When Sybille Canthal arrived in West Palm Beach in 2015, it was hardly the public art haven it is today. Though the city was anchored by The Norton Museum of Art and rife with other cultural institutions—the Kravis Center, Palm Beach Dramaworks, Armory Art Center, the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens—Canthal knew it could be more.

“We’re not a beach town. We’re not sleepy. We’re not quaint…We’re really hustle-and-bustle,” she says. “Because of the way West Palm Beach is developing—and it’s growing as a society, as a community, not growing [geographically]—this program has benefitted.”

“On the Rise” (2023) by Add Fuel.

Tasked with overseeing the public art program—now called ArtLife WPB—for the mayor’s office, Canthal began with short-lived performative pieces before moving on to permanent works by both local and internationally-renowned artists. “I’ve grown the program from something very small to something that’s more nationally recognized,” she says. “I think the biggest strength of the program is the ability to see and experience all these levels of artists, because an artist who’s just starting brings something very different from an artist who’s incredibly seasoned.”

Currently on view is a series of 500-plus portraits titled “A Community Portrait: West Palm Beach,” inspired by French street artist JR’s initiative Inside Out Project, which aims to make connections through public art. Taken over a series of Community Portrait Days hosted by The Norton and the lifestyle center CityPlace, where residents and community members were invited to have their photos taken, the images are installed in multiple locations throughout West Palm Beach. Now fronting One Flagler, the commercial tower in downtown West Palm Beach constructed by Related Ross, is Fred Eversley’s “Portals,” a striking series of eight cast-polyurethane sculptures. The city has also recently commissioned the Miami-born, New York–based artist Teresita Fernández to create an immersive site-specific work on the Great Lawn downtown.

“Heart & Soul” (2022) by Evoca 1 and Mass + Nomads. Hand cut and painted tiles.

Bringing in the community is top of mind for Canthal. She got her professional start as an assistant curator at the Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art, in the Art Deco building that now houses the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County. She later went back to her hometown of Los Angeles, working in arts programming for the Los Angeles Unified School District. This led Canthal back to Florida, where she oversaw the Florida Atlantic University galleries alongside then–Director of Art Rod Faulds. When a colleague mentioned a public arts coordinator position opening in the City of West Palm Beach, Canthal was hesitant. “I was like, Do I really want to be a public servant again? That was hard!” she says with a laugh. “But I’m glad I did it.”

During COVID, ArtLife WPB launched The Commons Project, which commissioned local artists to create temporary public artworks and is now in its third iteration. This includes local artist Nestor Guzman, who created an abstract marble sculpture in Echo Lake Park, in addition to partnerships with local libraries, utilities, and the nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful. “You’re now giving something to that community. When individuals take ownership of that piece, when they say, That’s ours. It’s mine. It sits in my neighborhood. It’s in my city, that’s a success,” she says.

This is an excerpt from PALMER Vol.6. To see the full story, purchase your copy of the magazine here.

[Lead image: Canthal with “Material (SG) II” (2021), by Yinka Shonibare, outside 360 Rosemary.]