Previous Events
2019-present
FORWARD conversation series
Our FORWARD conversations highlight how artists are partnering with cities, institutions and communities to tackle vital issues, from public health to the fate of our climate. Visit this page to learn about the entire series of events, from 2019 to the present.
May 13, 2023
MN State Fair Joyful World Mural Park artist info session
Interested in the open call for the Minnesota State Fair Joyful World Mural Park? This info session covers the opportunity details, reviews the application questions, work sample submission process, and timeline. You’ll also hear from 2021 & 2022 mural park artists Hibaaq Ibrahim and Danielle Clifford about their experiences at the Fair. Applications due by 8:00pm CT, June 5, 2023.
May 13, 2023
March 22, 2023
Public Art Now: Indigenous Public Art with Jessica Mehta and Gregg Deal
The third Public Art Now event in our FORWARD series features a conversation between artist Gregg Deal and guest curator Jessica (Tyner) Mehta, PhD. In her introduction to the Public Art Now collection in FORWARD Issue #5, Jessica writes: “I believe the works of these artists and their recent contributions will spark necessary discourse, provide a framework for information exchange and culture bearing that breeds real change, and, overall, make big strides toward re-Indigenizing Turtle Island.” Watch the recording of their conversation about how Native artists are critically engaging the public realm, accessible on the Public Art Now page within FORWARD5, or on Forecast’s YouTube channel.
March 2 - 30, 2023
Intro to Public Art Consulting (for MN-based BIPOC artists/individuals)
Intro to Public Art Consulting is a five-week virtual workshop for BIPOC artists/individuals with little to no public art consulting experience, aiming to give participants an understanding of how to start on the path to public art consulting. The workshop consists of recorded and live sessions [all virtual] over the course of five weeks, and engages guest speakers in discussions. Workshop content is presented through an equity lens with a particular emphasis on giving BIPOC individuals knowledge and resources to explore public art consulting as a career path.
March 2 - 30, 2023
March 2 - 30, 2023
Making It Public for NJ-based Artists
Designed for New Jersey-based artists interested in responding to Public Art calls but unsure how to approach them. Making it Public is a free 5-week virtual training series designed for artists interested in exploring and expanding their public art making practice. This workshop series covers practical and tactical subject matters for artists at all stages of their careers. Session panelists include local and national public artists. Facilitated by Forecast Public Art Consultant Candida Gonzalez on Zoom. Read experts’ bios
This was a partnership between The New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Forecast.
Learn more about our customized trainings.March 2 - 30, 2023
Making It Public for NJ-based Administrators
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts invited nonprofit organizations, local and regional arts councils, arts & entertainment districts, and units of government in New Jersey to participate in Making It Public, a free 5-week virtual training. This series covers practical and tactical subject matters for administrators at all stages of their careers facilitating public art, such as stakeholder considerations, community engagement, preparing a call‐for‐artists, equitable selection processes, contracting, and more. Sessions include guest public art professionals, both local and national, adding a depth of knowledge about the field of public art, the profession, and its contemporary issues. Facilitated by Forecast consultant Aki Shibata via Zoom. Read experts’ bios
March 2 - 30, 2023
February 27 - March 27, 2023
Making It Public for MN-based Artists
Designed for Minnesota-based artists interested in responding to Public Art calls but unsure how to approach them. Making it Public is a free 5-week virtual training series designed for artists interested in exploring and expanding their public art making practice. Artists who attended at least 4 out of the 5 workshops were invited by the workshop facilitator to apply for (1) $5,000 Forecast Public Art grant to create a piece of public art in Minnesota. This workshop series covers practical and tactical subject matters for artists at all stages of their careers. Session panelists include local and national public artists. Facilitated by Forecast Public Art Consultant Candida Gonzalez on Zoom.Forecast made available a limited amount of stipends for childcare, internet workstation rentals, and transportation to internet workstations for those artists who wished to participate in the workshop yet are facing financial hardships.
Presented with support from the Minnesota State Arts Board.
Learn more about our customized trainings.February 27 - March 27, 2023
Making It Public for MN-based Administrators
We were pleased to invite nonprofit organizations, local and regional arts councils, arts & entertainment districts, and units of government (town, city, county) in Minnesota to participate in Making It Public, a FREE 5-week virtual training series designed to equip administrators in strengthening local capacity to support, create, and promote public art. This workshop series covers practical and tactical subject matters for administrators at all stages of their careers facilitating public art, such as stakeholder considerations, community engagement, preparing a call‐for‐artists, equitable selection processes, contracting, and more. Sessions include guest public art professionals, both local and national, adding a depth of knowledge about the field of public art, the profession, and its contemporary issues. Facilitated by Forecast consultant Aki Shibata via Zoom.
