Education & Outreach
The Art in Transit Advisory Committee and CATS emphasize public education and outreach as an Art in Transit program priority. The committee, made up of seven art professionals appointed by the CEO of CATS, in addition to providing program oversight, encourages community education and involvement starting with the artist selection process through the installation and unveiling of public art. Education and outreach leads to understanding, appreciation and long term care of a public art collection. Whenever appropriate and with available resources, Art in Transit staff explores, develops and implements educational and outreach initiatives.
Partnerships with area educational, cultural and historical institutions assist CATS in expanding the communication between artists and stakeholders and community representatives. Partnerships provide further opportunities to engage the public in the artistic process to ensure understanding and appreciation of the art. The Art in Transit program maintains working relationships with the Arts and Science Council, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Charlotte Art League, Levine Museum of the New South, McColl Center for Visual Art, Mint Museum, Spirit Square (Blumenthal Performing Arts Center), The Light Factory, and local colleges and universities.
There are various ways Art in Transit reaches out to engage and educate the public. Widely distributed community newsletters announce plans to select artists for projects and update the community throughout the design, construction and activation of a new venture. Artists are introduced at neighborhood meetings even before they begin designing art for a project to ensure their understanding of place (past, present, and future). Printed and online information is continually updated to track project progress while finished art is documented with postcards, plaques, and introduced through guided tours and presentations.