The UrbanArts Institute at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (UrbanArts) incorporates the arts and cultural programming into urban design and community building efforts. UrbanArts promotes and facilitates involvement by artists and citizens as participants in this process. Our mission is based on the belief that the cultural vitality of our communities benefits from a more active role for the arts in shaping urban and rural environments.
UrbanArts maintains a national and international Artist Registry with over 2,000 artists represented. Our users includes a wide range of clients, including urban planners, landscape architects, architects, city and state officials, community grassroots organizations, galleries, curators, corporations, public sector clients, and consultants. The Artist Registry is New England's leading registry for professional artists interested in working on public art projects. Currently, the Imagebank on this web site features 700 artists with 2,000 images images of works created after 1995. If you are an artist wishing to join the Artist Registry please download the Artist Registry Form (PDF) | Registy Form en Español (PDF).
UrbanArts offers educational programs for the public and access to resources for artists, community groups and design professionals. Annually, we host workshops, meetings, conferences and symposia on important issues concerning the field of public art. Under the rubric of Public Conversations/Public Art, past examples include Envisioning Opportunities for Public Arts for the New Central Artery Land in Boston, and Digital Art and Public Space: Expanding Definitions of Public Art. The integration of public art into higher education through courses and other offerings is underway in partnership with Massachusetts College of Art.
In addition to income from services, UrbanArts is supported by public and private foundations as well as private donors. Recent foundation support includes grants from the Boston Foundation, Boston Office of Cultural Affairs, LEF Foundation, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Substantial support is also provided by Massachusetts College of Art. Please refer to the complete list of Funders on this site. You can add your support to UrbanArts programs by contacting Christina Lanzl at 617-879-7973 or via email at Christina.Lanzl@massart.edu.