UTSA, VIA, City transit project featured as NEA public art case study

studio discussion

Studio discussion of transit shelter project
(Photo courtesy of VIA Metropolitan Transit)

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(Oct. 14, 2014) -- A community engagement project led by the UTSA College of Architecture, Construction and Planning has been featured as a model for art-based community development by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

"Public Space/Public Transit/Public Art," completed in partnership with the City of San Antonio Department for Culture and Creative Development -- Public Art San Antonio (PASA) and VIA Metropolitan Transit, is featured among more than 60 projects from across the country in the Exploring Our Town showcase.

Exploring Our Town features models of collaborative development that have shown a transformative impact on their communities. Public Space/Public Transit/Public Art was identified by the NEA as the answer to the question: How can a university help a city to expand the way it thinks about public art, public transit and public spaces -- and how can the three come together to create a more livable city?

"The Our Town program and Public Space/Public Transit/Public Art are prime examples of the power the arts have on our everyday lives," said Jane Chu, NEA chairman. "The arts can connect, they can weave communities together and infuse our lives with a deeper sense of place and purpose. To that end, Exploring Our Town is among the essential tools for those interested in undertaking the important work of creative placemaking and community development around an arts-based project."

In 2012, the UTSA College of Architecture, Construction and Planning, in partnership with VIA and the City of San Antonio, was awarded $50,000 through the NEA Our Town grant program to lead a community engagement process focused on the design development of a public art transit stop near the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. Our Town invests in projects that contribute to the livability of communities and place the arts at their core. View an outline of the San Antonio public art project.

UTSA project director Taeg Nishimoto, M.Arch., UTSA professor of architecture; Jimme LeFlore, City of San Antonio public art manager; and Christine Viña, VIA urban design manager, sought to explore the idea of how the city could bring art, public space and transit together. This strategic vision would become the framework for Public Space/Public Transit/Public Art.

The project included the creation of an architectural studio at UTSA. Students generated conceptual designs and graphics for bus shelters that would serve the Tobin Center area. The partners also hosted a variety of well-attended events including symposiums and lectures with national and internationally recognized public design professionals. Public exhibitions of the UTSA students' works provided the public an opportunity to engage with the concepts from a pedestrian's perspective.

"The National Endowment for the Arts gave UTSA and its partners an excellent opportunity to involve local residents, artists and other key stakeholders in the community in an important conversation about the role of public space, art and transit," said Nishimoto. "Through the Exploring Our Town showcase, our project will serve as an example to other cities looking for ways to meld art and public space."

The UTSA, VIA and City of San Antonio project led to a wider public conversation in San Antonio about the connection between public art policy and public transit. In order to augment the city's commitment to public art, VIA is in the process of adopting a policy to integrate public art into its facilities and buses.

The UTSA College of Architecture, Construction and Planning is nationally recognized for its top-tier design efforts, built-environment research and community engagement initiatives. The college offers programs in architecture, construction science, interior design, urban and regional planning, and historic preservation. Its students actively engage with industry professionals, conduct research and implement projects that benefit the community.

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For more information, visit the UTSA College of Architecture, Construction and Planning and City of San Antonio Department for Culture and Creative Development websites.

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