Creative Time, the renowned public art organization, has been hired to create a public art masterplan for Louisville, Kentucky, a first for the organization. Announced yesterday, the $50,000 commission will likely call for temporary and permanent installations, as well as bricks and mortar projects, such as pedestrian bridges for a new parks system currently being designed by Philadelphia-based firm WRT. “We’ve been called on to advise on public art projects around the country, so we recently decided to develop a consulting arm,” said Meredith Johnson, a curator and producer with Creative Time. “We think it will broaden our impact on the field.”

Based on the recommendations of the Mayor’s Committee on Public Art, the city of Louisville issued an RFQ for the masterplan. Creative Time prevailed over two other finalists, the names of which the city declined to release. “They were a perfect match. They didn’t want to recycle the plan of another city. They want to create something unique for Louisville,” said Jesse Levesque Bishop, a member of the committee. The yearlong study will identify sites, funding strategies, timelines, and partner organizations, and is expected to include regional, national, and international artists and designers.

The city’s art scene has attracted national attention in recent years due to projects like the 21C Museum Hotel, designed by Deborah Berke, and REX’s now delayed Museum Plaza skyscraper.