How CANVS Is Changing Public Art Discovery with Lorren Cargill

Street art has changed how many cities think about public space. Long seen as vandalism or visual noise, it is now often recognized as a form of cultural expression that gives neighborhoods identity, tells local stories, and can help turn overlooked areas into destinations.

Still, much of the value public art creates becomes harder to see once the work is finished. The mural remains, but the artist’s story, the meaning behind the piece, and its broader impact on the community, are often lost or hard to access. 

That is part of what CANVS is working to change. In this episode of our podcast, we speak with Lorren Cargill, co-founder of CANVS, about how their app is helping cities, artists, communities and visitors connect more deeply with public art.

Meet Lorren Cargill: Designing New Ways to Discover Art

Lorren Cargill is a business development and strategic deal management professional who serves as Senior Deal Executive at EY (Ernst & Young) and as Vice President of the Board of Governors at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Bringing the same strategic lens, along with a real enthusiasm for art, he co-founded CANVS with his friend and partner, Ralph Andre.

Starting in 2016 as a passion project, CANVS is an app that geo-maps public art to help cities and communities map and measure its cultural and economic value. Today, its work spans more than 11,000 murals across 660 cities worldwide, making it the go-to guide for street art discovery and context.

Bringing Art, Community, and Tech Together

In our conversation with Lorren, we explored why public art creates far more value than most cities are able to capture, what it means to build for a whole community rather than a single user, and how technology can open new ways for people to experience murals and the stories behind them.

🎧 If you’d prefer to hear the full discussion, the podcast episode is available below. Otherwise, keep reading for a recap of the highlights.

Building Out From the First User

Lorren begins by explaining how CANVS initially focused on a mobile app for visitors and travelers. But as cities and artists began to see value in the same platform, the product naturally broadened.

What mattered just as much, was keeping the process iterative, so each group could influence the experience from the others.

“The users impact the artist's value, cities get value from the artist, and the art enthusiast gets value across a platform.”

Beyond B2B and B2C: A Community Model

One of the key lessons in building CANVS, as Lorren says, was realizing that public art didn’t fit neatly into a B2B or B2C model. 

While some platforms tend to prioritize one stakeholder, he learned that for this model to work, cities, artists, and the public all had to be considered together.

That is what B2Community came to mean for CANVS: learning to align with an entire ecosystem.

“If one group wins at the expense of others, then the system’s broken.”

Rethinking Adoption in Cultural Products

Credibility is the real barrier to entry in public art. Lorren makes the point that people aren't just evaluating what a product does, they're deciding whether it belongs in a space they care about.

He and his co-founder had already earned their place in that world before CANVS existed. Traveling for murals, showing up at festivals and helping curate work themselves.

In the episode, Lorren traces how that history shaped early product decisions  and what it actually takes to build something a creative community will trust.

Personalizing Art Discovery With AI

Public art has always been present, the harder problem is making it feel relevant to the person standing in front of it. 

Lorren's take is that technology earns its place when it turns discovery into something personal.

“Imagine you visiting Boston or New York, but having your friend who knows you, create a walking tour tailored to your needs.”

Beyond that shared experience, he points to a future where each person can shape their own discovery with AI. Built around individual tastes, location, and the time they actually have.

A Message for Founders Building in Culture and Tech

Lorren leaves founders with a few ideas worth keeping close:

1. Don’t get distracted by the new tools: Use the momentum they create, but don’t lose sight of your north star. 
2. Treat culture carefully: Culture is fragile, so you can’t approach it like a standard product problem.
3. Build with patience: In products like this, long-term credibility matters as much as functionality. Don’t force adoption.