Forecast made available a limited amount of stipends for childcare, internet workstation rentals, and transportation to internet workstations for those administrators who wished to participate in the workshop yet whose organizations are facing financial hardships.
Presented with support from the Minnesota State Arts Board.
Learn more about our customized trainings.February 27 - March 27, 2023
January 28 & 29, 2023
Making It Public (Bloomington, Minnesota)
Making It Public is a free, two-day intensive workshop designed for artists interested in exploring and expanding their public art making practice. Topics include project management, best practices, funding, site analysis, community engagement, and project ideation. Forecast consulting team member Candida Gonzalez facilitated this workshop with guest speakers, in-person at Bloomington Civic Plaza. Participants were Minnesota residents 18 years or older, with priority consideration for artists residing in the Bloomington area.
November 15, 2022
Not Just Housing: Artists addressing the housing crisis
A FORWARD series panel conversation about how artists are helping to address the housing crisis. Amidst a national housing crisis, artists continue to push for bold solutions that aim at alleviating the root causes of housing instability and inequity. Learn how artists are partnering with housing organizations and others to make changes to help bring about housing justice. With:
Dr. Lisa Yun Lee and Tiff Beatty (National Public Housing Museum); Mark Valdez (artist, co-creator of The Most Beautiful Home… Maybe); Jennifer Lamb (Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership, and helped create A Prairie Homeless Companion); Moderated by Paul Singh (NeighborWorks America).
Watch the event recording.November 15, 2022
September 13 - October 18, 2022
Making It Public for Louisiana Artists
Forecast and the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development invited Louisiana artists to participate in a free, 5-week virtual workshop series. Designed to support artists of all disciplines who would like to explore and expand their public art-making practice, Forecast’s Making It Public series covers site analysis, stakeholder considerations, insurance, and more. Forecast consulting team member Candida Gonzalez led this workshop with guest speakers via Zoom.
September 15 - October 13, 2022
Making It Public for Maryland administrators
Forecast and the Maryland State Arts Council invited Maryland administrators to participate in a free, 5-week virtual workshop series.
Designed to equip administrators in strengthening local capacity to support, create, and promote public art, this series covers practical and tactical subjects for admins at all stages of their career facilitating public art. Forecast consultant Aki Shibata led this series with guest speakers—virtual meetings are weekly 90-minute live zoom sessions.
September 15 - October 13, 2022
September 20, 2022
Artist talk with current grantees
Designed for potential grant applicants as well as fans of public art and the public-art-curious, this virtual session invites viewers to be inspired. Current grantees discuss their projects and grant experiences. Artists at this session: See More Perspective (2022 Early Career R&D grantee); Don’t You Feel It Too (Marcus Young 楊墨, and Or [Laura] Levinson) (2022 Mid-Career Professional Development grantee team); Cecilia Cornejo Sotelo (2022 Mid-Career Project grantee); Zamara Cuyún (2022 Early-Career Project grantee team member); moderated by Aki Shibata, Forecast’s Artist Support Grant Coordinator. Watch the recording.
Visit our grants page.
September 13, 2022
Artist talk with current grantees
Designed for potential grant applicants as well as fans of public art and the public-art-curious, this virtual session invites viewers to be inspired. Current grantees discuss their projects and grant experiences. Artists at this session: Za’Nia Coleman (2022 Early Career R&D grantee); Tomas Araya (2022 Mid-Career Project grantee); and Mike Bierlein and Tom Curran (2022 Early-Career Project grantee team), moderated by Aki Shibata, Forecast’s Artist Support Grant Coordinator. Watch the recording.
Visit our grants page.
September 13, 2022
August 23 - September 20, 2022
Making It Public for Louisiana administrators
Designed for Louisiana administrators to strengthen local capacity to support, create, and promote public art, this Making It Public series for administrators covers stakeholder considerations, community engagement, preparing a call‐for‐artists, equitable selection processes, contracting, and more.
The Louisiana Division of the Arts, in partnership with Atchafalaya National Heritage Area and Forecast, invited nonprofit arts organizations, nonprofit organizations, public and private schools, school boards, colleges and universities, and local government agencies across Louisiana to participate. Participating organizations were eligible for a $10,000 artist call grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts.
