Public Art Review Committee

The City of Portsmouth continues its proud history of freely accessible public art that reflects our past, celebrates our present, and imagines our future, invigorating our public spaces.

The mission of the Public Art Review Committee (PARC), established in 2023, is to champion high-quality public art for the City of Portsmouth, NH and advise on public art-related topics.

Public Art Review Committee (PARC) responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:  

• Commissioning public art projects
• Providing guidance for those funding, developing, and installing works of public art
• Ensuring that public art decisions, including those subject to land use approvals, follow established criteria
• Identifying locations for public art installations
• Promoting engagement with public art sites throughout the City 

Learn more about the work and framework of the committee, take a moment to explore the virtual map of public art or check out the photo gallery (coming soon), “meet” the committee members, and more.

Note to the Community -- The PARC develops and uses guidelines for the selection and evaluation of public art, both long-term and temporary, when considering new installations. Public input sessions are an important element for major projects, e.g. those funded by the Percent-for-Art ordinance which allocates one percent of the cost of major municipal construction or renovation projects to public art. To ensure timely notification of public input sessions, as well as news about public art installations, subscribe to the City Newsletter.

Note to Artists -- The PARC commissions public art (typically through an RFP process) and provides reviews of artworks proposed for 1) City-owned property; 2) public-facing property subject to Land Use Board review; and 3) donations to the City. The PARC is not in a position to fund unsolicited proposals. PARC's reviews are conducted publicly and information submitted to PARC is public information. Please review the PARC criteria to understand public art standards and requirements.

Explore 80+ pieces of public art in Portsmouth through the Public Art Inventory.  A short list of City-owned public art includes the following:

• "Spiraling Serenity" (2025) by Vito DiBari (Peirce Island)
• Fairy House Sculpture (2025) by Alex Bieniecki (Prescott Park)
• "S-1" from "Portsmouth Harbor Salt Piles Series" by Carl Austin Hyatt (City Hall)
• "Cod and the Mortal Sea" (2024) by Terrence Parker (Bohenko Gateway Park)
• "Endeavor" (2023) Portsmouth NH 400 Legacy Project by Sijia Chen (Bohenko Gateway Park)
• "Odyssey" (2020) in Prescott Park by Richard Erdman (Prescott Park)
• 9/11 Memorial (City Hall)
• "Each One: The Button Project A 9/11 Memorial" (2001-02) by Sarah Haskell (Community Campus)
• "My Mother the Wind" (1975) (Four Tree Island), one of four public art works in Portsmouth by sculptor Cabot Lyford
• "Ingenuity" (2010) by Jeanne Givens, created for the second "Overnight Art" exhibit for ArtSpeak (Bohenko Gateway Park)
• African Burying Ground Memorial (2015) by Jerome Meadows (Chestnut Street between State and Court Streets)
• Foundry Place artworks "Working" (2018) by Terrence Parker and Seth Emerson Palmiter and by Peter Happney (Rock Street Park)
• "Reflections of Portsmouth" by multiple artists (Foundry Place Garage)

City-owned art works are also displayed in City Hall, the Portsmouth Public Library and other facilities.