Civic Arts Projects

The Black Rock Arts Foundation's Civic Arts program continues to generate attention for setting a new, compelling model for public art placement. Through this program, many works originally created for Burning Man, a festival of art-held annually in the Black Rock Desert of northern Nevada, find new audiences in new contexts through temporary exhibition in public settings. Projects within the Civic Arts Program build on the values and lessons learned from the  Burning Man community, encouraging artistic expression outside its traditional habitat. BRAF has worked with many artists known and loved by the Burning Man community, and seeks further involvement with communities and other like minded artists and artist groups.

2005 saw the birth of BRAF’s Civic Arts Program when Mayor Gavin Newsom and the San Francisco Arts Commission encouraged BRAF to collaborate with the San Francisco’s Hayes Valley community and Artist David Best to create an interactive ‘Temple.’  The Temple quickly became a cherished focal point for the community, providing a beautiful space that inspired connection, dialog and civic pride. The Hayes Valley Temple became our model of how artists, city officials and community members can collaborate to create meaningful work, specific to the needs of their community. Since 2005, BRAF has run with this model, successfully enlisting artists, many recognizable from their work at Burning Man, to create or install their work in public spaces. Every project is intently focused on inclusive participation, community input and city collaboration.

BRAF has completed Civic Arts projects in San Francisco and the Bay Area, Reno, Nevada, and Detroit, Michigan, all of which have met with immense enthusiasm and appreciation from local communities, and each of which have raised the bar of community involvement, interactivity and quality of public artwork.