Support Portsmouth Public Art was formed by volunteers in 2010 with a mission dedicated to purchase and install public art, to educate citizens in art appreciation and to create outreach to the neighborhoods in Portsmouth.  SPPA believes that cities gain value through public art – cultural, social, and economic value.  Art is a universal language that traverses racial, educational and economic barriers, enhancing cultural appreciation, awareness and health and overall well being. Our goal is to create a positive and visual presence of art of all kinds historic Portsmouth.

 

Public art is a part of our public history and our evolving culture. It reflects and reveals our society, adds meaning to our cities, uniqueness to our communities, and humanizes our environment by bringing public spaces to life and fostering interaction on all levels of the public sector. And public art is freely accessible to everyone.

 

It is the mission of SPPA to engage our citizens of all ages to participate in the process of creating and enjoying pubic art. EVERYONE is an artist. They just may not have opened that door yet. Please join us in our mission to showcase the beauty that is Portsmouth. Get involved today.

 

We want to make our city a place where people want to live and want to visit. Having aparticular community identity, especially in terms of what our towns look like, is becoming even more important in a world where every place tends to looks like every place else. Places with strong public art expressions break the trend of blandness and sameness, and give communities a stronger sense of place and identity. Without public art, we would be without our human identities.

 

To see a beautiful example of all these things go watch how visitors at the Children’s Museum of Virginia respond to the bronze toad sculpture our group placed at the entrance in 2011. It is probably the most hugged, kissed, and photographed place in Portsmouth. At the very least, it will make you smile!

 

In schools, it has been proven that art improves achievement, enhances test scores, attitudes, social skills, and critical and creative thinking. It also creates a sense of well being. We have programs designed for children and adult artists. And, EVERYONE is an artist. They just don’t know it.

 

Simply stated, public art creates beauty, provokes thoughts, encourages people to interact and generally enhances the quality of life.