Providence, RI City Hall. Photo by Metris Arts, 2019.
Artists who collaborate with municipal agencies and community organizations inspire us at Metris. This work happens in many different ways. It ranges from one-off temporary installations to decades-long residencies. Those in the arts field are familiar with this work. But unfortunately, most government agencies don’t understand how artists can play a role in their work.
It’s hard to remember my first encounter with the artist/planner. This was definitely not covered in planning school. When I worked at the Chicago Department of Planning this wasn’t yet on our radar. Theaster Gates is the first urban planner with a serious creative practice that I met. At the time (mid 1990’s) he was working as a planner at the Chicago Transit Authority.
In April I attended the 
I’ve spent most of my life living in urban spaces. In our work at Metris, we lift up examples of arts and culture happening in communities across the U.S. I also recently joined the board of the 
I was lucky to be able to attend some of the Philadelphia 
