Phoenix subcommittee approves $24.4 million public art plan for 2025–2030

The City of Phoenix Economic Development and Housing Subcommittee unanimously recommended approval of the city’s fiscal year 2025–2030 public art plan, a five-year program with a $24,407,060 budget that city staff said will integrate public art into capital projects, parks and citywide initiatives.

The plan matters because the city’s percent-for-art ordinance directs 1% of capital improvement program (CIP) funds to public art; the subcommittee’s endorsement sends the approved plan to the full City Council for final approval and listing on the city’s public art website.

Arts and culture staff presented the plan and budget during the May 28 meeting. Carrie Brown, deputy arts and culture director, told the subcommittee that the municipal art collection now contains more than 1,200 works, including about 250 site-specific pieces, and that the public art program’s five-year budget includes $4.5 million for Sky Harbor International Airport projects and $3,761,464 for Go Bond–related public art. Brown said the program prioritizes projects that can be integrated into CIP projects, that advance equitable distribution across Phoenix’s 519 square miles, and that diversify the collection and artist pool.

“We believe this year’s plan continues that tradition with projects that enhance the look, feel, and function of public spaces,” Brown said.

Mitch Menchaca, Phoenix arts and culture director, described several categories in the plan: new commissions, major refurbishments, citywide initiatives (including heat-mitigation work), and multi-year projects such as a Third Street pedestrian bridge over the Rio Salado. He noted that temporary public-art efforts are also included to allow artwork where capital projects do not exist.

Private-sector presenters and regional partners urged continued public–private cooperation. Sharon Harper, chairman and CEO of Plaza Companies, described how private development can “create that soul for Phoenix” and encouraged developers to make art a predictable part of projects. “Arts and culture is creating that soul for Phoenix,” Harper said. Serena Ramey, senior vice president for marketing and communications at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), described a regional initiative to document and promote public art, saying the region now ranks in the top 10 globally on the benchmarking platform GPEC is using.

The plan lists specific deliverables: three new projects, eight major refurbishments, seven citywide initiatives (including several tied to the Bloomberg-supported Sombra experiments in shade grant), and a call to artists for Go Bond–related work expected this calendar year. Menchaca said the public art program has contributed more than $12 million to the local economy over the past five years and that construction trades and fabricators accounted for the majority of jobs created on recent projects.

Public testimony and a representative of the Phoenix Community Alliance supported the plan’s emphasis on shade, neighborhood projects and retrofits. Patrick McDaniel of the Phoenix Community Alliance said public art “is a small investment that provides a return on a human scale” and urged the subcommittee to approve the plan.

After discussion the subcommittee member moved to approve the 2025–2030 public art plan; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Chair Anne O’Brien confirmed the recommendation will proceed to full City Council and that staff will post the approved plan on the city website for public access.

The approved plan is intended to fund integrated artwork at stations, streetscapes and civic projects across neighborhoods and to support both permanent and temporary installations, with staff citing partnerships with Art Link and regional groups to expand documentation and private-sector participation.

The subcommittee discussion also included comparisons to nearby city ordinances: staff explained Tempe and Scottsdale maintain separate private-development art requirements (Tempe’s ordinance applies to 50,000-square-foot-plus retail or office developments at a per-square-foot rate, and Scottsdale’s downtown planned-block development rules allocate a percentage of building valuation), noting Phoenix’s program currently relies on the 1% CIP allocation and credits tested in downtown zoning.

Next steps: the subcommittee forwarded the five-year public art plan and budget to the City Council for final approval and asked staff to publish the plan and continue outreach to artists and developers.