Applications for public art commissions and opportunities can be daunting. A large majority of artists who responded to the Pittsburgh Public Art Counts! survey indicated that they have never applied for a public art project because the process was confusing, they didn’t know how to prepare required documents, and because they felt as if they didn’t have the necessary experience to be a strong enough candidate. This fourth session of Public Art Training Camp will include a presentation by public art consultant Shelly Willis that will provide information to help artists prepare applications, self-select before applying to an opportunity, and demonstrate how an artist’s practice and skills make them eligible for a public art opportunity with no prior public art experience. This session will conclude with discussion.

This session will be held online via Zoom.

About Shelly Willis
Shelly Willis has more than three decades of experience planning, curating, and managing the production of hundreds of temporary and permanent artworks throughout the country.

As the Director of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission’s Public Art Program from 2007-2017 she managed the City and County of Sacramento’s Art in Public Places Programs, including the $8 million dollar Sacramento International Airport and the $9.5 million Entertainment and Sports Complex public art programs. Willis came to Sacramento after six years of managing the University of Minnesota’s public art program where she also taught public art courses in the Departments of Urban Studies and Landscape Architecture.

As a private consultant since 2017 her clients have included, among others, the Cities of Sparks, Nevada, West Sacramento, San Leandro, Palo Alto, Elk Grove; the Port of Oakland and the County of Sacramento; artist’s Mildred Howard, Lava Thomas, and Janet Zweig; The McConnell Foundation, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the Rail Arts District in Napa; and Napa Redevelopment Partners, Fulcrum Properties, and Riverview Capital Investments.

Last year she curated and managed 18 temporary projects throughout the State of California, as part of the State’s “Your Actions Save Lives” campaign which was designed to keep Californians healthy during the pandemic.