Art in Public Places

The City established the Art in Public Places program in 1995 to integrate art into our community through acquisitions and maintenance of public art. Popular projects like Pianos About Town and Transformer Cabinet Murals bring art to life throughout Fort Collins.

How the Program Works

Art in Public Places directly funds art through construction projects in Fort Collins. Capital projects (budgeted for more than $250,000) dedicate 1% of estimated costs to add art to projects.

Learn more about our foundational projects below and view our public art map to see what stunning artwork is nearest to you!

Transformer Cabinet Murals

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The City founded the Transformer Cabinet Mural project in 2004 as a graffiti prevention program. Murals help lower maintenance costs while adding bright colorful art in unexpected places. The program keeps the investment in our community by using local artists and non-profit groups to paint the cabinets. Since the start of the program, more than 400 transformer cabinets have become works of art.

Pianos About Town

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The Art in Public Places program, Bohemian Foundation and the Downtown Development Authority all partner to keep the art and music flowing through Pianos About Town. Artists paint pianos from May through October in Old Town Square, where community members and visitors can interact with the artists as they work. Artists also paint pianos in the winter months in indoor public locations. The completed pianos then rotate to various locations throughout Fort Collins, inviting people to admire the artwork and play a tune.

Pedestrian Pavers

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Since 2002, the Pedestrian Paver project has worked to incorporate granite pavers with drawings by Fort Collins youth into City sidewalks.

The City selects designs through an open call. Each young artist receives an honorarium for their work. The City then sandblasts the designs into granite pavers and places them throughout Fort Collins during sidewalk improvements. Roughly 15 drawings are selected from about 200-450 entries a year.

Calls for Submissions