Investing in the Arts to Strengthen Communities
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Arts program draws on the belief that arts and culture have the power to inspire creativity, spark collaboration, and build community around the world. We support artists, public art projects, and cultural institutions to strengthen the creative landscape in cities and improve residents’ quality of life.
Overview
Helping cultural organizations use digital technology to engage audiences
Supporting vibrant public art projects
Providing management training to strengthen local arts organizations
Sponsoring individual cultural organizations worldwide
Enhancing Cultural Experiences Through Technology
Bloomberg Philanthropies has long supported cutting-edge digital initiatives in the arts. Our Bloomberg Connects app features easy-to-use digital guides to a wide array of cultural institutions, from museums and galleries to historical sites and botanical gardens, across over 75 cities globally. It was created in 2019 by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with engineers and designers at Bloomberg L.P., and in 2022 it continued to grow quickly and welcomed dozens of new cultural institutions across the world. We also added new accessibility features, support for 28 languages, and other improved functions.
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Digital Accelerator program is supporting digital innovation and infrastructure at nearly 100 cultural organizations in the United States and United Kingdom. The initiative provides guidance and training aimed at strengthening their digital efforts to grow fundraising, drive revenue, and deliver dynamic programming.
Spotlight
Digital Accelerator
Through the Digital Accelerator program, New York City’s Tenement Museum upgraded its ticketing and customer management systems to add new fundraising capabilities, including the ability to donate when purchasing tickets. The program brought in more than 1,200 new donors, an 88% increase over the previous year.
Over
200
200institutions live on the app, and growing
Over
1.5million
1.5millionuser downloads
A visitor to the Frick Madison in New York City used the Bloomberg Connects app to explore the museum’s exhibitions.
Supporting Vibrant Public Art
The Asphalt Art Initiative supports cities to create vibrant art projects on streets, pedestrian areas, and public infrastructure that make them safer and more attractive. In October 2022, at Bloomberg CityLab, we announced an expansion of the program to 19 new cities across Europe, building on our work in 45 cities. In April 2023, we further expanded the program and will support projects in up to 20 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Bloomberg Associates has also produced a guide with tools and case studies to help more cities create asphalt art.
Spotlight
Asphalt Art Initiative
In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, an asphalt art installation we supported reduced average speeds through the intersection by 20%.
As part of our Asphalt Art Initiative, we commissioned a study of the impact of art on street safety, using historical crash rates and real-time analysis of driver and pedestrian behavior. Across nearly two dozen asphalt art sites, we saw strong evidence that art installations improve road safety, with a 50% decline in crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists and a 27% increase in the rate of drivers yielding to pedestrians with the right-of-way.
Videos
Watch How Public Art Can Start Conversations, Spur Change, and Strengthen Communities
64
64cities supported to create asphalt art projects in the U.S. and Europe
8,000
8,000downloads of the Asphalt Art Guide in 90 countries
In 2022, we supported a series of asphalt art installations in Billings, Montana, to connect North Park with the city’s downtown area.
Global Reach, Local Impact: Denver
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge invites mayors, artists, community leaders, and residents to collaborate on temporary public art projects that address critical issues in their communities. In 2022, building on successful Challenges in 2014 and 2018, Bloomberg Philanthropies launched the third Public Art Challenge, which will award up to 10 winning cities $1 million each to carry out their projects.
An evaluation of the 2018 Public Art Challenge, completed in 2022, found that it provided
$100million
$100millionin total economic benefits for the five winning cities
And reached over
18million
18millionin-person views
Tulsa, Oklahoma, a winner of the last round of the Public Art Challenge, used installations such as Pathway of Hope, curated by Rick Lowe and showcasing photographs by Don Thompson, to tell the story of the historic Greenwood neighborhood, which was destroyed in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Strengthening and Partnering with Arts Organizations
Our Arts Innovation and Management (AIM) program has supported local arts organizations by providing general operating support along with management training to enhance their strategic planning, board development, fundraising, and marketing. Since its launch, AIM has strengthened 740 cultural organizations in 14 U.S. cities and Puerto Rico.
The Bloomberg Arts Internship provides young people with meaningful paid work experience at cultural organizations in New York City, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, D.C., along with job-readiness training and college preparation.
Bloomberg Philanthropies has also built cultural partnerships with 700 arts institutions and countless artists in nearly all capital cities throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. As one of the largest philanthropic funders of the arts globally, we support exhibitions, artist commissions, educational programs, the world’s most important art gatherings, and more.
More than
200
200high schoolers interned at over 100 cultural organizations in 2022
More than
1,300
1,300students have now participated
The most recent group of Bloomberg Arts Interns gathered in New York City to connect and share more about their experiences interning at arts organizations across five cities.
Global Reach, Local Impact: London
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Arts program
Top photo: Bloomberg Philanthropies supported The Walk, in which a 12-foot-tall puppet known as Little Amal has traveled around the world to focus attention on the needs of young refugees. Little Amal’s journeys are produced by The Walk Productions in association with Handspring Puppet Company.