September 2, 2022
Forecast public artist grant Info Session
Applying to one of our grants for Minnesota-based artists? We’re here to help as you complete your application. Aki Shibata, Forecast Artist Support Grant Coordinator, held two Zoom info sessions in 2022 to provide tips and answer questions. Watch the recording from the August 16 session.Need more support or unable to attend? We’ve got you covered! Applicants are invited to drop in for a one-on-one with Aki in September, join us for interactive artist talks with current grantees, and to reach out for writing feedback. Aki is ready to chat with you about your grant Qs and will provide feedback up to the week before applications are due. Contact Aki at aki@forecastpublicart.org.
Find info session recording, support schedule + more on our grants page.
September 2, 2022
August 16, 2022
Forecast public artist grant Info Session
Applying to one of our grants for Minnesota-based artists? We’re here to help artists complete your applications. Aki Shibata, Forecast Artist Support Grant Coordinator, held this Zoom info session to provide tips and answer questions. Watch the recording.
Find info session recording, support schedule + more on our grants page.
July 23, 2022
Cultural Policy Action Lab from Grantmakers in the Arts: Public Art & Activation
WATCH | Our team examines public art policy—as part of the Cultural Policy Action Lab from Grantmakers in the Arts, we discussed policy that shifts investments.Public Art is often the most visible manifestation of cultural policy in public, but the underlying funding and policy mechanisms often perpetuate inequality in who creates public art and where it exists. In this conversation, our team—Theresa Sweetland, Jen Krava, Mark Salinas, and Yarlyn Rosario—examines policy that shifts investments, fostering self-determination and belonging in public monuments and art. View on YouTube.
Hire us to speak at your next summit, conference, or gathering: Request more information.
July 23, 2022
July 9, 2022
Jack Becker’s 42 Years at Forecast Appreciation Celebration
A fun, outdoor party with and for Jack Becker, celebrating 42 years at Forecast. Jack officially retired June 30, 2020 but because of the pandemic we didn’t get a chance to celebrate. We loved belatedly celebrating in person at a safe, outdoor venue (House of Balls) for an open house with drinks, food, music, Art Cars and art-making. Entertainment included: Art Car Parade; Sara Hanson’s WOW Mobile Lab; Johnny Sincerely’s Traveling Blues Orchestra; FistFull of Datas.July 7 - August 4, 2022
Making It Public for Maryland artists
Forecast and the Maryland State Arts Council invited Maryland artists to participate in a free, 5-week virtual workshop.
Designed to support artists of all disciplines who would like to explore and expand their public art-making practice, our Making It Public series covers site analysis, stakeholder considerations, insurance, and more. Forecast consulting team member Candida Gonzalez led this workshop with guest speakers via Zoom.
July 7 - August 4, 2022
June 21, 2022
A Route to Real Change: Accessibility and Community Building with Native Artists
Learn how arts admins can foster relationships with Native artists at this Forecast-sponsored talk about Indigenous visibility in public art.
Mark Salinas, Forecast Senior Project Manager, with Miranda Kyle, Program Manager of Arts and Culture for Atlanta Beltline, guide a 90-minute Public Art Exchange panel discussions with an Indigenous panel composed of Gregg Deal, Mona Cliff, and brooke smiley. These artists discuss Indigeneity in contemporary public art, the politics of a creative existence, and what actions curators and administrators can take to develop healthy, robust relationships with Native American artists and communities. Conversation recording coming soon.June 2, 2022
Art, Design, and Justice
A FORWARD series panel discussion about how the built environment can lift up a community’s notions of art, culture, and place. How can we center artists and culture bearers alongside designers to overcome bureaucratic racism in the design field? With:-
Joseph Kunkel, director of MASS Design Group’s Sustainable Native Communities Design Lab and citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Nation. Joseph also served as the guest editor of FORWARD #4.
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Jeremy Liu, award-winning artist, social impact strategist and real estate developer. Jeremy also served as the featured essayist of FORWARD #4.
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Angela Two Stars, artist, curator, director of All My Relations Arts, an enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate.
June 2, 2022
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May 11, 2022
Forecast Breakfast Fundraiser
What an inspiring morning! At this free morning event we dove into our plans for the future, both for Forecast and the public art field. In addition to our executive director Theresa Sweetland, supporters heard from Saint Paul council member Mitra Jalali, Minneapolis City Council President Andrea Jenkins, and other community leaders, practitioners, and artists about how we’re centering justice, health, and human dignity throughout our work. In-person space was limited and we followed current COVID-related guidelines at the time of the event.
Watch event recording to hear speakers discuss the impact of Forecast’s work.March 15 - April 12, 2022
Making It Public for MA-based Artists
Designed for Massachusetts-based artists interested in responding to Public Art calls but unsure how to approach them. Making it Public is a free 5-week professional development series, designed and facilitated by Forecast for artists of all disciplines to explore and expand their public art making practice. Participating artists are better equipped to respond to a Call for Temporary Public Art and foster more vibrant and equitable public spaces through artmaking. Virtual meetings are weekly 90-minute live zoom sessions.
