‘Our Jackson Home’ set to help expand public art in the Hub City

JACKSON, Tenn. — Public art is expanding in the Hub City, and this means a greater opportunity for artists near and far to have their work showcased while also being paid.

Residents and visitors will soon be enjoying new art by talented artists for free as downtown Jackson will be gaining new installations.

“We started at the beginning of this year with a consultant named Dr. Sean Pitts. We contracted with him to the city, as well as contracting with Our Jackson Home, with Lizzie Amundsen, everyone at theCO and started working on a public art plan for the next five years,” said Claire Pierson, community development coordinator for the City of Jackson.

“So when we went through the strategic planning process, that was very reflective, and all the community feedback that we heard was that we want our arts district to look like an arts district, so now we actually see some investment in that, which is really exciting. You know, one of the biggest hurdles for artists being able to create art is just finding resources for it,” said Pierson.

Now opportunity is growing for artists, as $150,000 a year was allocated from the City of Jackson to go towards public art.

“The contracts will be one year up to five years, and that all of that money went directly to Our Jackson Home to give out so that will be given to the artists, to supplies, to marketing, to administrative costs. So it is coming through the city, but the city itself didn’t have any avenue for this implementation, the way that Our Jackson Home does,” said Lizzie Emmons, program director for Our Jackson Home.

The art district is mostly in downtown Jackson, and that will be the focus for the first phases of the public art plan. According to Emmons, during this first fiscal year, which ends June 2025, artists will work on bringing more art to the farmer’s market and theLOCAL. If the artist has little to no experience with public art, there are still opportunities for them apply with the smaller temporary installations.

The first project is currently open applications. The public art is for a temporary sidewalk art in front of theLOCAL.

For more information about public art projects, click here.

For more news in the Jackson area click here.