Orange County Arts Council’s “Artists Conversations with Industry: Public Art” presented in partnership with Grit Works.
About this Event
Time update: Friday, August 7th 4:00pm-5:00pm

REGISTER HERE

Join Orange County Arts Council as we invite Cekis, mural artist; Jamie Perrow, co-founder of Urban Art Projects; Aliza Schiff of Via Partnership; and Patricia Walsh, Public Art and Civic Design Senior Program Manager for Americans for the Arts to share their professional experience and insights regarding the future of public art. This panel discussion will be facilitated by Martin Dominguez Ball and will explore such topics as:

How has the role of public art shifted?
What might the future hold for public art?
How has the industry adapted to current times?
How does public art shape the tapestry of our culture?
How can artists engage with the public art industry?
What advice do panelists have for artists to take initial steps in pursuing public art?
How can the community support public art?
With so much uncertainty in the arts world today, this timely conversation will touch on many significant topics surrounding public art including how public art has been affected through the current economic, cultural and social climate as well as how the industry is finding solutions through the challenges of Covid19. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions through the group chat box available on Zoom.

This program is presented in partnership with Grit Works.

Registration is required to join us in this exciting Zoom Panel. An email with login instructions will be e-mailed to you upon your registration.

Registration is free for members and there is a $10 registration fee for non-members. To become a member of Orange County Arts Council, visit our website today.

MEMBER ALERT: To access your free coupon code, please e-mail info@ocartscouncilorg.

Martin Dominguez Ball – Facilitator

Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Martin Dominguez Ball moved to New York in the mid-1980s. He is a multidisciplinary artist with a BFA in graphic design and a MFA in interdisciplinary arts. A prolific creator, Martin’s paintings, drawings and sculptures have been well received in galleries in New York City and beyond. Additionally, he is a filmmaker, musician, the founder of O Street Design, and a professor at Fordham University and St. John’s University.

“Artists Conversations With Industry” is presented by Orange County Arts Council and is made possible through donations from people like you. To support programs like this, please visit ocartscouncil.org.

More about the panelists:
Nelson Cekis, Mural Artist

Cekis career as a visual artist began within the streets of his native Santiago, Chile. He was deeply  inspired by New York’s graffiti culture and the mural movement from the 70’s and 80’s in Santiago.   By the mid/late 90’s his artwork was at the helm of a new generation of artists from the streets of  South America. His murals transcended communities, and helped to create a new popular appeal for street culture in Chile.  Cekis moved to NYC in 2004, since then his studio-work and large scale public murals maintain a visual evidence of his Latin American and Graffiti roots while communicating to a universal language of the human experience, through the use of a vibrant and unique palette of colors.  Cekis has participated in numerous public mural projects locally, throughout the United States, and internationally. He has been included in the list of The 50 Most Influential Street Artists of All Time, by Complex Media (2013).
Jamie Perrow, UAP

As the Co-Creative Director of UAP, Jamie has worked on a significant array of projects, collaborating with local and international emerging and established artists, architects and designers. He has worked globally on projects in Australia, USA, Saudi Arabia and China and frequently works across UAP’s international offices. Jamie’s belief that fine art fabrication is an artform in and of itself, coupled with his excellent collaborative and consultative approach, allows him to work closely and efficiently with UAP’s clients and partners. His extensive experience has seen him work with artists such as Kehinde Wiley, KAWS, Ai Weiwei, Sui Jian Guo, Ned Kahn, Nike Savvas, Arne Quinze, Florentijn Hofman, Phillip K. Smith III, and Lindy Lee as well as influential architectural studios such as Snohetta, KPF, Zaha Hadid Design, Gehry Partners and HBA to deliver smaller scale editioned work, as well as large-scale installations and built forms.

In Jamie’s leadership role within the creative team he oversees the creative direction of some of UAP’s most significant projects, presents at creative industry conferences and events as well as contributing to the management of UAP’s Brand & Marketing identity.

Jamie graduated from the University of NSW Art & Design with a Bachelor of Design and commenced his career as a freelance designer and academic lecturer & tutor in Design before joining UAP in 2007. He has worked in the design and visual art industries for over 15 years. He has recently moved to UAP’s New York studio.
Aliza Schiff , VIA Partnership

Aliza Schiff is a public art project manager and planner with extensive experience working with communities to commission and plan award winning public art. She has a strong background in developing and growing municipal-community partnerships and a special interest in the ways that public art programs and projects can address the needs of underserved residents.

