Summer 2026 News & Call to Action!
Dear PAD Colleagues,
We hope you have happy plans for this summer and manage to stay cool through whatever weather and other events we may endure. Here at PAD we have spent the past months since CAA sprucing up our social media pages with the help of Jennifer Wingate, a devoted PAD-er for many years. If you don’t already, please follow us wherever you are on social media:
LinkedIn / Bluesky / Facebook / Instagram
We also have been closely following developments in public art, especially in Washington, D.C., where public comment is now open on the Trump Administration’s plans for a “new monumental arch.” Proposed at a whopping 250 feet in height, the new arch would considerably change the landscape of public art in the United States’ capital.
We are heartened to see that thousands of individuals have added their thoughts on the arch in public comment to the National Capital Planning Commission [NCPC], which holds its next meeting on July 9th. This is a hallmark of democratic society – the willingness, ability, and interest in contributing to dialogue about public art. If you are thinking ‘wow, how in the wheelhouse’ of PAD,’ our answer is yes! The National Trust for Historic Preservation has created a fantastic website with information to learn more and add your voice. Here is the link to review plans for the proposed arch and contribute to written public comments before July 8th at noon. If you do nothing else to contribute to the commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary this summer, consider a bit of civic engagement in commenting on this proposed addition to our shared visual landscape.
Another issue we have been watching is the disposition of the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building in Washington, D.C., which has been slated for sale. In June, PAD submitted a request for “consulting party” status, writing:
"The Cohen Building’s art program is of interest to our organization because it was commissioned by the Section of Fine Arts under the Federal Works Agency and represents one of the most significant ensembles of federally commissioned art from the twentieth century. It includes major works by Ben Shahn and Philip Guston, artists of international stature, whose work has been the subject of major museum retrospectives in the United States and abroad in recent years. There are also murals and sculptures by Seymour Fogel, Ethel and Jenne Magafan, Henry Kreis, and Emma Lu Davis. These artists were asked to depict the immediate and long-term social benefits of the Social Security Act, making the artworks inseparable from the building’s purpose, design, and historical meaning."
Many members of Public Art Dialogue conduct research on this important era of public art, and their work would be adversely affected by damage to or loss of the Cohen Building and its artworks, as would future scholars who are likely to engage in study of these significant examples of public art. Given that the building’s artworks are difficult if not impossible to remove from this site and that they are best understood in context and within the building, we believe removal, alteration, or dispersal of the art would constitute an adverse effect, as described under 36 C.F.R. § 800.5(a)(1).
We have undertaken this work with the aid of our extraordinary colleagues at the Living New Deal, and especially Assistant Director Mary Okin. If you have the capacity to donate to the Living New Deal and/or National Trust for Historic Preservation, you can rest assured that these funds are helping to insure that public dialogue and participation concerning our historic and contemporary visual landscape will continue into our next 250 years.
Please reach out with any questions or comments and enjoy summer! Visit the PAD website to join PAD or renew your membership, read the latest issue of the journal, and stay in touch with your news!
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Public Art Dialogue [PAD] a non-profit organization devoted to public art
Karen Shelby and Amy Werbel, Co-Chairs
https://www.publicartdialogue.org/
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PAD was founded on the premise that dialogue is the essential element in all effective public art endeavors.