To bring cheer to the community, Peterson Cos. hired Luther Wright to paint inspiring messages like “smile” and “united we stand” on vacant storefront windows at Maryland’s Downtown Silver Spring; Virginia’s Fairfax Corner; and Gaithersburg, Maryland’s Rio. Later, Peterson incorporated Wright’s window displays into holiday campaigns, asking people to submit photos of themselves next to his designs. Launched last spring, new installations continue this spring and summer

To express gratitude to essential workers and community members who have sacrificed to keep each other safe during COVID-19, Oahu, Hawaii’s Town Center of Mililani commissioned a local artist to create a colorful window graphic with the Hawaiian word mahalo, meaning thanks, on a vacant window in April

Using ICSC’s Back. Together. marketing toolkit for members, Brixmor created a “selfie spot” in the fall on vacant storefront window in high-traffic areas at Frisco, Texas’ Preston Ridge and Dallas’ Wynnewood Village and encouraged guests to pose next to them. The artwork played off the campaign’s heart icon

To memorialize COVID victims, thousands around the world have donated handmade paper cranes, which are believed to carry souls to heaven, to the Memorial Crane Project. From Feb. 17 to May 8 of this year, Tarzana, California’s Village Walk displayed many of these cranes in a vacant storefront window, alongside a Wall of Remembrance that listed the names of those have died and a QR Code viewers could scan to listen to recordings honoring victims

To bring life to dark storefront windows and support the arts community, Linear Retail worked with local artists to showcase paintings, sketches and sculptures in vacant stores at Wellesley, Massachusetts’ Central Plaza from March 8 to May 23 of this year

To enliven the display windows of a vacant Neiman Marcus, Walnut Creek, California’s Broadway Plaza and Valley Art Gallery on March 16, 2021, created a storefront art gallery featuring Bay Area artists. All the artworks could be purchased or rented

To fundraise for California’s Montebello-Commerce YMCA during the pandemic, The Shops at Montebello hosted a chalk walk on May 24 and 25, 2020. For $30, participants received a bag of chalk and tape to design a parking space with messages of positivity and encouragement

Disappointed about losing the tradition of painting their school parking lots, high school seniors at schools near Orlando were invited to submit designs to paint a parking spots on the upper deck of Pointe Orlando’s parking garage. More than 40 students were selected to leave their artistic marks on Oct. 2

At a time when many local art fairs were canceled, West County Center from Sept. 8 to Sept. 30 hung local artists’ interpretations of the center’s signature dove insignia on the first floor. Shoppers voted for their favorites via text. The pieces later were auctioned off, the proceeds divided between the artists and the St. Louis Artists’ Guild

Partnering with Baycrest Foundation to amplify awareness about brain health and the need for funding for research about Alzheimer’s and related dementias, Toronto’s Yorkdale positioned 50 brain sculptures by local and international artists and celebrities throughout the shopping center from September through January

In February 2021, California’s Village at Corte Madera partnered with Redwood High School’s American government class, inspired by U.S. artist Romare Bearden, to showcase in vacant storefront windows a collage of essays on and photos of the U.S. Constitution

To celebrate Black History Month, Westfield World Trade Center partnered with Black Gotham Experience, a nonprofit that brings to life the impact of the African Diaspora, on a digital art exhibit honoring the lives of Black people who in the 1600s lived in what is now New York City. The two-minute digital loop used graphics, maps and photography to document the land grants earned by Black people living in what was then known as New Netherland. It played on oversized screens in the Oculus transportation hub from Feb. 22 to March 31, 2021

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Calgary’s Southcentre invited three emerging female artists to create murals in March of this year. On the flip side of each, Southcentre shared an interactive graphic celebrating a female entrepreneur who owns a business at Southcentre. Shoppers were invited to post photos of themselves next to the art, using the hashtag #ChooseToChallenge

During the height of the pandemic lockdown, Atlanta’s Atlantic Station brought public art to the property and community. Last April, it launched its artist-in-residence program, featuring Tiny Doors ATL at one of its vacant spaces. In the past year, the property has unveiled more than five public murals and hosted its first Unity Art Exhibition, which supports the Black community

