The City of Virginia Beach has outlined four major objectives for art and culture in the city:
- Establishing and encouraging the arts and cultural districts
- Strengthening the city’s investment in public art
- Using the city’s art and cultural resources as a tourism and development tool
- Supporting the evolution of the city’s arts economy.
The goal of Virginia Beach’s Public Art Program is to engage, inspire and surprise the community with unique works of art, while creating vibrant meeting places and raising the profile of public art in Virginia Beach on both a national and international platform.
Community-Based Public Art Initiative
Celebrates the spirit and diversity across the city. All works are created for the community, by the community, and with community artists. These initiatives allow artists to immerse themselves within our communities, creating deep connections resulting in collaborative public art projects that reach neighborhoods across the City.
Educational Initiatives and Programs
Informative or educational workshops designed to engage the community, students, and visitors in a personal way which include artist talks at local schools, public forums, and online content educational resources. Artist programs and workshops to foster local and regional artists educational, professional growth, and networking opportunities to support and build our professional artists community.
Environmentally Responsive Public Art
Are designed to inform and highlight Virginia Beach’s natural spaces. Accomplished artists in this field are invited to participate in residencies to create on-site, or site-responsive works of art, using natural materials.
Temporary Installations
Installations should transform public spaces into exciting and vibrant places for social interaction within our community designed to be welcoming to both citizens and visitors. These pieces can be but are not limited to, murals, interactive, kinetic, integrated with technology, and/ or environmentally reactive.
Gateway Projects
Public Art Installations that create a sense of arrival and place are often larger, permanent, site-specific works.
Placemaking
Creative placemaking harnesses the power of arts and culture to allow for more genuine public engagement. Done right, creative placemaking can lead to both a better process and a better product. The results are streets, sidewalks, and public spaces that welcome us, inspire us, and move us in every sense of the word.