Public Art Chattanooga

What Public Art Chattanooga does

Public Art Chattanooga (PAC) is a municipal government program administered by the City of Chattanooga under the Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, with oversight provided by a Mayor-appointed Public Art Commission. Established in 1999, PAC manages a collection of over 180 public artworks—more than 100 of which are permanent installations—across Chattanooga's parks, streets, public buildings, and community spaces. The program's core products include the Outdoor Collection, the Indoor Collection, rotating temporary exhibitions, and the Artwork Archives digital platform, which is built on the third-party Artwork Archive SaaS and provides public access to the collection with artist narratives and cultural context.

PAC operates a community-led go-to-market model, partnering with neighborhood associations, arts organizations, and civic groups to identify sites, develop concepts, and commission works. Notable recent projects include the Ed Johnson Memorial by Jerome B. Meadows (2021) and the Radiance sculpture by Futureforms (2021), both addressing themes of racial healing and urban revitalization. The program also runs artist selection panels composed of community members and accepts unsolicited proposals and donations. There is no commercial pricing model; PAC is a free public service funded through city government budgets, supplemented by private-sector partnerships and donations from entities such as the Benwood Foundation.

Name

Public Art Chattanooga

Legal name

Public Art Chattanooga (City of Chattanooga)

Website

https://publicartchattanooga.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Public Art Chattanooga is a City of Chattanooga municipal program that manages over 180 public artworks across the city, commissions new installations, and provides free public access via its digital Artwork Archives platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Art and Cultural Programming

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Museums (THAJADAA), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Municipal public art
• Public art curation
• Sculpture exhibitions
• Mural commissions
• Community arts programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Chattanooga

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Public Art Chattanooga is a municipal program administered by the City of Chattanooga, funded through city government budgets and potentially supplemented by private sector partnerships and donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Public Art Chattanooga curates, commissions, installs, and maintains a collection of over 180 permanent and temporary public artworks on City of Chattanooga property. The program delivers artist selection, design support, installation, and maintenance services, and engages communities through selection panels, neighborhood partnerships, and educational programming.

Product overview

Public Art Chattanooga (PAC) is a city-managed program administered by the City of Chattanooga and the Public Art Commission, overseeing all temporary and permanent public art projects on City property. The program maintains a collection of over 180 works displayed both outdoors and in indoor facilities. The portfolio consists of the Outdoor Collection, Indoor Collection (established 1999), and temporary exhibitions including biennial sculpture shows. The digital Artwork Archives platform, powered by Artwork Archive, provides public access to the collection. PAC provides artist selection, commissioning, installation, and maintenance services, alongside community engagement programs that involve citizens through selection panels and neighborhood partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Art Collection A managed collection of over 180 permanent and temporary public art works, including sculptures, murals, and installations, displayed throughout Chattanooga on city-owned property. Maintained for public enjoyment, cultural expression, and community engagement.
• Outdoor Collection Public art prominently displayed outdoors throughout Chattanooga's parks, trails, streets, and public spaces. Includes sculptures, murals, and site-specific installations commissioned for outdoor civic environments.
• Indoor Collection Permanent indoor art collection housed in city buildings and facilities, established in 1999 when the City of Chattanooga began building a permanent indoor collection of art.
• Temporary Art Exhibitions Rotating temporary public art projects including sculpture exhibitions, biennial sculpture shows, and artistic interventions in public spaces driven by community partnerships.
• Artwork Archives Digital Platform Digital platform providing public access to the city's public art collection, showcasing sculptures, murals, and installations with artist narratives and cultural context.
• Artist Selection and Commissioning Services Resources and technical assistance for artist selection, artwork design, installation, and maintenance, including community engagement through programming, education, and advocacy for artists seeking public art commissions.
• Community Engagement Programs Programs enabling community participation through artwork selection panels, volunteer opportunities, and neighborhood partnerships for public art projects.

