Broward County’s Public Art & Design Program
Enhancing Community Placemaking

Our PAD program supports cultural resiliency and educational initiatives by engaging communities, stimulating social commentary, and building civic pride. We approach this through the following gateways:

  • Enhancing Public Spaces by Connecting with Communities through Art
  • Fostering Community Resilience through Public Engagement
  • Building Connections by Providing Training Opportunities and Networking Events
  • Promoting Awareness and Inspiring Civic Pride
  • Boosting the Creative Economy through Initiatives that Promote the Arts and Artists
  • Supporting Well-Being by Promoting Knowledge Exchange and Dialogue through Art

Featured Project: The Underwater: Broward

Led by eco-artist Xavier Cortada, the campaign uses the visual language of art to translate data and science into a localized experience. From 2024 through 2026, Cortada and climate communicator Adam Roberti, are facilitating a series of educational workshops in Broward County Public Schools to highlight localized issues of sea-level rise, flooding, and extreme heat. This multifaceted education campaign encourages students not only to reflect on their lived experiences but to imagine tangible actions for resilience.

Students from South Plantation High display signs of how many feet their homes are above sea level. In 2024 alone, The Underwater: Broward initiative engaged an estimated 800 students across ten Broward middle schools and high schools.

Students from South Plantation High display signs of how many feet their homes are above sea level. In 2024 alone, The Underwater: Broward initiative engaged an estimated 800 students across ten Broward middle schools and high schools.

Photograph of man in blue shirt and blue jeans in front of bus that reads The Underwater

The Broward County Cultural Division and the Resilient Environment Department joined forces with the Xavier Cortada Foundation to produce The Underwater: Broward, an inspiring, community-driven public art initiative that merges creativity with climate science.

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