LISTEN: A Coast-to-Coast Celebration of Public Art in America With Toni Sikes of CODAworx

By CODAzine
2 min read
Aug 4, 2026

In July, CODAworx partnered with NOT REAL ART to launch a digital exhibition of public art featuring one project from each of the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico. Along with this exhibition, Toni joined NOT REAL ART/Arterial founder Scott “Sourdough” Power on their podcast to discuss the exhibition and the story of how CODAworx came to be the platform it is today with such a rich repository of public art across the United States and beyond. Listen to their discussion below:

 

Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts. 

Episode Highlights with Toni Sikes

  • How 250 Came to Be: Bringing together 52 public artworks—one from each state, plus Puerto Rico and DC—for America’s semiquincentennial, and the ambitious curation behind it. [43:06]
  • CODAworx’s economic impact report quantifies public art as a multi-billion-dollar force, giving artists and cities sharper tools to argue for investment [22:24], [37:36].
  • The “magic” that happens at Coda Summit, where a chat in the buffet line can lead to major commissions and transformative projects [15:34].
  • ​How CODAworx went global after its very first Coda Awards, with winning projects from China to Memphis [12:25].
  • Why the public art explosion is tied to the rise of immersive experiences, temporary festivals, and new business models [35:24].
  • How powerful, unfiltered art helps people gather, wonder, and connect [38:53].
  • The importance of giving artists the platform and trust to fuel economic, social, and creative success [20:57].

Quoteables

  • “[The 250 exhibition has] all of these great pieces of public art that are so different, and they’re in so many different places, commissioned by so many different kinds of organizations and cities.” — Toni Sikes [46:12]
  • “When you understand your economic power…the power that you have to drive economic development as an artist, you don’t have to be shy…You can go in with confidence to negotiate your worth and a budget for your project because they need you as much as you need them.” — Scott “Sourdough” Power [30:06]
  • “It’s not so much about the particular piece of artwork…but what happened as a result of what we do. That’s the impact…It’s all about the impact you have.” — Toni Sikes [16:46]

Mentions & Shoutouts

  • 250: A Celebration of Public Art in the U.S.: 52 works—one from each state, plus Puerto Rico and DC—curated by NOT REAL ART and powered by CODAworx and Arterial. The exhibition is now live online and will remain available indefinitely. [42:24]
  • CODAworx: Premier public art platform, database, and connection engine.
  • Coda Awards & Coda Summit: Annual awards and conference connecting artists, fabricators, engineers, and commissioners [11:14].
  • The “I Was Here” Project: Marjorie Guyon’s powerful Kentucky-based project spotlighting African American history, sparked by a CODAworx connection [17:18].
  • Meow Wolf: The immersive arts juggernaut redefining public art experiences (and soon coming to LA) [37:03].

Where to Connect & Experience

Episode Credits
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