Project Overview

The Office of Arts and Culture presents an ongoing series of temporary public interventions through the Experiments in Public Art program which serves as a city-wide laboratory expanding the potential of public art. Unlike a traditional public art commission, Experiments in Public Art projects are as much an experiment for the community as they are opportunities for artists to work within unconventional parameters. Participating artists are selected, in part, by incorporating concepts and materials that extend beyond the notion of traditional public art.

Experiments in Public Art: The Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Update

Through the Experiments in Public Art program, the City of Boulder will embed artists in the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) Major Update, which kicked off in 2024. This project is a collaboration between the Planning and Development Services Department and the Office of Arts and Culture in the Community Vitality Department.

The BVCP, updated every ten years, is the city and county’s primary long-term policy guide for the Boulder Valley. Experiments in Public Art: The BVCP Update will integrate artists into communications and community engagement for the update. Artists add value to planning processes: they can help illuminate and humanize aspects of the plan; visualize, embody and create works of art to explain complicated information; diversify and elevate the voices and perspectives that are engaged in the process; and help us celebrate Boulder’s identity now and envision where we want to be in 20 years.

Experiments in Public Art: The BVCP Update is being organized with support from consulting firm More Sky, Less Ceiling.