Art as Civic Infrastructure: Why Place Making Starts with Artists

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At a moment when cities are navigating social fragmentation, economic uncertainty, and mounting development pressures, a panel of artists, cultural leaders, and a developer gathered in Washington, D.C., to challenge a familiar assumption in real estate: that art is an amenity rather than an essential part of the built environment. The panelists’ conversation, held as part of a Women’s Leadership Initiative program, centered on how art—when integrated intentionally and early—can shape identity, strengthen community trust, and deliver measurable economic value.

Across sectors, speakers argued that treating art as something “extra” not only diminishes its impact but also weakens the places that developers are trying to build. Maggie O’Neill—artist, designer, and founder of Vote for Your Daughter (VFYD) and Our Daughters’ Future Fund—opened the program. “I do not believe art is a luxury,” she said. “I do not believe that art is décor. I think art is civic infrastructure.”

O’Neill, who has worked for more than two decades at the intersection of art, design, and civic engagement in the District, framed art as a system that societies rely on to make meaning, process change, and connect across difference.

“We’re living through a time right now that feels very fragile,” she said. “Institutions are strained. People are very tired, overwhelmed, and increasingly disconnected from each other. And in moments like this, one of the first things that gets questioned or quietly cut is the artist.”

That instinct, she argued, overlooks the role art plays in how communities function—particularly during periods of stress.

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Responsibility comes with building space

Many of O’Neill’s remarks drew on her work in renovating public and event spaces at the Willard Hotel Intercontinental Washington, D.C., a building she described as “a monument of history and hospitality.” She recounted the layers of political, cultural, and social history embedded in the property—from Abraham Lincoln’s stay before his inauguration to Martin Luther King Jr.’s completion of his “I Have a Dream” speech there in 1963.

“Spaces create these moments for us,” she said. “And many of you are in the business of space. So, what does it mean to be in the business of space, and what are the responsibilities you have to our community as a result?”

That responsibility, she noted, extends beyond architecture and operations to questions of representation, compensation, and authorship. “I asked who had made all the artwork in this hotel,” she said. “Were . . . any female artists’ [work] on the walls, and were there any women being depicted on those walls?”

The hidden cost of extracting creativity

O’Neill warned that, as art becomes a more visible tool for activation and branding, artists are often asked to shoulder increasing expectations without the support needed to sustain their work.

“We’re asking artists to activate spaces, to make communities feel vibrant, to bring meaning and identity to places and institutions,” she said. “But, too often, this is happening without a clear budget, without a fair contract, without long-term support, and without space.”

The result is an extractive model that ultimately harms both artists and the places relying on their work, according to O’Neill. “It’s actually very destructive to the artistic community. It’s not okay to ask artists to work without a budget.”

Art, health, and civic life

O’Neill also pointed to growing research that links exposure to art with measurable health outcomes, including reduced stress and lower rates of loneliness.

“Art regulates our nervous system,” she said. “It helps people process what language can’t alone, and it creates connection.” In that context, she framed cultural investment not as philanthropy but instead as civic responsibility.

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“If we only fund what feels safe, we abandon everything that’s honest,” she said. “A democracy that defunds imagination shouldn’t be shocked when a vacuum is filled with fear.”

How art shapes belonging at the neighborhood level

Moderated by Nancy Miyahira, director of arts and culture programs at Georgetown Heritage, the panel turned to concrete examples of how art influences the way people experience place.

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Chela Mitchell, founder of the Chela Mitchell Gallery in the Union Market district, spoke about growing up in Southeast D.C. and the lasting significance of the “Big Chair” in Anacostia. “When you see that piece, when you travel the world and you come home, it’s there,” she said. “It’s so important to have art—especially in historic communities—that gives [people] reverence.”

As neighborhoods change, art can play a critical role in signaling continuity rather than erasure. “People want to know if they still belong here,” Mitchell said. “A great way to do that is with art.”

From cultural expression to real estate value

Martha McGee, chief executive officer of NINE dot ARTS, connected those social impacts to real estate performance. She described projects where overlooked spaces—such as alleys or ground-floor areas—were transformed through art into some of the most valuable parts of a development.

“This space, which was once the throwaway section of the property, has now become the most valuable real estate in the entire neighborhood,” she said.

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McGee noted that her firm’s work has evolved from placing art in individual buildings to helping shape cultural master plans at the district scale. “Our work is no longer about just getting something cool on the wall,” she said. “It’s about creating cultural infrastructure and multigenerational opportunities for creative leaders.”

Art embedded from the start

Melissa King, director of mixed-use marketing and brand strategy at CityCenterDC, Hines, said art was never treated as an add-on in that project’s development. “It’s not an accident,” she said. “It wasn’t thought of afterwards.”

King described how visitors routinely contact CityCenterDC to ask about installations—often setting photography sessions, events, or even wedding photos near the artwork.

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“The differentiator between us being just a shopping center and being a city center is the art,” she said. “You come there to feel something.” That emotional connection, she added, plays a direct role in leasing decisions, tenant mix, and long-term identity.

What developers get wrong—and how to do it better

Throughout the discussion, panelists emphasized that successful collaboration starts with clarity and trust.

“You have to talk about your budget,” King said. “There’s no sense in wasting everyone’s time.”

Mitchell urged developers to resist controlling the creative process. “If you’re hiring them, that’s because they know what they’re doing,” she said. “Trust the
artist, and they’ll trust you.”

McGee framed arts integration as both strategic and values-driven. “Be savvy and be true,” she said. “The smartest clients are using cultural impact because it’s good business.”

Carrying culture forward

As the conversation turned toward the future, panelists acknowledged that declining federal arts funding places more responsibility on the private sector to shape cultural outcomes.

“We’re going to be the ones that have to carry culture forward for the next decade,” McGee said.

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Mitchell stressed that supporting art also means supporting artists themselves—through studio space, residencies, and long-term affordability. “If artists don’t have space to create,” she said, “you’re not getting the art.”

The discussion closed with a call for deeper collaboration among developers, artists, and cultural leaders—one that treats art not as an accessory but instead as foundational to the health, identity, and resilience of cities.

Juanita Hardy (surrounded by ULI Washington members), a ULI Fellow and managing principal of Tiger Management Consulting, spoke during the audience Q&A to highlight opportunities for developers to repurpose vacant office space as maker spaces for artists and creators. Hardy also previewed a forthcoming guide from the Art in Place Project, developed in collaboration with ULI’s Building Healthy Places Initiative.

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Will Herbig—executive director of ULI Washington, the event’s host—highlighted ways that ULI Washington is engaging members around arts-led placemaking and underscored the importance of collaboration among developers, artists, and civic leaders to strengthen community outcome.

Why developers and cultural leaders say art is civic infrastructure—not decoration—and how embedding artists early can drive value, belonging, and place identity.