Louisville Digitizes Urban Art Catalog

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (August 15, 2024)— Louisville’s Metro’s Office of Arts + Creative Industries and Louisville Tourism launched a new website to make the city’s public art easy to locate using LouisvilleCreates.com, a website showcasing dozens of pieces of public art located across Louisville.

A dedicated intern shared by Louisville Tourism and Louisville Metro, Quest Lawrence, is conducting on-the-ground field surveys in all 26 Metro Council districts. For each piece listed, you can find the name of the artist, the type of artwork, and the location.

“We are excited about this new, engaging tool to help Louisville curate and showcase our city’s diverse public art – as well as the artists themselves,” said Cleo Battle, Louisville Tourism President & CEO. “We want to create an immersive experience that highlights the unique culture and history of each neighborhood, inviting both locals and visitors to explore and connect with Louisville’s vibrant artistic landscape.”

The catalog will continue to grow as more pieces are documented and new projects are completed, such as asphalt art street murals on 28th Street in the Parkland neighborhood and the flood wall near the new Waterfront Park expansion. A form on LouisvilleCreates.com also invites residents to submit information about artworks that are not currently listed on the website.

“It has been so much fun learning about many artworks we didn’t previously know existed,” said Jessica Bennett Kincaid, Director of the Office of Arts + Creative Industries. “But there is still more work to do, and we know there is even more art throughout our city to appreciate. This is where the community can get involved- if there is artwork in your neighborhood that you celebrate, we want to hear about it.”

As tourism continues to increase in Louisville, the economic impact of the arts and creative economy will grow as well. According to Americans for the Arts, spending related to nonprofit arts and culture events between May 2022 - July 2023 was more than $275 million in Louisville, drawing about 6 million attendees. A fourth of those were visiting from out of town, and this includes well-known celebrations such as the St. James Art Fair and the Portland Art and Heritage Fair.

To utilize the public art mapping tool, visit the newly created LouisvilleCreates.com.
For more information about the Office of Arts + Creative Industries, visit our department page.
For more information about Louisville Tourism, visit Gotolouisville.com.