The Town of Normal has embraced public art and cultural arts programming for generations. The establishment of the Cultural Arts Department in 2015 was a step toward new efforts to enhance and leverage the many benefits that come with celebrating the arts.
Public visual art has proliferated across many communities in the United States, taking on a variety of forms, sites and themes. According to Americans for the Arts, the largest growth of public visual art programs in the last 50 years has been in small cities, the suburbs and towns. Of the 350 established public art programs in the U.S., 111 of them serve populations of 150,000 or less. Nationally, 86 programs serve populations of 1 million or more.
Not only do public art installations create beauty, but they can also be a catalyst to connect different audiences and publicly illustrate a community’s identity and vision for the future. More partnerships and a sustainable funding strategy will be necessary to harness these possibilities and ensure that future generations will enjoy public visual art in Normal and see the Town as a genuine place that fosters unique expression, collaboration and celebration through public art.
The Town is developing formal strategies to fund and install more public art with community engagement opportunities and expert input.
