Smart Growth America’s new report—Transportation Artists in Residence: A Landscape of an Emerging Field—takes a closer look at two pilot artist residencies at state departments of transportation convened by our Arts and Culture team. Initially launched in 2018, Smart Growth America created the concept of artists-in-residence in state transportation agencies. The report evaluates the impacts, challenges, and recommendations of transportation artists in residency (TAIR) programs in hopes of an expanded network of practitioners working at the intersection of arts and transportation.
Background
In 2018 Smart Growth America launched the concept of artists-in-residence in state transportation agencies with leaders of the Minnesota and Washington State Departments of Transportation (MnDOT and WSDOT). The goal of this program was to use a creative approach to advance the agencies’ goals to reduce congestion, promote economic vitality, support multimodal transportation systems, and create healthier communities.
To establish artists in these agencies, WSDOT and MnDOT collaborated with SGA to select practitioners who would bring their creative visions to life. At WSDOT, Kelly Gregory and Mary Welcome utilized their extensive research and travel across the state to shape the final products of their residency. Meanwhile, in MnDOT, artist Marcus Young 楊墨 was selected as their Community Vitality Fellow and quickly began conducting rotations around the agency to better understand MnDOT’s thoughts on their work, their relationships with communities, and their ideas on artistic collaborations. MnDOT later chose Sarah Peterson in 2022 to act as their Sustainability and Public Health Fellow where she experimented with artistic projects, tools, and strategies around transportation mode shifting. Despite challenges posed at the time by the COVID-19 pandemic, these artists acted innovatively to expand the use of the arts in the transportation industry.
The two program models in Minnesota and Washington State demonstrated the key benefits that can emerge when artists are embedded within transportation agencies. First and foremost, when artists are successfully embedded, they are better able to build trusting relationships with community members and agencies while inspiring the DOT to respond to changes desired by communities. This theme of connection can expand into the agencies themselves, improving the communication amongst DOT staff, and through changes to physical infrastructure, bringing attention to unseen departments, and bridging internal divides. The TAIR report also identified key barriers these programs may face due to a variety of factors including insufficient time, resources, and buy-in for the work. Some of the primary barriers to successful implementation include unclear program goals, bureaucratic navigation, identifying the right partners, and finding resources. Many of these challenges overlap, but identifying and pointing out the challenges can help future programs to plan strategies to address these barriers. Finally, programs may face difficulties when programs are too short, when artists are the only ones working in a creative context, and if there is a lack of a measurable commitment to equity. Although using the TAIR report can help address these issues, a large part of the challenge derives from the idea that TAIR programs are “mindset work,” meaning that they are intended to challenge agency norms. Due to a shared commitment of increased connections across TAIR programs, the value of strong partnerships throughout the lifespan of the program should not be overlooked. As Smart Growth America reflects back on these pilot artist residencies in advancing our mission and North Star, we remain committed wholeheartedly to instigating creative change across sectors to meet the complex challenges communities face. As we envision our work ahead in this area, and particularly with respect to transportation artists-in-residence, we seek partners in this ecosystem who share our vision and values in these specific ways: This report was written by Cross-sector Artists in Residence Lab (CAIR Lab) The Transportation Artists in Residence Network has been generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kresge Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, and ArtPlace America. Smart Growth America and Transportation for America recognize the significant leadership and contributions of our former Arts and Culture Director Ben Stone in this field.Findings
In August 2023, Smart Growth America hosted a virtual Transportation Artist in Residence Network convening to bring together and mobilize our artists in residence and other practitioners working at the intersection of art and transportation across the US and learn from their experience. In Transportation Artists in Residence: A Landscape of an Emerging Field, SGA and our program partners examined and evaluated this program to identify its successes, potential barriers and challenges, and the expected impacts from this network.Key recommendations
The TAIR report offers key recommendations for DOT staff and artists to implement future TAIR programs. In-person convenings, program readiness assessments, initial implementation strategies, peer-to-peer mentorship, professional development, and clear expectations support artists to address any unexpected challenges that may arise. Collaboration should be at the heart of any artist in residency programs. Internal support for both artists and staff is key to a successful TAIR program, but outside funders and field experts can help to improve relationships, technical assistance, and funding opportunities.Reflections