Partnering with Ben’s Bells Project, a nonprofit whose mission is to spread kindness, Connecticut’s Danbury Fair asked community members to submit drawings that reflect what kindness looks like. The winning drawings were made into custom mosaic stones displayed at center from May 17 to June 6 of this year. They later will be auctioned off for charity

From July 20 to Sept. 24, 2020, Miami City Ballet dancers took up residence in a vacant retail storefront on Lincoln Road. Shoppers could watch from the street as dancers practiced pirouettes and performances. The partnership among the Lincoln Rd Business Improvement District, Comras Co. and Miami City Ballet offered a safe way to enjoy ballet during the pandemic. Photo credit: Alexander Iziliaev

Hambidge, an artists’ residency sanctuary in North Georgia, transformed 18,000 square feet of former retail and restaurant space in Uptown Atlanta into a series of art galleries, studios and performance spaces. The Hambidge Cross-Pollination Art Lab launched in January 2021, awarding 16 local creatives the opportunity to occupy eight rent-free studio spaces for five months

Miami New Drama, a professional theater company, transformed seven vacant storefronts along Lincoln Road into mini stages for live presentations of Seven Deadly Sins from November to January. In rotation over 90 minutes, groups of 10 theatergoers maintained social distance, listening through headphones while actors performed the 10-minute plays safely behind the storefront windows. Photo credit: Justin Swader

In partnership with NYCxDesign, a nonprofit that supports New York City’s design sector, Hudson Yards is sponsoring an emerging designer residency. The mixed-use development transformed a vacant storefront into a pop-up studio where four artists are spending April 1 through June 30, 2021, working on their portfolios in front of a live audience

To bid adieu to 2020, Domain Northside in Austin erected a custom Rip Away 2020 selfie art wall from Dec. 26 to Jan. 29. Designed to look 3D in photos, the wall let shoppers appear to physically rip away 2020 and turn the calendar to 2021

Domain Northside also commissioned 15 topiary bunnies with themes like Mad Hatter and Flower Crown for March 29 through Memorial Day of this year. Guests who posted images with the bunnies on social media were entered to win a $500 shopping spree to a store at the center of their choice

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, Dallas’ Shops at Park Lane for the month of February 2021 installed an eight-foot chocolate box with a two-person swing to offer the perfect photo op. Park Lane also installed 3D hanging hearts in an empty retail window box on the upper-level plaza, visible to both car and foot traffic

To symbolize spring and renewal, Quebec’s Quartier DIX30 from April 17 to June 7 of this year has placed more than 30 oversized eggs decorated by emerging and established artists in seven places throughout the center

In celebration of spring, Norfolk, Virginia’s MacArthur Center invited five local artists to design, paint, collage or creatively enhance large fiberglass Easter eggs. The artists painted the eggs live in the center on March 13 of this year, and the artwork was on display through April 4

To shake off the winter blues, The Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta in April 2021 created a seasonal dreamland of flowers and plantscapes resembling the French countryside. Among other displays, an antique truck, rustic tractor and vintage flower cart were decked out with thousands of fresh spring flowers

This spring, Fargo, North Dakota’s West Acres installed hundreds of hanging wisteria and vines around the fountain court. To absorb the scents and colors of spring, shoppers were invited to sit in one of the center’s handcrafted pergolas, also decorated with hanging wisteria

Federal in September installed a pair of solar power gathering Smartflowers at its Assembly Row mixed-use complex in Somerville, Massachusetts. The sculptural technology tracks the sun and robotically rotates and tilts the flower to maintain optimal exposure to the sun as it moves. Each flower stores the solar energy in batteries for use elsewhere on the property. Photo credit: Aram Boghosian

Peterson Cos. and Foulger-Pratt in March installed multiple 18- to 24-foot, folded, stainless steel flowers that respond to weather patterns and open and close as the sun rises and sets at Maryland’s Downtown Silver Spring. At night, people’s voices can influence their colorful display

Standing two stories tall inside the interior of Aurora, Illinois’ Fox Valley Mall, The Treehouse is not only a sculptural piece of art. In the “treetop” is an 850-square-foot viewing deck, and the base of the tree serves as a stage for live events. The structure was installed in August

