Public art doesn’t always require massive commissions or million-dollar funding. Some of the most memorable projects emerge from smaller budgets—where artists, fabricators, and communities work with resourcefulness and imagination to transform spaces. The following five works, ranging from $10,000 to $65,000, are perfect examples of projects at slightly varying scales that deliver outsized impact. They show how artists harness unconventional materials, light, and storytelling to create powerful connections with place and community.
Inverted World | Michael Stutz | $10,000
Created for the 2024 Lucca Biennale Cartasia in Italy, Inverted World was a pair of monumental cardboard sculptures installed in Piazza San Michele. The abstracted faces—eyes closed, lips sealed—invited viewers to step inside, where the curved interior amplified even the quietest whispers. Placed back to back, the works became a meeting point for conversation, reflection, and play. For Stutz, the Biennale was both a creative challenge and a celebration of community: “People who are interacting with the work give it meaning—so I tried to make an installation that was universal but multi-faceted.”
Sol Naciendo | Bustamante Creative, LLC | $20,000
Commissioned for the ARTVILLE festival in Nashville, Sol Naciendo is a 15-foot inflatable sculpture made of nylon. Its bright, ephemeral presence reflected the energy of the city’s public art festival, creating a playful and immersive moment for audiences.
Convergence: Hope, Love, Resilience, Rest, Community | Anne Labovitz | $20,000
Created for the atrium of Plains Art Museum in Fargo, ND, Anne Labovitz’s monumental installation used 380 feet of hand-painted Tyvek to celebrate the connection between art and well-being. Shifting with natural light throughout the day, the suspended work could be experienced from all three floors of the museum. Labovitz developed the project through her “Relational Listening” process—interviews with healthcare professionals and community members in the Fargo–Moorhead area—that informed the text, color, and form of the piece.
River Run | Kasum MANIFOLD with Creative Machines | $50,000
Installed at the 3Bird Kids Foundation’s Golf and Creativity Campus in Oklahoma City, River Run is a 90-foot ribbon of stone and color. Nearly 15 tons of natural river rock were coated with recycled glass aggregate and mica, transforming them into shimmering “liquid gemstones.” The work was the result of a two-year R&D partnership with Ruby Lake Glass, diverting 1,500 pounds of post-consumer glass from landfills. As sunlight shifts across the surface, the installation becomes an outdoor classroom where children can explore color, texture, and environmental stewardship.
Looking Forward | Ernesto Maranje with Cultural Planning Group | $65,000
Spanning 150 feet across a building in Dania Beach, FL, Ernesto Maranje’s mural Looking Forward captures the intense gaze of a Florida Panther surrounded by native wildlife and lush foliage. Playful and powerful, the work celebrates the state’s biodiversity while reflecting the spirit of the community. Cultural Planning Group guided the project from conception to completion, bridging the city’s vision with Maranje’s creative process and ensuring the result was both visually impactful and deeply meaningful for residents.
Small Budgets, Lasting Resonance
These five projects demonstrate that with the right mix of vision, collaboration, and material ingenuity, even conservative budgets can produce extraordinary results. From a whispering cardboard sculpture in Italy to a panther mural commanding the streets of Florida, they show that scale and impact are not measured only in dollars—but in the ability of art to inspire, connect, and endure.
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