The El Paso Public Art Master Plan Update 2026-2036 provides a vision for the future of El Paso’s Public Art Program at a pivotal moment. After a decade of remarkable growth, this Master Plan Update offers strategies to build on the Program’s successes while expanding access to public art, deepening community engagement, and supporting the local arts ecosystem. 

Beginning in 2024, Via led a team that included Todd W. Bressi and El Paso-based curator  Kerry Doyle to guide this planning process. Drawing on the program’s accomplishments since the development of its original master plan, co-authored by Via and Bressi in 2014, the team reviewed and updated the program’s vision and goals; crafted updated policies, guidelines, and processes; and refined the focus of public art opportunities to better align with city goals and community priorities. The Master Plan Update offers new ideas and strategies for the program to pursue to address these priorities and outlines ten Opportunity Areas for public art, complete with goals, criteria for prioritizing project opportunities, suggested resources and other special considerations.

Development of the plan relied on broad community input, gathered through city-wide questionnaires, open house meetings, interviews with people involved in all stages and sides of the public art commissioning process, roundtable discussions, community events, and more.  The Public Art Master Plan Update 2026-2036 was passed by the El Paso City Council on February 17, 2026.

Read the full plan here.