This was a partnership between Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Forecast, and NEFA.
Learn more about our customized trainings.March 15 - April 12, 2022
January 6, 2022
A ‘Public Art Now’ Conversation with Amina Cooper
Guest curator Amina Cooper says in her intro to the Public Art Now collection in FORWARD3, “Across the full range of materials, styles, and degrees of permanence, public artworks by Black artists have made essential contributions to the built environment and to community spaces.” This second Public Art Now selection in the FORWARD series features projects by Simone Leigh, Abigail DeVille, Dr. Fahamu Pecou, Jessica Moss, and April Banks. Amina and artists Lava Thomas and Martha Jackson Jarvis discuss public art policy and their experiences as Black artists breaking into this field, the challenges they’ve encountered mounting their first projects, and policy changes they would like to see.
November 10, 2021
Public Art & Healthy Communities
This two-hour, live, interactive course is designed to expand your knowledge of public art, placemaking, and community health. It provides guidance through the process of assessment, planning, and implementation for a broad range of public art projects designed to improve health conditions of cities and neighborhoods. Among the areas of impact are individual physical and mental health, social cohesion, active lifestyles, a healthy environment, and safety. This $50 course was taught by Jen Krava of Forecast and Tom Borrup of Creative Community Builders and was held via Zoom.
Learn more about our customized trainings.November 10, 2021
October 27, 2021
Public Art 101: Purposes and Processes
This 90-minute, live, interactive course helps you build a functional vocabulary and familiarity with what public art can do and ways it comes to be. Public art supports a variety of goals and aspirations of many towns, cities, and neighborhoods, as well as the visions of many artists. How public art is planned, designed, implemented, and experienced will be reviewed. Case studies feature public art projects and how cities engage the public, select artists, and plan for and manage public art programs. The course is especially helpful for public policymakers, community and economic development practitioners, and others involved in planning and placemaking. This includes artists, community activists, and arts managers. This course was taught by Jen Krava of Forecast Public Art and Tom Borrup of Creative Community Builders.
Learn more about our customized trainings.October 25 - November 22, 2021
Making It Public (Lowertown / Saint Paul)
Making it Public is a FREE 5-week workshop designed for emerging artists who are interested in exploring how to make their art creations public. The program hosts guest speakers, discusses the field, profession, history, and contemporary issues of public art, and understanding the creative process. This workshop was held from October 25 to November 22, 2021, with recordings sent Thursdays by email and live sessions every Monday via Zoom. Participants were eligible to apply for a $1250 grant to create a project in Saint Paul / Lowertown.
October 25 - November 22, 2021
September 25, 2021
Celestial Embodiment: X Expanded Cinema Live Painting and Performance
A Chroma Zone mural & art festival special closing event, Celestial Embodiment: X Expanded Cinema is a montage of video projection, a live score, Indigenous dancing, hip-hop, and spoken word, with a collective of Indigenous artists led by Missy Whiteman. This experience took place concurrent with Whiteman’s mural Celestial Embodiment; this canvas creates an immersive environment that transcends time and place. Guided by ancestral knowledge systems, traditional stories, and contemporary forms of expression, the expanded cinema program features performances by Indigenous artists.
Missy Whiteman (Northern Arapaho and Kickapoo) is an Emmy-nominated writer, director, producer and multimedia artist. Whiteman understands her work to be a voice for her ancestors, their stories and ancestral wisdom. Her late father Ernest Whiteman influenced her work with the gift of artistic vision and the practice of art as ceremony. She is a previous Forecast grantee.
September 21, 2021
Chroma Zone Virtual Artist Talk with Forecast Public Art: Decolonizing Public Spaces - Celebrating Indigenous Women/Nonbinary Voices
Indigenous women/nonbinary Chroma Zone mural artists Holly “Miskitoos” Henning (Marten Falls Anishinaabe First Nation, Constance Lake Oji-Cree First Nation), Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscogee), Thomasina Topbear (Santee Dakota and Oglala Lakota), and Missy Whiteman (Northern Arapaho and Kickapoo), connect with moderator Candida Gonzalez for the final artist talk of Chroma Zone 2021. The artists discuss the murals they created, their inspiration, and navigating the muralist world as an Indigenous artist. Forecast is a founding creative partner of the Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival.
