Overview Wellington City Council is calling for proposals for public art activity in Wellington City. Proposals are reviewed by the Council's Public Art Panel as part of an ongoing programme supporting public art across the city. About Public art activities play an important role in distinguishing Wellington as a sophisticated, tolerant, dynamic city with creativity at its heart. Scope The scope includes public art activity such as: Artists contributing to the thinking and design of public places and spaces Art concepts, art works, and/or design features integrated into urban design developments, including buildings, streets, and parks Artists working in and with communities in public spaces Art processes and artworks in the public sphere that may be variously described as sculpture, murals, street-art, performance, new-genre public art, relational aesthetics, and/or installations The guidelines and public art activity applications apply to proposals for both temporary and permanent projects, and proposed gifts and donations. Objectives The Council's Public Art Policy outlines eight desired outcomes for public art activity that form the basis for the approval and prioritisation of public art activities in Wellington City. Proposals should meet one or more of the following desired outcomes: Wellington's public art activities will be fresh and innovative Public art activities in Wellington's suburban centres enhance sense of place Māori whakapapa and history are expressed in Wellington's public art activity The city's diverse communities are represented through public art activities Wellingtonians are more engaged in the development of public art activity The city's public infrastructure integrates art concepts and/or design features and/or physical artworks Initiate and implement programmes to communicate and educate people about Wellington's public art activity Public art activities directly contribute to social and economic change and urban/suburban revitalisation in Wellington How to Apply The Public Art Panel reviews proposals for public art activity four times a year, in March, June, August, and November. 2026 call for proposals The next call out for proposals will be in June 2026 The deadline for proposals is 9am, Monday 3 August 2026 The funding round will be for projects taking place from early September 2026 Applicants are recommended to discuss their project with the Council's Arts Advisor as early as possible. The Arts Advisor can provide information about council-owned sites, budget advice, and general recommendations on a proposal's concept. To propose a public art activity, complete the application form and submit it to the Council's City Arts team by email to pippa.sanderson@wcc.govt.nz. The City Arts team assesses all proposals in collaboration with the Public Art Panel to ensure proposals meet the criteria and reflect the outcomes for public art activity. The following documents are available for this opportunity: Public art activity proposal application (179KB PDF) | Text version (35KB RTF) Public art activity guidelines (297KB PDF) | Text version (7KB RTF) Assessment guidelines for public art activity (425KB PDF) | Text version (174KB RTF) Public Art Policy To receive emails about future calls for proposals, sign up to the City Arts Pānui: Sign up to our City Arts Pānui Funding The Council funds the research, development, commissioning, and implementation of public art activity in Wellington. Applicants should discuss their proposed project and level of funding with an Arts Advisor before submitting their application. Details of past Public Art Fund grant allocations are available here: Past Public Art Fund grant allocations Enquiries Contact: Pippa Sanderson, Senior Arts Advisor Mobile: 021 454 039 Email: pippa.sanderson@wcc.govt.nz