Sarasota’s public art will be in the spotlight next week as the Florida Association of Public Art Professionals annual conference comes to town. The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County will host this statewide conference for public art professionals April 27 - 29 at the Art Ovation Hotel in downtown Sarasota. Intersections 2022: The Union of Public Art + People, is a three day conference, filled with inspiring think-tank sessions, panel discussions, presentations and of course, Sarasota’s remarkable public art collection, which expresses the city’s beauty, history and creative spirit. “This conference comes at an interesting time for all of us after what we’ve experienced collectively over the past 2 years and it is our hope that conference attendees walk away from these three days feeling reconnected and empowered in their roles as public art professionals,” said Jim Shirley, Executive Director of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County. The Florida Association of Public Art Professionals (FAPAP) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the development, advocacy, promotion, and education of public art in the State of Florida, as well as the promotion of national best practices in the field.

The conference will allow members from all over the state to reflect upon and celebrate their past accomplishments, reconnect with colleagues while meeting new ones, and learn and discuss public art challenges and opportunities. The conference environment is open for dialogue, questions and sharing ideas at all levels.

On day two of the conference, attendees will hear from keynote speaker, Jane Golden, Executive Director of Mural Arts Philadelphia. Golden has been the driving force of Mural Arts Philadelphia since its inception, overseeing its growth from a small city agency into the nation’s largest public art program and a global model for transforming public space and community through art. Under Golden’s direction, Mural Arts has created over 4,000 works of public art through innovative collaborations with community-based organizations, city agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools, the private sector, and philanthropies.

In partnership with the Office of Public Art for the City of Sarasota, the conference will include three sessions that will be open to the public:

—“Nuts & Bolts: Foundations for Success in the World of Public Art,” 9-10:30 am Wednesday, April 27: Artists and professionals are invited to this “town hall” moderated panel setting with working professionals from around Florida.

—Year in Review, 9-10:15 am Thursday, April 28: A virtual tour of diverse public art installations completed in 2021 throughout Florida, plus some of the public art projects that received the prestigious Americans for the Arts “2021 Year in Review” Award.

—Keynote speaker Jane Golden, 10:30 am to noon Thursday, April 28: Golden has been the driving force of Mural Arts Philadelphia since its inception, overseeing its growth from a small city agency into the nation’s largest public art program and a global model for transforming public space and community through art.

All three open-to-the-public sessions will be held at Art Ovation Hotel, 1255 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota. Participants can register online for any of the free sessions. Registration closes Tuesday, April 26 at 5:00 PM.

Register online.