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Who We Are

Public Art Saint Paul (PASP) is a private, non-profit organization working in partnership with the City of Saint Paul to imagine and create a more just, sustainable, and beautiful city. By placing artists in leading roles, we help shape public spaces, improve city systems, and deepen civic engagement.

Our artists research and help plan public projects and developments, such as Kellogg Mall and Mears Parks. We also commission, produce, and tend to public art—from Minnesota Rocks to 1,000 poems stamped in sidewalks to the remarkable Urban Flower Field. On top of that, we transform civic life through such innovations as the University Avenue Project, Pop Up Meeting, Western Sculpture Park, and CREATE: The Community Meal.

From small-scale gestures to large-scale events, Public Art Saint Paul creates more beautiful communities and fosters more inclusive civic life. Over 30 years, our work has become essential to the fabric of daily life in Saint Paul.

Our Mission, Vision & Values

Mission

Public Art Saint Paul makes St. Paul a better city by placing artists in leading roles to shape public spaces, improve city systems, and deepen civic engagement.

Vision

Through daring leadership, we will champion innovative public art practice, imagining and creating with artists, civic leaders, and our neighbors a 21st century city that is just, sustainable, and beautiful.

Values

Boldness: We are daring in challenging the status quo and in providing bold and creative leadership.
Equity: We value accessibility and inclusiveness and are committed to fostering a just and Beloved Community.
Beauty: We value quality, excellence, and extraordinarily strong and impactful art.
Joy: We bring fun, celebration, and play into city life and into the way we work together.
Stewardship: We take seriously our responsibility for the art we produce, restore, and maintain; our organization’s financial health; and the stewardship of donor and partner relationships.

We are on Native Land

Public Art Saint Paul acknowledges that we live, work on, and benefit from sacred, unceded Dakota land. As an organization that touches Dakota land and public space, we will continually work to understand the forces of settler-colonialism and white supremacy that led to stolen land, broken treaties, genocide, and continued systemic oppression of the Native peoples of Minnesota or Mni Sota Makoce.

Public Art Saint Paul is committed to a civic practice that is transparent, reflective, and respectful to the 11 Dakota and Anishinaabe nations of Mni Sota Makoce. Through intentionality about our work and relationships to the communities we serve, Public Art Saint Paul seeks to be a trustworthy advocate for our Native community members, artists, and collaborators. We welcome and celebrate their art and artists, culture and histories, stories and visions, resilience and critical perspectives in our own work and more broadly.

A land acknowledgment is a small part of our support for Indigenous communities, which must also be supported by action. Our actions will be incorporated into our ways of working and into how we assess our work.

We hope this statement will inspire others to stand in solidarity with Native and Indigenous nations and communities of our region and across the globe.

Staff

Board