West Palm Beach Public Art Program Adopts New Brand

From City of West Palm Beach:

February 16, 2021

The City of West Palm Beach’s former Art in Public Places program officially has a new name and look designed to capture the progressive spirit of art and culture in the community. The new brand, ArtLifeWPB, distinguishes the program from other Palm Beach County efforts. It was intentionally created to recognize and celebrate the diverse cultural aspects of living in or visiting the City of West Palm Beach. A new tagline, “Public Art for an Inspired City,” accompanies the colorful logo.

The program’s committee desired to move toward a stronger identity for several years and received encouragement from Mayor Keith A. James to establish a brand that will grow in recognition as a model program for public art initiatives. The brand was created as part of the recent update to the public arts 5-Year Master Plan, which expands upon the strategic goals guided by its committee members and the City’s Administrator of Public Art and Culture Sybille Welter. In addition to the new visual identity, mission, vision, and value statements were adopted as the guiding tenets of the program.

“We are pleased to introduce a new brand for the City of West Palm Beach public art program,” said West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James. “Key themes of the new brand support artistic innovation and discovery, communal expression and exploration, unity in cultural diversity, public art as inspiration for social involvement and connectivity, and advancing the work and interests of local artists.”

“Our new brand is both an expression of why art is such a part of who we are and an invitation to engage in it,” said Welter. “We are creative people and neighborhoods, whether we are producing the art we share or enjoying it.”

ArtLifeWPB still upholds the program’s original belief that residents and visitors should live, work, and play in spaces where art is a daily experience and source of inspiration reflecting our unique way of life. The City’s public art contributes to its aesthetic, economic, and social vitality through permanent and temporary displays and annual special exhibitions. The program operates without tax funding and instead, benefits from a 1% art inclusion fund from public and private development projects. Visit the new brand, view the updated master plan, and peruse the public art site map at https://www.wpb.org/our-city/art-in-public-places.

This press release was produced by the City of West Palm Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.