October 19, 2023 – ORLANDO, FL– Today, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the City of Orlando is one of eight recipients nationwide to be awarded a one million dollar grant as part of its Public Art Challenge to support temporary public art projects that address important local civic issues across the country. Orlando will utilize this funding to implement its art installation project entitled, “Art Pollination: Building Food Justice through Creativity,” as a way to engage artists and farmers to raise awareness about how to access healthy food and reduce food insecurity.

“In Orlando, we prioritize arts and culture because of the unique way it unties us and defines us. That’s why we are so excited to be selected for this grant opportunity and utilize art to shed light on a local issue and transcend a community challenge into a community conversation to help create and inspire change,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Our hope is that these new art installations further our sustainability goals to increase access to local foods and our vision to continue to grow and support our vibrant arts and cultural offerings.”

“Art Pollination” is a collaborative public art project in partnership with various local non-profits including, Black Bee Honey, 4Roots, Hebni Nutrition Consultants, Ideas for Us-Fleet Farming, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Orange County (UF/IFAS). The grant will further support local artists’ initiatives and programs such as the Downtown Arts District, FusionFest and Snap! Orlando. As part of the project, the city will work with nationally renowned artist Juan William Chávez and feature several specialized areas, including food cultivation, beekeeping and pollinator education, food waste exploration, Augmented Reality [AR] activations and more.

The City of Orlando is one of just eight winners from more than 150 project proposals received from 40 different U.S. cities. The winners will develop their respective projects over the course of 24 months. Bloomberg Philanthropies grants will cover project-related expenditures including development, execution, and marketing.

To learn more about the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, visit publicartchallenge.bloomberg.org.

Additional Resources:

• For visual examples of Orlando Artist’s previous work.
• Video featuring mayors from winning cities.
• Press Release on Bloomberg Philanthropies website.

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