September 21, 2021
September 20 - October 18, 2021
Making It Public (Haciendolo Público)
Making it Public es un taller GRATIS de 5 semanas diseñado para artistas emergentes que estén interesados en explorar cómo hacer públicas sus creaciones de arte. El programa acogerá a oradores invitados, debatirá el campo, la profesión, la historia y los problemas contemporáneos del arte público, y comprenderá el proceso creativo. El taller estará dirigido en el inglés y español. Las inscripciones están limitadas a 30 artistas y cada artista que complete todos los talleres recibirá $300 para crear su propio mini proyecto. AVISO: Esta sesion de Making It Public (Haciendolo Público) es solo para los artistas latines viviendo en Minnesota.
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Making it Public is a FREE 5-week workshop designed for emerging artists interested in exploring how to make their art creations public. The program will host guest speakers, discuss the field, profession, history, and contemporary issues of public art, and understand the creative process. The workshop will be conducted in English and Spanish. Limited to 30 artists; each artist who completes all workshops will receive $300 to create their own mini project. NOTICE: This Making it Public session is only for LatinX artists living in Minnesota.
September 16, 2021
The Role of Artists in the Future of Community Safety
One of the most pressing and precarious issues of our time is community safety. Safety is a basic human right. Community safety emphasizes community/ies self-determination of what it means to be safe. Artists have long been integral to these efforts to center the needs of the most marginalized members of society as they reimagine safety through criminal justice, emergency response, gun violence reform, policing, community control and freedom from harm. They have done this by creating pathways for transformative confrontations, by highlighting the unseen, by helping people feel welcomed and whole, and more.
This panel discussion featured Minneapolis City Council member and poet Andrea Jenkins, as well as ethnomusicologist and human rights activist Dr. André de Quadros. It was moderated by Mallory Rukhsana Nezam, Guest Editor of FORWARD #3. This is part of our conversation series for our new digital publication, FORWARD. FORWARD issue #3 focuses on community safety.
September 16, 2021
May 26, 2021
Public Artist Basics: Taxes, Contracts, and Permits
Learn about essential aspects of the public art process: taxes, contracts, and permits. Guest speakers artist and lawyer Tisidra Jones, J.D., tax preparer Greg Mann, and artist and administrator Erin Lavelle join Forecast consultant and Artist Support Grant Coordinator, Aki Shibata, for this free webinar. Some permit info is specific to Minneapolis and Saint Paul, MN; useful tips and insights are invaluable to artists practicing everywhere. Advance your skills! Watch: Public Artist BasicsMay 22, 2021
Creative Enterprise Zone (CEZ) Mural Tour
Forecast Public Art Executive Director, Theresa Sweetland, and public artist Reggie LeFlore guided a tour to around 10 stunning murals, including Reggie’s own work. Forecast Board Chair, Lea Bittner-Eddy also joined the tour. Tour goers learned about muralism and gained insights into murals and the artists who created them. The tour ended at a block party celebrating the kick-off of the 2021 CEZ Chroma Zone Mural Festival.
May 22, 2021
April 20, 2021
What is an Equity Audit?
Want to find out more about reviewing race, gender, and more in your public art collection? Our equity audits use comprehensive benchmarking tools to identify inequities in public art collections as related to race, gender, immigration status, and more. Watch this info session recording on Forecast’s YouTube channel.
April 8, 2021
Making It Happen: Artists & Transportation
Are you a transportation or transit agency thinking about working with an artist to address your larger goals or challenges? Are you an artist interested in working on transportation projects, but don’t know how to start? View a recording of this event, where Forecast Director of Programming and New Initiatives, Jen Krava, and consulting team member Mark Salinas, provide practical information about how artists and transportation entities can work together.
April 8, 2021
March 25, 2021
What is an Equity Audit?
Want to find out more about reviewing race, gender, and more in your public art collection? Our equity audits use comprehensive benchmarking tools to identify inequities in public art collections as related to race, gender, immigration status, and more. Watch a recording of this info session from April 20, 2021 on Forecast’s YouTube channel.
March 18, 2021
Self-Initiated Public Art: A ‘Public Art Now’ Conversation with Muna Malik
The first event in our Public Art Now series features a conversation between artist Muna Malik and guest curator Tricia Heuring. Malik discussed her public art project, Blessing of the Boats, featured in the inaugural Public Art Now collection. The artist shares more about her process of building this self-initiated public art project from the ground up, and joins Heuring in reflections on the collection. Watch the conversation on the Public Art Now page within FORWARD, or on Forecast’s YouTube channel.
March 18, 2021
To request accessibility accommodations for any of our programming or events, please email us at info@forecastpublicart.org.
(651) 641-1128
INFO@FORECAST
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