Arts-Based Community Engagement

At Forecast, we believe communities deserve to be co-creators of the places where they live, work, and play. We also know that effective community engagement is a mechanism for smarter governance. That’s why we work with planners, architects, designers, transportation agencies, engineering firms, city and parks departments, nonprofits, and more, to design and deliver community engagement that’s grounded in creativity, equity, and local knowledge.

We include artists as engagement facilitators and co-creators. Artists help communities imagine what’s possible to shape meaningful, lasting solutions. Forecast’s team works with you to ensure public spaces and plans reflect the people they serve and support long-term community-led change.

Community Engagement Services

An Ambassador Cohort Session for the City of St Louis Park, Minnesota. As the lead group for Vision 4.0, our team provided a variety of opportunities for community to share their vision for St. Louis Park’s future.

A group of people gathered around a table talking

Arts-Based Community Engagement
We use creative tools—like graphic recording, storytelling, and pop-ups—to spark conversation, gather insight, and deepen community participation. Our arts-based approach invites people in, makes engagement more fun, inclusive and accessible, and surfaces ideas and narratives that might otherwise go unheard.
Artist-Led Facilitation & Stakeholder Engagement
Our artist facilitators bring people together across sectors to co-create visions, build consensus, and surface shared priorities.
Community & Cultural Asset Mapping
We help communities identify, visualize, and celebrate local cultural assets and creative resources.
Arts & Culture Policy Development
We help shape policies, ordinances, and percent-for-art programs that build strong, future-ready frameworks for public art and cultural investment.
Civic Memory & Memorial Engagement
We guide thoughtful community processes to explore collective memory and create meaningful public art and memorials. Explore more about our Monuments & Memorials work.

Featured Projects

St. Louis Park engagement, March 2024. As the lead group for Vision 4.0, Forecast provided a variety of opportunities for community to share their vision for St. Louis Park’s future.

two artists paint a swirling image on a canvas on an easel

St. Louis Park Vision 4.0

LOCATION: St Louis Park, MN

DATE: Ongoing (August 2024 – present)

CLIENT: City of St. Louis Park, MN

Every 10 years, the City of St. Louis Park reviews and updates the vision and strategic priorities that staff and elected officials use to guide planning and decision-making over the next decade. Forecast Public Art was awarded a competitive contract to lead Vision 4.0, the fourth version of this visioning process. Forecast kicked off the project in Fall 2024 to identify the community’s evolving identity, aspirations, and recommendations for its future. To meet the goals of Vision 4.0, Forecast is leading a comprehensive engagement process that fosters robust, deep and diverse participation, enhances social capital, and cultivates the next generation of community leaders.

The community engagement process includes training an Ambassador Cohort to produce content for artist-led pop-up engagements throughout the Summer of 2025. Each engagement will provide creative ways for St. Louis Park community members to share their dreams and aspirations for the city. The feedback received at each engagement will contribute to the Vision 4.0 final report and recommendations.

This Water Whisperers event was one of many opportunities for community to learn more about the potential Mississippi River Learning Center and share thoughts, ideas, concerns, and wishes for the potential space.

a view of the Mississippi River and a person in a hammock, with text that reads "Water Whisperers, an Embodied Water Experience"

Mississippi River Learning Center (MRLC)

LOCATION: Saint Paul, MN

DATE: Ongoing (July 2024 – present)

CLIENT: The City of Saint Paul

The City of Saint Paul, with partners the Great River Passage Conservancy, Mississippi Park Connection, and the National Park Service, is developing a 25-acre area within the Hidden Falls Crosby Farm Regional Park and Mississippi National River and Recreation area for this gateway to the Mississippi.

Working with lead architecture firm VJAA, landscape architects TEN x TEN, and consultants Full Circle Indigenous Planning + Design, we are collaboratively designing meetings, activities, and workshops to engage a wide range of residents and incorporate local artists into the project.

In December 2024, for example, the team invited community to Wandering Leaf Brewing to learn about the MRLC, engage with Forecast consulting partners Singer Horse Capture and Aki Shibata in interactive art activities, ask questions, share ideas, and connect. At the Mni Sota Akitho Festival in March 2025, Singer and Aki were joined by artist Wóokiye wiŋ, who invited attendees to create a paper doll with the prompt: who do you see yourself with at Ȟaȟáwakpa, and what are you doing?

Our team wanted to make sure that everyone who lives, works, or uses the services along E 4th Street in Reno had the opportunity to participate in our conversations and events.

A group of people gathered at a table fill out postcards.

East 4th Street Engagement, Reno, NV

LOCATION: Reno, NV

DATE: 2020 – 2021

CLIENT: City of Reno, NV

The City of Reno hired our team to bring together businesses and residents of east 4th Street in a community process to create a sense of social cohesion, safety, and identity. This engagement work led to a public artwork in the neighborhood.

Through events, meetings, and conversations, we developed a final report of our findings, and made recommendations for how the City could move forward with a public art project. We interacted with many community members who were all invested in the corridor and interested in public art being installed.

In collaboration with Camden FireWorks, our team developed recommendations for an equitable, sustainable, and green public art tapestry in Camden, New Jersey.

cover page for a report titled "Art in the Commons"

Art In the Commons Public Art Plan

LOCATION: Camden, NJ

DATE: 2023 – 2024

CLIENT: Camden FireWorks

In collaboration with FireWorks, our team supported engagement activities and developed recommendations for an equitable, sustainable, and green public art tapestry in Camden, New Jersey.

We wrote a plan called “Art in the Commons” to help FireWorks achieve goals of supporting local artists through public art while meaningfully engaging residents. A Black-integrated, community-based arts organization in the Waterfront South district, FireWorks’ mission is to use art to create social change, and they hired us to help create a public art program by and for Camden.

Contact Us

Hire Forecast to bring our expertise to your project in any location across the US.

Don’t see what you are looking for listed here? Reach out to our team for an initial conversation.

Our Team Work With Us

CONTACT US

2380 Wycliff Street
SUITE 200
ST. PAUL, MN 55114

(651) 641-1128

INFO@FORECAST
PUBLICART.ORG