Today we’d like to introduce you to Raffi Lehrer.
Raffi, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I went to school at UC Santa Barbara, as a dual major in Studio Art and Cultural Anthropology in 2011. This interdisciplinary education taught me to see art not just as objects, but as narratives within culture. From there, I stepped into The Haas Brothers’ studio—managing craftspeople and logistics for their intricate work. That experience grounded me in both creative vision and practical production.
In 2015, my path crossed with Goldenvoice when Paul Clemente, the Coachella Art Director, offered me a job. I got to spend over 5 years curating and producing large-scale installations and cultural programming for Goldenvoice. I focused on festivals like Coachella and Stagecoach and got to collaborate with an international assortment of artists and institutions as varied as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Pritzker Prize winning architect Francis Kéré.
Working with Paul, who’d been shaping Coachella’s art footprint since the late ’00s was transformational. He trusted me with ambitious projects and taught me how to bridge the gap between artistic ambition and logistical reality.
By 2021, I founded Public Art Company—a consultancy focused on large-scale public art, festival programming, and institutional partnerships. Since then we’ve worked with companies like Goldenvoice, Instagram, Spotify, and Live Nation to name a few. These days we are focusing more of our time on permanent public art with a focus on placing Coachella art installations in cities in the Coachella Valley.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
This work isn’t glamorous behind the scenes. Doing anything good comes with its fair share of challenges.
Environmental Extremes: Building outdoors means coping with heat, engineering for wind, and logistical constraints. Often requiring nights on-site and always necessitating real-time troubleshooting.
Scaling Big Ideas: Translating a scale model into a 60-foot structure involves countless revisions and technical pivots and lots of patience.
Tight Production Timelines: With often times short and intensive on-site setups -things can get intense. Its paramount to balance safety, process, and engineering so that all aligns precisely.
Post-Festival Purpose: Some works only exists for an event; others go on to live another life. All require intentional design bothe for reuse and de-installation.
Every project has it’s own set of challenges especially since we’re never doing the same thing.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the Founder of Public Art Company and consult as an Art Curator on Coachella. For the past decade we have been collaborating closely with Goldenvoice Art Director Paul Clemente, to turn bold artistic visions into immersive, site-responsive experiences—often 60–75 feet tall—that harmonize with their environments and draw festivalgoers into moments of wonder and hopefully, joy.
My work specializes in architectural-scale installations though we’ve worked on all scales of projects. From engineering and permitting to material sourcing, construction, and post-event lifecycle planning – we’ve done it all.
A standout project, Sarbalé Ke by Francis Kéré, debuted at Coachella in 2019. Made of steel and wood, it featured baobab-inspired towers and later relocated as a permanent public pavilion in Indio, showcasing intentional afterlives for festival artworks.
What sets my practice apart is a unique convergence of scale‑awareness, production experience, and eye for the iconic. I don’t just build landmarks. I craft emotionally resonant experiences that are safe, accessible, and as often as possible – sustainable. My focus is on art that moves people both physically and emotionally and hopefully resonates long after one encounters it.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Paul Clemente as a Mentor & Early Gate‑Opener
As Coachella’s Art Director at Goldenvoice since 2009, Paul brought me into the festival’s art fold in 2014—trusting me with ambitious installations in a high-pressure environment. He mentored me through the logistics of large-scale festival production, helped me understand how to produce and shaped my curatorial instincts around scale, safety, and storytelling.
Alana Levinson — Partner & Creative Muse
Alana, my wife, is more than a supporter—she’s a constant source of inspration. A seasoned writer-editor, she helps refine my proposals, balances household demands during high intensity production cycles, and centers our shared life. Her thoughtful feedback and emotional support are foundational to my ability to juggle multiple roles without losing focus.
My Family — Role Models
From getting whisked away to job sites as a child to now offering fresh perspective during stressful builds, my family has been my backbone. Their belief in art and design to build a better world and their own lives as creative entrepreneurs has helped be a guiding light in starting my own business and establishing an ethos to live by.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.publicartcompany.com
- Instagram: @publicartcompany
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffi-lehrer-6a42a3a5/
Image Credits
File names of photos have this info:
Take Flight by Isabel + Helen, L Gerber.jpg Taffy by Stephanie Lin, Lance Gerber
Le Grand Bouquet by Uchronia, Lance Gerber
X’Amanej by El Ocote
Dancing in the Sky by Morag…yerscough, Lance Gerber
Babylon by Nebbia, Lance Gerber
Public Art Company Studio shot, Lance Gerber
