6 Can’t-Miss Public Art Stops of the Southwest

DENVER, May 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Following up on its Top 10 Music Cities and 30 Most Creative Small Cities lists, Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), a nonprofit arts service organization and leading provider of innovative web services for the arts, is excited to announce the newest Creative Vitality List: 6 Can’t-Miss Public Art Stops of the Southwest.

The third in a series of data-driven lists that profile and celebrate the arts, culture, and creativity of America’s most vital and vibrant places and spaces, 6 Can’t-Miss Public Art Stops of the Southwest was created in collaboration with WESTAF’s Public Art Archive and explores cities with public art collections that represent the promise and complexity of the region, chronicle stories of creative vitality, and embrace the unique identity and diversity of the arts and people in the Southwest. Full of neighborhood spots and local favorites, the list also encourages supporting small businesses during a time of economic recovery.

Using data from WESTAF’s CVSuite creative economy data tool, the list provides regional creative economy statistics for each of the six different cities with public art collections as a way to interact and experience the local creative economy first-hand. “By teaming up with the Public Art Archive, we were able to illuminate the overlap of creativity in areas across the region using data science. We analyzed the regions first using the Creative Vitality™ Index and then overlaid data from the Public Art Archive database. Using this methodology, we were able to identify incredible pockets of creativity,” said CVSuite Business Coordinator Kelly Ernst.

“We are eager to collaborate on projects that require deeper dives into the public art data that comprises the PAA database,” said Public Art Archive Manager Lori Goldstein. “It gives us a significant opportunity to explore the varied and expansive forms of public art designed to enrich and activate public spaces. We are excited to be part of a project that promotes public art as a lens through which to explore any particular place.”

WESTAF’s Creative Vitality Lists offer a snapshot of various trends within neighborhoods, regions, and states and filter, compare, and contrast creative economy data to highlight creative vitality in communities across the United States. Look for the next list late 2021.

About CVSuite™, Public Art Archive™ and WESTAF
Creative Vitality™ Suite provides high quality creative economy data and reporting to organizations to help them measure and demonstrate the impact of the creative economy. Public Art Archive™ is a free, continually growing, online and mobile database of completed public artworks. CVSuite and the Public Art Archive were developed and are managed by the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), a nonprofit arts service organization dedicated to the creative advancement and preservation of the arts. WESTAF assists state arts agencies, arts organizations, and artists in their quest to serve diverse audiences, enrich the lives of local communities, and provide access to the arts and arts education for all. Through innovative programming, advocacy, research, technology, and grantmaking, WESTAF encourages the creative advancement and preservation of the arts regionally and through a national network of customers and alliances.