William Cochran Portfolios

ABOUT COCHRAN STUDIO

Cochran Studio is a creative hub for public art and community-informed design, powered by William Cochran, a renowned artist known for pioneering participatory public art, and Teresa Cochran, an expert in public participation and engagement. Since 1993, they’ve pooled their skills to empower communities, foster dialogue, and revitalize public spaces through artist-led collaborative creativity.

William Cochran's Bio

William Cochran is a pioneering artist specializing in participatory and co-creative art for urban revitalization. With more than 30 years of experience, he transforms distressed downtowns into vibrant, sustainable public spaces through large-scale artworks, public space design, and master planning.

Cochran’s work blends innovative techniques with timeless design principles, emphasizing high-quality materials and a commitment to sustainability in environmental, economic, and cultural aspects. He is dedicated to inclusive public participation, ensuring community voices shape the creation of public art and spaces.

His break-out project, Community Bridge in Frederick, Maryland, set new standards for large-scale co-creation, gaining international recognition. Cochran’s latest work—an artist-designed streetscape in Cumberland, Maryland—is hailed as a world-class example of sustainable public space design.

Having collaborated with more than 60 artists, architects, and designers, Cochran’s diverse clientele includes municipalities, cultural organizations, museums, developers, and nonprofits. His projects, ranging from public artworks to cultural trails and sculpture parks, have earned numerous accolades, including:

National Endowment for the Arts Mayor’s Institute on City Design grant (ARTWalk2, Rochester, New York)
Core Values Award from the International Association for Public Participation (Community Bridge)
Robert Macon Award for Urban Innovation (University of Rochester Memorial Art Gallery Centennial Park)
Excellence Award from the National Glass Association (Volunteers, Frederick,

Maryland)

Two Project of the Year awards from the American Public Works Association (Community Bridge and ????)

Cochran is also a sought-after speaker, sharing his insights on creativity and urban transformation at conferences and universities worldwide. His work inspires and serves as a model for integrating art into public spaces to foster community engagement and sustainable development.

William developed a series of workshops called The Trompe L’oeil Mastery Program and occasionally offers it and other training to artists.

Teresa Cochran's Bio
Teresa Cochran is a Public Art and Public Participation planner, consultant, and facilitator at Cochran Studio, specializing in large-scale public engagement processes and managing site-specific public artworks. With expertise in public participation, she crafts inclusive processes that integrate diverse stakeholder input into public art and public space design, collaborating across government, community, corporate, and nonprofit sectors.

As co-founder and founding executive director of Shared Vision: Public Art for Community Transformation, Teresa led the groundbreaking public participation for its flagship project, Community Bridge (1998). The project sparked over $300 million in development. A recipient of the Core Values Award from the International Association for Public Participation, Teresa leads corporate training programs and served as a public art consultant for an American Institute of Architects Sustainable Design Assessment Team for a west coast city.

Teresa has been deeply involved with Lucy School, an arts-based pre-K to 8th-grade school and Maryland’s first Platinum LEED-certified school, since its founding. She organized the national arts-integrated conference, Rethinking Education, at the school and played a pivotal role in its transition to a nonprofit in 2022. As Board Chair, Teresa led the transition process, guided the new Board of Trustees, hired a new Head of School, modernized business practices, and led the codification of the innovative preschool curriculum. Her ultimate goal for Lucy School is to preserve and expand the innovative practices developed there, ensuring they benefit schools nationwide and improve education for all children.

Reflections from the Studio

Death & Rebirth of Community Bridge

This report details the reasons for the loss of Community Bridge and outlines a way to bring this powerhouse public artwork back online.

Indicators Your Public Art Policy May Need a Professional Overhaul

This checklist was compiled after reviewing a Maryland municipality's public art policy as expressed in its handbook, and noting the most obvious gaps. It serves as a quick gauge to determine how closely the public art program and policies of a municipality align with established professional standards, and underlines the need to engage a veteran public art consultant with deep policy expertise when developing public art policy. Does your program meet these essential indicators? If not, your public art policy may be due for a comprehensive professional overhaul!

