Public Art Meets Civic Engagement: Candy Chang Makes The Good 100 List

"Candy Chang  is coming to a neighborhood near you," a recent profile in Good.is begins. Not only that, but the TED Fellow and "Before I Die" creator also landed on the 2013 Good 100 list.  Her simple, but innovative, installations and projects make cities more comfortable for their inhabitants. Even better, her work has been generating worldwide attention. As Good writes: "Chang uses her creativity to help cities better reflect the individuality, emotions, and beliefs of their inhabitants, combining public art with civic engagement."

What inspires the work Chang does? "I'm interested in pilgrimages, sanctuaries, and the rise and fall of American boomtowns," she tells Good, "and how these ruins can be rejuvenated into cathartic and contemplative sites where we can share the things we have learned in life." To do this, she combines urban planning, street art, and graphic design to transform simple objects into transformative tools to improve communication and well-being in communities. In her provocative and personal talks, Chang presents a new way of thinking about shared public spaces. Through the use of interactive displays she shows us what we can learn through introspection in public spaces—and come together to find a shared human experience.