soon make my entrance into the public art field!”

Dyani White Hawkartist and Forecast grant recipient (2019 and 2020)–Public Artist Grants

“Thank you for being such a great resource for inspiration. I had a public art project that was in motion before COVID hit and was not sure how to move forward. Looking through the examples of other artists and their successful projects [in your Innovation Toolkit], I found a creative solution to mine.”

Brandon Donahueartist–Innovation Toolkit

“My previous experience as a participant of your Making It Public workshop years ago provided the skills I am using today. I am very grateful for the work and time you spend supporting artists and their careers.”

Carolina Borjaartist and Making It Public participant–Making It Public

“Forecast facilitated a number of my public art commissions. Their professionalism, experience, and support has played a vital role in my success as an artist working in the public realm.”

Foster Willeyartist–Commissioning + Curation

CONTACT US

2380 Wycliff Street
SUITE 200
ST. PAUL, MN 55114

(651) 641-1128

INFO@FORECAST
PUBLICART.ORG