To encourage outdoor gatherings, Riverton, Utah's Mountain View Village has been investing in outdoor installations. In July 2018, Outside the Lines — a construction company that specializes in one-of-a-kind water features, fountains, rockwork and themed environments — delivered a fountain featuring a 13-foot bronze American eagle sculpture conceived by CenterCal Properties chairman and co-founder Fred Bruning and nationally renowned Northern California artist Brian Keith. The fountain pays homage to the men and women serving in Riverton’s fire department, police department and local National Guard. Phase 2 of the installation, which is still in process, will produce a choreographed water and light show

To create a gathering space for Mountain View Village, the lifestyle center is building a show fountain that also will offer a choreographed water and light show

Focusing on interactive spaces, Santa Barbara, California’s open-air Paseo Nuevo will unveil an educational exhibit this summer. Inspired by California’s coastline, the art exhibit and play area will provide children an opportunity to learn about tidal life. The focal point will be a 3D, kid-friendly climbing sculpture designed by artist Spencer Luckey that combines art and play. It will open this summer. Above is another Luckey installation, at The Forum Carlsbad in California

Guests at Illinois’ Oakbrook Center don’t have to go to Italy to see the Sistine Chapel. Oakbrook Center is hosting Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition in the former Sears. The exhibition features life-size, exact reproductions of 34 historic frescoes. Admission starts at $20 for adults, and the even runs through Aug. 15, 2021

At this large-scale art exhibition installed in August and still running, local artists use vibrant murals and interactive displays to envision Hudson Yards in the past, present and future. The works celebrate the irrepressible spirit of New York City and its people. A piece by artist Felix R. Cid repurposed cardboard boxes from Hudson Yards’ own retailers

To bring people together through the arts, Lincoln Nebraska’s Gateway Mall initiated a series called Art in the Mall. The first installation, The Breakthrough, was an interactive experience created by local artist Ann Williams to challenge the negative thoughts and lies people tell themselves and trade them in for something positive.

Emerging designers and visual artists submitted work for the inaugural Design Seaport — a biennial, juried competition — that engages, inspires and unites the community through an immersive, shared experience. The first winners, WALLESSNESS by Teltta and I’m for You (User Friendly) by Supernormal, were displayed at Boston Seaport from December to February. Photo credit for I’m for You (User Friendly), pictured above: Jane Messinger

Combining fashion and art, Fargo, North Dakota’s West Acres created Synthesis, a pop-up space that pairs abstract art pieces from local artists with fashions from West Acres’ retailers. Each week from March through May of this year, the center has highlighted spring fashions from its stores within the space, drawing inspiration from the art

To brighten its walls, Edmonton’s Kingsway partnered with the Rust Magic International Mural Festival. Throughout 2020, local and international artists transformed more than 6,000 square feet of drywall into canvas, bringing art and color to the mall’s interiors

With the help of a local artist, Greensboro, North Carolina’s open-air Friendly Center transformed a section of its outdoor Gathering Area into a community destination honoring the state, community and property. The murals, for which the ribbon was cut in April 2020, highlighted the area’s history and the artists’ vision for the future. The project includes four art pieces totaling eight panels. The art will change out on a seasonal basis

Washington Prime Group has installed dozens of murals by local artists throughout 2020 and 2021. Many incorporated local themes. A mural at Ashland Town Center featured a horse and roses, celebrating Kentucky’s rich equestrian history, and a mural in Southgate Mall in Missoula, Montana, captures the wonders of the great Montana outdoors. The concept for that mural appears above

While students were at home, Alpharetta, Georgia’s Halcyon launched a Student Art Wall Challenge, inviting local students to submit drawings representing what Halcyon means to them. In June 2020, a local artist brought to life the winning submission, Together in Harmony

Annapolis Town Center commissioned artist Jeff Huntington, also known as Jahru, to paint an egret, symbolizing patience and long life, on a stairwell at the center to create a “grand entrance.” Since the mural was unveiled in a virtual ceremony in August, more than 100,000 people have viewed it, and it has received 15,000 social media engagements