Named customers3 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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ed Johnson Memorial CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Led the creation of the Ed Johnson Memorial by Jerome B. Meadows (2021), a permanent site acknowledging the lynching of Ed Johnson to promote racial healing and reconciliation. PAC supported this community-driven memorial project.
• FutureformscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborated with Futureforms on 'Radiance' (2021), an iconic sculpture anchoring the transformation of historic Patten Parkway into a vibrant public square, inspired by the Innovation District's Artistic Plan.
• Woodmore Manor Neighborhood AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnered to commission Brainerd Vision and Legacy mural by Brandon Donahue (2020), a community-driven mural design on the Brainerd Community Center representing the Woodmore Manor and Brainerd area neighborhoods.
• Highland Park Neighborhood AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnered on re:Pete installation by Randy Walker (2019) to activate and animate Tatum Park in the Highland Park neighborhood through a public art call.
• Mid-South Sculpture Alliance (MSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partner on rotating sculpture exhibitions including the Riverwalk Sculpture Exhibition (2017-2019) and Mid-South Sculpture Alliance Outdoor Exhibition (2009-2010), showcasing works along the Tennessee Riverpark.
• River City CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on City Thread by SPORTS (2018), an alleyway activation creating a vibrant pedestrian corridor that can also be adapted to a public event space.
• Trust for Public LandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered to commission Clamber Scramble Traverse by Adam Kuby (2018), a sculptural adventure trail at Sterchi Farm Trailhead combining public art with outdoor recreation infrastructure.
• CARTAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Art in Motion (2011-2013), transforming CARTA Downtown Electric Shuttles into mobile public art works, combining public transit with cultural programming.
• RE:site StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated the Wreath of Honor memorial, designed by Shane Allbritton and Norman Lee, honoring the five men who lost their lives during the July 16, 2015 tragic shootings.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Atlanta Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs Public Art Program: City of Atlanta's public art program managing municipal art installations and community-driven projects. Comparable Southeast municipal arts administrator with similar scale and structure.
• Houston Arts Alliance Public Art: Manages the City of Houston's public art collection and Percent for Art program. Comparable municipal public art administrator with a sizable permanent collection and community partnerships.
• Philadelphia Percent for Art Program: City of Philadelphia's Percent for Art program commissioning and maintaining public art across city-owned property. Directly comparable in mandate, funding mechanism, and collection management.
• Nashville Metro Arts Commission: Municipal arts agency that commissions and maintains public art across Nashville, with a community-driven project pipeline. Comparable Southeast U.S. municipal program with similar scale and mandate.
• Denver Arts & Venues Public Art Program: Municipal public art program administering the City of Denver's Percent for Art ordinance and managing a permanent public art collection. Closely comparable in mandate, governance structure, and operating model to Public Art Chattanooga.
• San Francisco Arts Commission Public Art Program: City-administered public art program curating and maintaining San Francisco's civic art collection, including murals, sculptures, and installations. Directly comparable in scope, governance, and community engagement approach.
• Seattle Office of Arts & Culture: City of Seattle's arts agency administering public art programs, collections, and community grants. Comparable in being a municipal program managing a permanent collection with civic engagement focus.
• Minneapolis Public Art Program: City of Minneapolis's public art program curating and maintaining a citywide public art collection. Comparable municipal program with similar governance and community engagement approach.

Broad incumbents

• Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Public Art: Municipal cultural agency that, among broader responsibilities, administers public art programs and collections across the City of Los Angeles. Comparable in mandate but operates as a much larger incumbent with broader cultural affairs portfolio.

Emerging players

• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that partners with cities on public art and park projects, including the Clamber Scramble Traverse collaboration with Public Art Chattanooga. Comparable as a partner and ecosystem participant in municipal public art delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CityofChattanooga
• Facebookfacebook.com/CityofChattanooga
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityofchattanooga
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/public-art-chattanooga

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Public Art Chattanooga