What is Art VULUPS?

Photo by Marlow Harris of Martin Sanchez' folk art installation in Riverside, California at unusuallife.com

How the Project Works

The Project is based on two basic concepts:
Using art and creative expression to teach and promote land use planning and sustainability concepts
Enhancing collaboration and communication between urban planners, artists, educators and community leaders.
Presently, there are two phases on the horizon:

Phase 1: Collaboration = Art
The first Art VULUPS Collaborative has been organized to reveal the positive power of engaging urban planners and artists in the production of public art. This interactive experience will explore how classic and contemporary art can be used to teach and explain land use planning and sustainability concepts. Art VULUPS will support efforts to deliver this innovative approach to communication to other communities in the U.S. and across the globe.
Phase 2: Art = Knowledge
Once the first phase is complete, the resulting art collection will serve as an educational tool to promote land use planning and sustainability concepts. Art VULUPS will identify opportunities to showcase the collection and deliver it to a variety of demographics.
Supporting educational and outreach components will identify key approaches to utilizing the art collection in public and educational settings. Education and outreach will explore strategies for the implementation of future projects as well as opportunities to better serve the planning profession, the arts and the public.

Project Goals
Establish a framework for alternative approaches to community outreach and civic engagement based on art and creative expression.
Develop a formal art collection utilizing land use and planning concepts to be used as educational tools amongst planning professionals.
Use the project to contribute to the educational goals of the American Planning Association
Communicate with artists to offer inspiration and expand critical thinking about the built environment from the perspective of land use planning and sustainability.
Establish a collaborative public art approach which allowsplanners and artists to work together in the pursuit of sustainable development solutions and which is firmly rooted in the creative process.

Check it out at www.artvulups.org