The process of bringing a sculpture to life is a harmonious convergence of various elements—from the inception of an idea to the final installation. This intricate dance involves identifying opportunites, engaging an artist, securing funding, and ensuring a seamless integration of art into the cityscape.

High-visibility locations take precedence, ensuring that art becomes an integral part of daily life. However, some pieces, like the evocative Memory of Green, find solace in more intimate settings, nestled among trees outside an office complex.

The delicate art of pairing a site with a specific artwork involves a meticulous understanding of both. The bold lines of Elements and Spring Breeze can be appreciated with fleeting glances from passersby, strategically placed for optimal visibility. Izar’s soaring verticals find a fitting home at the airport’s entrance, while the industrial allure of Reinvented complements an office park. Spirit of Life‘s serene presence graces hospital grounds, and Build a Dream symbolizes community aspirations in a revitalization project.

The pivotal role of funding also emerges as a crucial step in bringing these artistic visions to fruition. Whether through community support or developer contributions, each sculpture finds its financial backing, creating a symbiotic relationship between art and its surroundings.

The grand finale of this artistic odyssey is the installation, a collaborative effort involving architects, engineers, and construction crews. Rigorous planning ensures the secure placement of sculptures, with crane and rigging specialists delicately lifting and positioning thousands of pounds of art. Collaboration with lighting designers adds a nocturnal dimension, illuminating the pieces in a carefully orchestrated dance of light and shadow. Tailored landscape designs and in some cases custom benches complete the tableau, inviting residents to pause and savor the artistic tapestry woven into the city of Newport News.

Our work doesn’t end with installation.  Through outreach and education, we engage the community with the collection so that it serves as part of Newport News’ ongoing cultural life.  We strive to stimulate deeper connections with the collection by encouraging people to notice, study, and find meaning in and inspiration from the art that is all around them.  This is achieved through educational and interpretive materials we develop and distribute as well as in-person engagement.

As with anything in the public realm, public art requires care and maintenance.  We strive to keep the sculptures, landscaping, and lighting in good condition so that they can continue to be a source of pride and enjoyment now and for years to come.

When news shows want to let viewers know they’re talking about Wall Street, they lead with a spot of the bronze bull that’s poised nearby, ready to charge into prosperity.

Charging Bull by Arturo Di Modica, photo by David Prior

Generations have made pilgrimages to see the Vatican’s Pietá, and modern travelers document their visits to the City of Brotherly Love by snapping photographs in front of Philadelphia’s pop-art tribute to love.

Love by Robert Indiana

Public sculpture memorializes what we think is important; it lifts our spirits, it centers our civic life, it makes our world more beautiful.

The design of the Vietnam Memorial acknowledges our need to experience, at close hand, our connection to this part of our history. UP photo/Kevin Dietsch

We could scarcely imagine Washington, D.C. without its monumental sculptures. Lincoln in his chair has been the backdrop for some of the nation’s important moments, and the hush of the Jefferson Memorial connects visitors to the spirit of this man and the principles that framed this nation.

With the simple reverence and profoundly personal focus of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Maya Lin changed the way the public interacts with memorial sculpture. In the slogging figures of the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the blend of words and statues in the memorials to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr., the nation has found new ways to reflect its evolving history and honor those who shaped it.

Learn more about Washington’s many memorials by clicking here.

New York City is home to a lot of people — and a lot of art that’s out in public for their enjoyment and that of the millions more who visit the city each year. See some of it here.

Albuquerque’s rich offering includes mosaics and murals as well as sculpture; see more here.

Seattle has made public art a priority. Even fire stations and manhole covers show off an artistic touch. Learn more by clicking here.

Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor, photo by Ermanec

You don’t have to enter a gallery to see the work of great artists in Chicago. Sculptures by Miro, Calder and Chagall are on display outdoors, and the ever-changing show in Millennium Park introduces tomorrow’s Picassos to today’s pedestrians. For more information on the City of Chicago’s art click here.

Portland, Oregon boasts of a rich offering of art, outdoors and in civic buildings; see more here.

Airports are full of people on the move, a ready audience for public art. The new Denver airport has a remarkable collection, some of it controversial. See examples here.

When Sacramento planned a new terminal at its airport, it set aside $6 million for a dozen pieces of permanent art.  The busy Philadelphia airport showcases both permanent and rotating art.

Brick cladding for bridge supports by Andrew Leicester

Airports aren’t the only places with lots of travelers – and art for them to enjoy. When Charlotte, North Carolina, built a new light-rail system, it incorporated art into every station, much of it in functional forms such as benches , drinking fountains, lights, floors, elevator enclosures and columns. See more here about how Charlotte surrounds transit riders with art.