Mission
Sites Set for Knowledge is a non-profit organization dedicated to building a world in which artistic expression and community engagement come together. We seek to celebrate cultural diversity by giving a voice to artists working in their communities; to make cultural and artistic content available in any location where it is most impactful; and to create civic pride through connecting people to the history and culture in which they live. We do this through providing financial support to artists, curating and jurying the best site-specific content, and administering the Popwalk smartphone application for the benefit of all who wish experience in their environment in a more meaningful way.
Values
Artistic Excellence We seek to support and exhibit outstanding artistic and cultural content in any location.
Site-Specificity We support work that is meant to be experienced in specific locations, and enrich the experience of those locations.
Open Dialogue The artistic and cultural works we support are meant to engender discussion and dialogue between their creators and the public. Popwalk is an open platform, allowing all to submit artworks. It is also a juried platform, seeking to exhibit excellent content. In balancing these two principles, we seek to be open and transparent in our judgement for inclusion in Popwalk.
Inclusive We seek to include all kinds of artistic and cultural voices within Popwalk, including gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education or disability, ensuring that each feels valued and respected.
Situational Awareness Such works should open our eyes to the world around us, enrich our experience of that specific location, and make us aware of our world in a new way.
Vision
Sites Set for Knowledge seeks to provide structure, financial support, and advocacy for site-specific art and cultural content, exhibited through the Popwalk smartphone application.
History
The Popwalk application was developed by the artist David Lindsay in 2014. He had been creating site specific videos for some time, and recognized the need for an exhibition tool that would allow digital artwork to be accessed in specific locations. He worked with developers to create the Popwalk app and incorporated Popwalk in 2015.
The Popwalk platform grew, as many artists and organizations used it to exhibit their work. But the Popwalk team recognized that the ethic of this exhibition platform and the values of the organization would be better served be becoming non profit organization. In 2018, Sites Set for Knowledge was incorporated as a non profit, to oversee the Popwalk exhibition platform, which was gifted to the organization. In 2019, Sites Set for Knowledge received our 501(c)3 designation from the IRS. We are excited to take Popwalk into the next decade.