Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced the City of Orlando is one of eight recipients to be awarded a $1 million grant as part of its Public Art Challenge to support temporary public art projects that address important local civic issues. Orlando will use this funding to implement its art installation project titled “Art Pollination: Building Food Justice through Creativity” as a way to raise awareness about how to access healthy food and reduce food insecurity.

The City will work with nationally renowned artist Juan William Chávez and feature specialized areas including food cultivation, beekeeping and pollinator education, food waste exploration and augmented reality activations.

“In Orlando, we prioritize arts and culture because of the unique way it unties us and defines us. That’s why we are so excited to be selected for this grant opportunity and utilize art to shed light on a local issue and transcend a community challenge into a community conversation to help create and inspire change,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Our hope is that these new art installations further our sustainability goals to increase access to local foods and our vision to continue to grow and support our vibrant arts and cultural offerings.”

“Art Pollination” is a collaborative public art project with local nonprofits. The grant will further support local artists’ initiatives and programs, such as the Downtown Arts District, FusionFest and Snap! Orlando.

Orlando is one of just eight winners from more than 150 project proposals received from 40 U.S. cities. The winners will develop their respective projects over 24 months. Bloomberg Philanthropies grants will cover project-related expenditures including development, execution and marketing.  To learn more about the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, visit publicartchallenge.bloomberg.org.