About Art in Public

Art in Public is an independent organization founded in 2020 by Tamsin Dillon, who has curated and commissioned artworks in a wide range of situations over the past 25 years. Art in Public is dedicated to the creation, presentation, and dissemination of contemporary art and to on-going re-evaluation of where and how art can be experienced.

This website features a selection of previous works commissioned by Tamsin Dillon and new projects developed by her as Director of Art in Public will be presented here.

Art in Public was conceived and established in London and in New York City during one of most tumultuous periods in recent world history, brought about by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and during global Black Lives Matter protests demanding long overdue racial and social justice, especially in the USA.

The disruption of normal life in order to limit the spread of the virus meant that gatherings of people in all kinds of places, from galleries and museums to restaurants, shops and offices were abruptly paused. This coincided with urgent calls to review the way systems and institutions of government and governance operate and to recognise lack of equity at all levels of society. A re-examination of the design and use of public space is urgent and necessary.

Art in Public seeks to contribute to international dialogue and debate about the design and use of public space; and to improve methodologies for including artists in the design of buildings, urban landscapes and public places. An artist’s work can have an extraordinary impact on a place, and can change the perception of where and how art can be experienced.

Art in Public offers a wide range of services including:

• Commissioning temporary and permanent public art
• Working with artists at all stages of their careers
• Developing cultural strategies for urban and rural areas
• Research and development in the field of art and public practice
• Convening symposia, public discourse, workshops and events
• Publication and editorial services
• Community and stakeholder engagement and participation
• Quantitative and qualitative evaluation

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About Tamsin Dillon

Tamsin Dillon is the founder and Director of Art in Public. She has worked with many hundreds of artists and developed permanent and temporary projects across a range of contexts from museums and galleries including Tate and Whitechapel to London Underground, the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, King’s Cross N1C and many other public situations. Her partnerships and collaborative projects have included international organisations from Public Art Fund in New York, to the Institute for Public Art, and the Design Panel for the International Association of Public Transport. Originally trained as a sculptor, Tamsin made scenery and props for Theatres, Opera Houses, Film and TV before becoming a curator working in the museum and gallery sector, with a focus on public places.

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From 2003 – 2014 she directed London Underground’s art program Art on the Underground which, under her leadership, was transformed to become an internationally acclaimed art program. She led a team to work with over 200 leading international and emerging artists to commission contemporary art for the millions of people that use London Underground everyday.

As curator for 1418-NOW (2014-2018) she delivered over 25 ambitious large-scale public commissions for the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary in partnership with organisations across the UK including new works by Rachel Whiteread, Gillian Wearing, John Akomfrah, Yinka Shonibare, Rebecca Warren and Imran Qureshi. She is currently the curator of Waterfronts, seven new temporary large-scale public artworks in partnership with organisations around the coast of South East England.

She was a member of the Commissioning Group for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square (2008-2017), a founding Trustee of Turner Contemporary (2009-2017); a member of Turner Prize Jury 2016 and a member of the HS2 Design Panel from (2015-2018).