Macon Magazine

While beauty might be in the eye of the beholder, the value of public art is well established. According to a 2022 research article from the Urban Institute, public art has signi cant impacts on safety and well-being in neighborhoods. Residents who regularly engaged in arts programming reported improvements in physical and mental health. Furthermore, public art improves residents' perceptions of safety. Across the country, public art installations demonstrate time and again their ability to reduce feelings of social isolation, anxiety, and loneliness. Public art makes our streets physically safer, too. Painted crosswalks and streets slow down drivers and increase visibility, making pedestrians feel more at ease. T H E C A S E F O R C O N T I N U E D I N V E S T M E N T Public art needs public support. In the business of everyday life, it's easy to take art for granted. But the next time you're around town, take a moment to admire the artwork that characterizes our community, and maybe even imagine new possibilities. It's free, after all! The power of art to build a shared history, foster a sense of place, and create stronger, healthier, more connected communities is undeniable. Perhaps the best part of public art is that its bene ts are available to everyone. Public art is special not only for all the bene ts it o ers, but because those bene ts can be experienced by anyone, at any time. As we continue to add to our community's stockpile of public art, we should be mindful that it re ects the true history, experiences, and stories of all of our people. With so much capacity to improve well-being, public art can not only tell the stories of our past, but can help forge the identity of our city moving forward. See these pieces and more at Macon Arts Alliance's public art map on macon365.com changes, the faces and histories we highlight through public art change, too. Public art in Macon hasn't been without its controversies. Statues meant to honor Confederate history, installed in the late 19th to early 20th century, once displayed downtown have been relocated. This makes space for art that speaks to Macon's continued commitment to create a city that truly serves all its residents. G R O W I N G A C O L L E C T I O N Unlike paintings hung in galleries or statues preserved behind glass, public art lives and breathes with the city. Macon has no shortage of opportunities for art that embodies change. Perhaps the best example of this is Downtown Macon's gra ti walls, with seasonal themes and overlapping masterpieces that are there—until they aren't. Outside of Booker T. Washington Center in Pleasant Hill sits Beverly Buchanan's "Unity Stones." A renowned artist who completed installations throughout the Southeast and internationally, Bucahan's work blends in with the landscape and changes over time. Across the street at 1389 Je erson Street, Kevin "Scene" Lewis' mural depicts a young girl, surrounded by light. This continues the legacy of Pleasant Hill's art landscape into the current day. As our community grows and changes, so does our shared collection. From The Macon Mural Festival to Macon Sculpture Walk, our footprint is growing every year. A R T I S G O O D F O R Y O U , A N D I T ' S G O O D F O R Y O U R C I T Y From large cities to small towns, public art creates economic bene t, in addition to beauty. Chicago's "Cloud Gate" (more commonly known as The Bean), Nashville's "What Lifts You" wings mural, and even New York's Statue of Liberty exemplify the power of art to attract visitors and brand a city, underlining the value of public art as a shared asset. Public art creates an identity for cities, so people experience them as unique places. Mural by Marina O'Connell on Riverside Drive. A community gra ti wall in Downtown Macon. Skate Macon by Will Barker October/November 2025 | maconmagazine.com 59

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