The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) will host our next quarterly and first in-person Public Art professional development workshop, “Public Art, How to Start: The Power of Collaboration,” on December 11, 2023, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA). This in-person workshop will highlight the power of leveraging artistic collaborations to win public art projects while providing unique opportunities for artists to learn from each other and create something greater than the sum of their individual talents.

The first half of the workshop will feature a presentation by Michael Coppage and Dyymond Whipper-Young, who will share their experiences applying for public art opportunities as an emerging artist team. Participants will see examples of their recent public art designs, hear what makes their artistic collaboration successful, and learn how it has increased their capacity to apply for and win public art commissions. Their presentation will be followed by a Q&A moderated by Marguerite Anglin, the City’s Public Art Director. The second half of this in-person workshop will provide an “Artist Match” opportunity for participants to meet other artists and find their own potential artistic collaborators, through facilitated ice breakers and small groups. This workshop is intended to benefit artists new to public art as well as emerging public artists looking to grow their practice. Light refreshments will be provided.

“Public Art, How to Start?” is a quarterly professional development workshop series hosted by the City’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. The purpose of this virtual series is to demystify the public art process for local and emerging artists in Philadelphia who are interested in competing for public art opportunities. Visit creativephl.org for more information and to view recordings from past workshops.

Public Art, How To Start: The Power of Collaboration