Effort to Include Public Art on Maps Coincides With Milestone

The agency behind Nashville’s public art projects hope its fanciful bike racks and statues will soon be marked on Google Maps. Next month, the Metro Arts Commission will ask city leaders for approval to participate in the nationwide effort to include works of art on the online app.

Not long ago, the only piece of art paid for by Nashville’s Percent for Art program was “Ghost Ballet for the East Bank Machineworks,” that giant, red assemblage of curving metal that sits between LP Field and the Cumberland River. Now, between art that’s already installed and pieces that are in the works, the tally is up to 25 across Davidson county.

Just last week, quilt-inspired metalwork was unveiled at the 28th Avenue Connector. A mosaic of flowers winds through the garden outside the Goodlettsville Branch Library. A mockingbird statue perched in Shelby Park will be dedicated in the next week.

“We’re really trying to balance the collection between functional, useful pieces that are in the neighborhoods and then large, kind of iconic works that really kind of define the city.”

Arts Commission Director Jen Cole says a map of Nashville’s public art is already on the commission’s website. But putting it on Google Maps means people not already trying to find art will see it when they look for a business or residence. And she says it’s a way of helping the rest of the world see what art Nashville has to offer.