Phoenix is one of eight cities to have earned up to $1 million each for temporary public art projects that address an urgent civic issue.

Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the winning cities for the third Public Art Challenge. Selected cities will focus on challenges related to climate change, equity, food insecurity, gun violence, homelessness, public health, and revitalization.

The winning project for Phoenix is “¡Sombra! (Shade),” which will commission nine artists to create shading and cooling installations in response to extreme urban heat. Projects will be located throughout various parks and neighborhoods identified through heat mapping.

The toll of heat-associated deaths in Arizona's most populous county — still being tallied after the area's hottest summer ever recorded — has soared over 360, as of Oct. 13, alarming public health officials who say the final count will surely set a new record.

Maricopa County, the hottest metropolitan area in the U.S. and home to Phoenix, reported this past week that 361 heat-associated deaths have been confirmed this year as of Oct. 7. Another 238 deaths remained under investigation.

Along with the Public Art Challenge grant, each city will receive technical support from Bloomberg Philanthropies to execute their projects over the next two years.

The winning cities were announced at Bloomberg CityLab 2023 in Washington D.C., the global cities summit held in partnership with the Aspen Institute. Since launching in 2014, the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge has spurred more than $100 million in economic benefits for participating cities and action across a range of civic issues.

“These projects were selected for their compelling creativity and commitment to serving their communities,” Kate D. Levin, who leads the Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts Program, shared in a press release. “We look forward to supporting these teams as they bring their visionary projects to life over the next two years.”

Bloomberg Philanthropies grants will cover project-related expenditures including development, execution, and marketing. Bloomberg Philanthropies will not fund 100% of the total project costs as the grant is intended to provide catalytic funds as part of a strong, committed group of supporters for each project.