Chicago Public Art Group

What Chicago Public Art Group does

Chicago Public Art Group is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded in 1971 that produces collaborative public art including murals, sculptures, and installations across the city. Over fifty years of operation, the organization has completed nearly 1,000 projects, working with a collective of professional artists in partnership with community groups, schools, developers, and municipal agencies. The organization's core product is commissioned and community-driven public artwork, executed through a collective production model that pairs lead artists with neighborhood participants to translate local history and identity into durable physical installations.

Its business model is grant-funded and contribution-driven: revenue is assembled from foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, government arts and community-development funding, individual donations, and project commissions. There is no product-pricing model in the commercial sense; instead, the organization competes for limited philanthropic and civic-arts budgets each cycle. Its geographic focus is Chicago and surrounding metropolitan areas, with distribution driven by site commissions from civic and private partners.

The organization has begun extending its medium into augmented reality through the Augment Earth project, developed in partnership with X (Santiago X). This initiative overlays digital experiences onto existing physical mural sites, adding a new product layer and creating optionality for technology-enabled programming, sponsorship, and education revenue. The organization employs approximately 19 staff and is currently hiring project management and coordinator roles to support expanded program volume under recently appointed Executive Director Janice Bond (2025).

Name

Chicago Public Art Group

Legal name

Chicago Public Art Group

Website

https://chicagopublicartgroup.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Chicago Public Art Group is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded in 1971 that designs and produces collaborative public art — murals, sculptures, and installations — for neighborhoods, schools, developers, and civic partners, and recently expanded into augmented-reality experiences via its Augment Earth project.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Art Services

NAICS

Museums (71211)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO), Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Public art services
• Community mural creation
• Artist mentorship programs
• Community engagement art
• Mosaic sculpture commissions

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Funding from foundations including Alphawood Foundation, Joyce Foundation, MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture, Terra Foundation for American Art, National Endowment for the Arts, and corporate donors like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Showtime, and Whole Foods Market.
2. Government Funding: Support from Chicago DCASE, Illinois Arts Council Agency, Illinois Humanities, Chicago Housing Authority, and National Academy of Design.
3. Individual Donations: Accepts donations via PayPal and Neon CRM portal. Recurring donation options available.
4. Sponsorship Packages: Corporate and individual sponsorship opportunities at various levels. Sponsors at $500+ receive free admission to special events and limited-edition artist prints, plus website and social media recognition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chicago Public Art Group is a nonprofit coalition of professional artists that creates public artworks including murals, sculptures, earthworks, playgrounds, and mosaics across Chicago through community-engaged, consensus-based processes. The organization provides operational and administrative support to artists and communities, mentors affiliated artists, and educates children and adults in creative skills. It also produces augmented reality experiences such as Augment Earth to extend public art into digital formats.

Product overview

Chicago Public Art Group (CPAG) is a nonprofit organization that provides public art services, facilitating the creation of murals, sculptures, earthworks, mosaics, and other public artworks throughout Chicago. CPAG does not offer a software product; rather, it delivers professional services including project development from concept through installation, community engagement facilitation, artist mentorship, and artwork preservation. The organization manages a network of affiliated artists and supports public art projects through administrative and operational assistance. Notable projects include the Augment Earth augmented reality experience, which uses smartphone geolocation to deliver interactive digital content at Indigenous heritage sites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community-Engaged Public Art Commissions End-to-end public art creation engagement for Chicago communities, institutions, and partner organizations: projects are developed from concept through installation using consensus-based processes with community members, with CPAG providing artistic direction, project management, and operational support.
• Augment Earth AR Experience Smartphone-based augmented reality experience for visitors to encounter an interactive digital gallery of Native histories, cultures, and augmented infographics at Indigenous points of interest throughout Chicago.
• Artist Mentorship and Training Program Professional mentorship and training program supporting affiliated artists working in public art, including administrative support, project funding access, community connections, and public art practice mentorship.
• Community Art Education Programs Educational programs for children and adults in creative skills, providing tools to articulate ideas and transform physical environments, integrated with community art projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Created nearly 1,000 public art projects over 50+ years

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Special Service Area 61 Hyde ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness improvement district partnering with CPAG for 53rd & 55th Street Viaduct Revitalization Project.
• Fullerton Mural L3CminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in creation of A Kaleidoscope of Hidden Worlds murals at Fullerton and Lake Shore Drive underpass.
• Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization partnered with CPAG for Chinatown Centennial Mural project commemorating the 100th anniversary of Chicago Chinatown's move to its current location.
• Chicago Park DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency partnering with CPAG for Coiled Serpent Mound earthwork installation along Chicago River in Horner Park.
• Portage Park Neighborhood AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization partnering with CPAG on Coiled Serpent Mound and 4000N conceptual outdoor museum trail.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Mural Arts Philadelphia: The nation's largest public art program, producing community-based murals across Philadelphia with a comparable nonprofit operating model, foundation funding mix, and artist-network-driven project execution. CPAG's closest direct analog in scale and mission.
• Precita Eyes Muralists: San Francisco-based nonprofit founded in 1977 that produces community murals and runs a Mission District mural arts program. Shares CPAG's community-engaged mural model, artist apprenticeship approach, and Northern California-style neighborhood focus.
• Groundswell: New York City-based nonprofit that brings together artists and communities to create public murals, primarily serving underserved neighborhoods. Operates a near-identical mission, youth apprenticeship program, and consensus-based community process to CPAG.
• The Heidelberg Project: Detroit-based nonprofit community art installation operating since 1986, transforming a blighted neighborhood through outdoor art. Comparable in nonprofit structure, community-driven placemaking approach, and reliance on foundation/corporate/individual funding.

Emerging players

• Wall\Therapy: Rochester, NY-based mural arts program founded in 2012, pairing local artists with visiting muralists for community projects. Smaller scale than CPAG with similar community-mural focus and reliance on healthcare/corporate sponsors (similar to ComEd, Blue Cross partnerships at CPAG).
• Justseeds Artists' Cooperative: Artist-run cooperative of ~25 printmakers and muralists producing socially engaged public art since 2007. Comparable grassroots artist-network model and mission orientation, though operating as a worker cooperative rather than a single 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
• Los Angeles Poverty Department: Skid Row-based performing and visual arts nonprofit that uses public art and performance to address community representation. Shares CPAG's community-voice philosophy and nonprofit structure, though with a stronger performance-art overlay.

Regional players

• Arts Alliance Illinois: Statewide arts advocacy and funding organization in Illinois that channels public and private funding to Illinois arts organizations including CPAG. Overlaps as an ecosystem peer and a regional funding intermediary rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• National Assembly of State Arts Agencies: National membership organization for state arts agencies that channels federal NEA funds and policy advocacy. Operates as a sector-level peer/funder adjacent to CPAG, particularly through Illinois Arts Council Agency funding flows.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chipublicart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-public-art-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicago Public Art Group