SA Arts & Culture receives $30K award from National Endowment of the Arts

The city of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture has been awarded the National Endowment for the Arts for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $30,000 for public art maintenance.

What you need to know

The matching grant will support the maintenance of “World Walk,” a 2017 artwork featuring colored tabs along a chain-link fence and concrete designs on a pedestrian bridge over Poteet Jourdanton Freeway in San Antonio’s fourth district. This award is one of 1,400 Grants for Arts Projects the NEA is awarding nationwide, totaling more than $35 million as part of the recent announcement of fiscal year 2024-25 grants.

“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,” NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson said. “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including this public art restoration project in San Antonio.”

“World Walk” transforms the pedestrian bridge into an immersive atlas where viewers can walk around the globe at the latitudinal access of San Antonio. Maintenance will begin later this year and continue through fiscal year 2025-26.

"Public artworks can encounter wear and tear over time with exposure to the elements,” Department of Arts & Culture Director Krystal Jones said. “Our department is committed to protecting and preserving San Antonio’s public art collection for future generations to enjoy. In fiscal year 2024, we provided maintenance on more than 33 public artworks. With this support from the NEA, we will ensure that ‘World Walk’ will inspire and provide connection for all those who experience the artwork.”

To learn more about the Department of Arts & Culture’s Public Art Program, go to www.sa.gov/arts or follow the department at @GetCreativeSA.