Aliza has worked with Via Partnership since 2009, contributing to public art strategies and master plans, as well as to artist selection and commission management projects. She brings a deep understanding of the complexity of civic processes as they relate to commissioning and planning for public art. Aliza previously was a public art project manager for Arlington, Virginia’s nationally-recognized public art program, developing and managing new commissions with national and local artists, planning future public art opportunities, working with private developers commissioning projects through the site plan process, and overseeing conservation of the County’s 70+ piece public art collection.

In addition, Aliza managed a Summer Youth Employment Program for the City of Providence, Rhode Island’s Department of Art, Culture and Tourism that employed more than 260 at-risk youth in the arts. And, as the Community Partnerships & Programs Manager for Arlington Cultural Affairs (Virginia), Aliza developed and implemented creative programs that engage the public with arts, culture, history, and heritage, including festivals, events, and programs in partnership with local public schools, libraries, and other community institutions.

In 2017, Aliza moved back to her hometown of Warwick, NY where she also volunteers with local arts organizations, including producing events for Wickham Works and the Warwick Summer Arts Festival.

About Via

Via Partnership, LLP is a St. Louis and New York-based consulting group that develops comprehensive public art strategies and facilitates public art projects. Founded by partners Emily Blumenfeld and Meridith McKinley in 1999, Via works with public agencies, developers, cultural organizations and community groups to plan, curate and produce public art throughout the United States and Canada.

Via has developed innovative public art plans for cities and other public agencies, large and small, across the U.S. and Canada. Via has worked with cities with existing public art programs to update policies and procedures, and with communities establishing new public art programs.

In addition to master planning, Via manages public art projects with a broad range of budgets from project inception through dedication. Via does not represent particular artists, allowing us to continuously seek the best talent for each particular project. We have established strong relationships with leading artists and dealers and have a strong sense of the ever‐changing field of talent. The public art projects we have helped to commission range from temporary projects, including several projects for the City of Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Public Art Program and the 2018 Bloomberg Public Art Challenge program The Power of Art in Coral Springs and Parkland, FL, to large-scale, iconic works for cities, stadiums and private developers. Many have received the Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Year in Review Award – the only national award that specifically recognizes public art projects.

Learn more at www.viapartnership.com

Patricia Walsh joined Americans for the Arts in 2014 where she works to empower public art administrators, artists, placemakers, and other professionals in the design, planning, transportation, and land use fields to implement public art projects and practices into the built environment by supporting best practices, case studies, resource development, and peer-to-peer networking.

As Public Art & Civic Design Senior Program Manager, Patricia overseas the locally focused public art, creative placemaking and cultural districts work to support artists and arts-based practices to address community needs and goals. She has developed the Public Art & Civic Design Conference, implements field education opportunities to connect experts with those in the field, moderates the 1,000+ membership-based Public Art Network, and travels frequently to communities across the country to engage and learn from her colleagues working locally. She designed the Public Art Resource Center, an online portal to increase access to tools, resources, and opportunities for those making public art happen in their communities. She develops strategies to engage allied fields to cultivate policy and practice that supports public art in the built environment across the country. Currently, Patricia manages partnerships with Smart Growth America/Transportation for America, National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, is the Treasurer for the Arts and Planning Interest Group Steering Committee for American Planning Association, and the incoming co-chair for the Washington District Council on Placemaking for Urban Land Institute.

Prior to arriving in D.C., Patricia lived and worked in many communities across the U.S. She held positions in public art for the Arts Commission for the City of Las Vegas and the City of San Jose Public Art Program. She served on the City of Palo Alto Public Art Commission, as a committee member for genARTS Silicon Valley, an initiative of the Arts Council Silicon Valley dedicated to serving emerging leaders, and volunteered with the City of Oakland public art program.

Born in Vermont, Patricia grew up near Poughkeepsie, New York, holds a Master of Science in Arts Administration from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in painting from State University of New York at Plattsburgh. She has also enjoyed time living in Santa Fe, New Mexico.