15 Most Popular Worst Practices in Public Art Policy

(because 10 wasn't enough for America's favorites) 1. No Criteria, No Problem! Don’t publish standards for artistic excellence, durability, or context fit. Let taste and politics decide. Outcome: A collection that can’t be defended when anyone asks, “Why this?”

About

ABOUT COCHRAN STUDIO

Cochran Studio is a creative hub for public art and community-informed design, powered by William Cochran, a renowned artist known for pioneering participatory public art, and Teresa Cochran, an expert in public participation and engagement. Since 1993, they’ve pooled their skills to empower communities, foster dialogue, and revitalize public spaces through artist-led collaborative creativity.

William Cochran's Bio

William Cochran is a pioneering artist specializing in participatory and co-creative art for urban revitalization. With more than 30 years of experience, he transforms distressed downtowns into vibrant, sustainable public spaces through large-scale artworks, public space design, and master planning.

Cochran’s work blends innovative techniques with timeless design principles, emphasizing high-quality materials and a commitment to sustainability in environmental, economic, and cultural aspects. He is dedicated to inclusive public participation, ensuring community voices shape the creation of public art and spaces.

His break-out project, Community Bridge in Frederick, Maryland, set new standards for large-scale co-creation, gaining international recognition. Cochran’s latest work—an artist-designed streetscape in Cumberland, Maryland—is hailed as a world-class example of sustainable public space design.

Having collaborated with more than 60 artists, architects, and designers, Cochran’s diverse clientele includes municipalities, cultural organizations, museums, developers, and nonprofits. His projects, ranging from public artworks to cultural trails and sculpture parks, have earned numerous accolades, including:

National Endowment for the Arts Mayor’s Institute on City Design grant (ARTWalk2, Rochester, New York)
Core Values Award from the International Association for Public Participation (Community Bridge)
Robert Macon Award for Urban Innovation (University of Rochester Memorial Art Gallery Centennial Park)
Excellence Award from the National Glass Association (Volunteers, Frederick,

Maryland)

Two Project of the Year awards from the American Public Works Association (Community Bridge and ????)

Cochran is also a sought-after speaker, sharing his insights on creativity and urban transformation at conferences and universities worldwide. His work inspires and serves as a model for integrating art into public spaces to foster community engagement and sustainable development.

William developed a series of workshops called The Trompe L’oeil Mastery Program and occasionally offers it and other training to artists.

Teresa Cochran's Bio
Teresa Cochran is a Public Art and Public Participation planner, consultant, and facilitator at Cochran Studio, specializing in large-scale public engagement processes and managing site-specific public artworks. With expertise in public participation, she crafts inclusive processes that integrate diverse stakeholder input into public art and public space design, collaborating across government, community, corporate, and nonprofit sectors.

As co-founder and founding executive director of Shared Vision: Public Art for Community Transformation, Teresa led the groundbreaking public participation for its flagship project, Community Bridge (1998). The project sparked over $300 million in development. A recipient of the Core Values Award from the International Association for Public Participation, Teresa leads corporate training programs and served as a public art consultant for an American Institute of Architects Sustainable Design Assessment Team for a west coast city.

Teresa has been deeply involved with Lucy School, an arts-based pre-K to 8th-grade school and Maryland’s first Platinum LEED-certified school, since its founding. She organized the national arts-integrated conference, Rethinking Education, at the school and played a pivotal role in its transition to a nonprofit in 2022. As Board Chair, Teresa led the transition process, guided the new Board of Trustees, hired a new Head of School, modernized business practices, and led the codification of the innovative preschool curriculum. Her ultimate goal for Lucy School is to preserve and expand the innovative practices developed there, ensuring they benefit schools nationwide and improve education for all children.

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