Public art adds vibrancy, color, and excitement to public areas across the region. From murals and sculptures to memorials and innovative installations, public art beautifies shared spaces, enriches communities, and creates a sense of place and belonging for residents and visitors.
St. Louis has a long history of embracing public art, and the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC) has proudly contributed to that work since its founding in 1985. Over the past four decades, RAC has helped advance public art across the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County through community planning, public art initiatives, funding, and the development of policies and guidelines that support public art throughout the region.
Explore the different areas of our community and the public art that enriches our lives below.
RAC's Public Art Committee was established in 2025 to oversee requests and inquiries submitted to RAC in response to the agency’s role outlined in Ordinance #68793.
PUBLIC ART ROUNDTABLES
The public art roundtables were created by RAC’s Public Art Committee in 2026 to help create space for conversations around the region’s public art and develop opportunities for those active within the public art ecosystem to connect and share solutions.
PUBLIC ART & RAC: STRATEGY REPORT AND HISTORICAL PRIMER | JUSTICE + JOY
In 2023, RAC partnered with Justice + Joy on a two-part approach to better understand RAC’s relationship to public art. The first component examined RAC’s history and role in public art, resulting in the development of a historical primer. The second component focused on RAC’s strategy for moving forward as a funder and communicator in the public art field, resulting in a strategy report
“Public art has the power to create a region of belonging, unity and a place of equitable economic growth.”
– Justice + Joy Strategy Report, 2023
CLICK HERE TO access
Public Art Directory
PAST PUBLIC ART INITIATIVES
RAC’s work in public art has taken many forms over the years. Explore two past initiatives that helped shape public art and planning in Downtown St. Louis: the Downtown STL Public Art Initiative (2018) and InSITE STL (2022). Check out Public Art & RAC: A Historical Primer Summary for a broader overview of other past public art initiatives.
DOWNTOWN STL
PUBLIC ART
INITIATIVE
InSITE STL
frequently asked questions
HOW CAN I APPLY FOR AN ARTWORK PERMIT?
For projects proposing to create or install public art on City-owned property, applicants will need to work with the City of St. Louis Board of Public Service (BPS) and obtain an Artwork Permit before moving forward with the project.
The Artwork Permit process applies to public art projects on City property, including small projects such as painting or decorating control and utility boxes. Applicants should review the permit requirements and submit an application through BPS before beginning work.
Click here for additional information about the process and to access the artwork permit application. If you have questions about the permit process or need additional information, please don’t hesitate to reach out, publicart@racstl.org.
HOW DO I GET ACCEPTED INTO THE ST. LOUIS CITY COLLECTION?
For public artwork projects in which the City of St. Louis will serve as the project owner, for artwork being considered for acceptance into the City of St. Louis Public Art Collection, or for artwork being gifted or donated to the City, the proposed project must be submitted to the RAC’s Public Art Committee for review.
Applicants should submit their proposed project to the RAC Public Art Committee at publicart@racstl.org, for review and consideration before moving forward with the project.
Please make sure your proposed project includes the following information:
Project Information
- Project Type: (public art donation, public art commission, etc.)
- Donor(s):
- Partners:
- Receiving Agency:
- Any individuals who should be included on communications with BPS (such as the donor or representatives of the receiving agency):
Additional Materials
- A summary of completed tasks to date (including meetings, artist selection/commissioning, etc.)
- A summary of any anticipated follow-up tasks (such as maintenance, activations, or future responsibilities)
- Project documents and supporting materials, which may include artist information and bio, renderings, portfolio work, siting information, and selection committee details
- Installation timeline and key dates
If you have questions about the review process or whether your project requires review, please contact us at publicart@racstl.org.
DOES RAC HAVE A DIRECTORY OF PUBLIC ART IN ST. LOUIS?
Yes, you can access RAC’s public art directory here.
Please note that RAC’s Public Art Directory is not actively being updated and, in its current capacity, serves as a resource and historical archive documenting public artworks throughout the St. Louis region. Information presented in the inventory may be incomplete or outdated.
In the future, RAC hopes to update this inventory to better reflect the region’s current public art landscape and provide a more comprehensive resource for the community.
If you have any updates or inquires about the inventory, please contact us at publicart@racstl.org.