Traverse City Arts Commission

The Arts Commission develops and oversees the public art collection - it supports, promotes, and connects the community to public art by fostering creativity, developing innovative programming, and supporting community events. We are responsible for the administration and overall management of the City of Traverse City’s Public Art Program. The Arts Commission connect the community to ideas and provide opportunity for artists. We collaborate with artists, art organizations, institutional partners, and local businesses and galleries to strengthen our community through art.

Public Art Collection

Traverse City's public art collection includes artwork that is located in public spaces of different use and scale. The collection is located both on public and private property and includes permanent works of art, temporary exhibits, rotating exhibitions, pop-up art, and annual events. From neighborhood parks to downtown streets and plazas, building facades to intimate spaces, waterfront parks to trails and public walkways, the robust public art program is sure to stimulate conversation and show community pride.

Public art is art with the social purpose of creating rich landscapes that reflect our history, embrace and honor cultural differences, inject a sense of play that makes passers-by smile involuntarily, create a sense of civic pride, and ignite our creativity.

Public art often welcomes people to town, marks a town center, or provides shade and resting space in parks. Some public art is sited in high traffic areas, especially places frequented by pedestrians. Other common sites include major public buildings, parks, neighborhood communities, schools, senior centers, libraries, police and re stations, and town centers where people walk and gather. It can also be infused into architectural elements of both new and existing buildings.