Akron’s Public Art Master Plan

A Vision for Public Art Created with and by the Residents of Akron

Mission

The Akron Public Art Program is dedicated to celebrating the cultural vitality of the people of Akron and promoting economic vibrancy throughout Akron through the integration of artwork into public places.

Guiding Principles

Akron’s Public Art: 

  • Elevates the cultural vibrancy and identity of the community;

  • Reflects through design a diverse and ever-changing audience; 

  • Varies geographically, and is distributed citywide, focusing on areas where people gather;

  • Celebrates community histories, strengths, and aspirations;

  • Is commissioned in an open, informed atmosphere; 

  • Expresses the values and vision of the community; 

  • Ensures careful collection management to promote vibrant public spaces for years to come; and

  • Empowers artists to determine creative direction for public artworks.  

Goals of the Akron Public Art Program

  • Enhance the visual environment of public spaces for residents and visitors through a commitment to public art.

  • Strengthen the positive reputation, brand, and stature of the city of Akron and its neighborhoods.

  • Establish standards of excellence for public art in Akron. 

  • Promote and support the economic development and vitality of the community in a geographically equitable way through investments in the public realm.

  • Promote distinctive and diverse artwork that communicates the community’s sense of spirit, identity and pride.

  • Improve access to public art for all citizens of the city and advance understanding of its civic role.

  • Create opportunities for inclusion, education, engagement and civic dialogue among diverse citizens of the city.

  • Commemorate the city’s collective memory and history.

  • Celebrate the community’s cultural and ethnic diversity.

  • Use public art as an opportunity to promote collaboration with and support programs for tourism, cultural exchange and goodwill.

A. Public Art Location Types

The following typologies are general and are meant to offer opportunity by location type. Through the commissioning process, artists should be given the creative freedom to determine the best treatment of each location as they become opportunities for public art installations.

I. In Parks, On Trails, and Along the Water

WHAT

Parks, trails, and bodies of water are natural meeting spaces that bring people together to explore nature,
enjoy friends and family, participate in community events, travel from one location to another, and improve their health. Akron is a community with a wealth of
natural resources and parks that are being maintained and reinvested in across the community.

WHY PARKS, TRAILS, AND WATERFRONTS ARE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ART

On parks, trails, and along bodies of water, art can be interactive, environmentally sustainable, experiential, large in scale, and functional. Installations along parks and trails create inviting spaces, welcoming more users and opportunities for people to interact with one another. 

POSSIBILITIES

Sculptures, light installations, water features, interactive installations, artist-designed benches, artist-design directional signage

II. At Major City Gateways

WHAT

Akron’s 62.4 miles share undefined borders with neighboring cities within Summit County. Transitions between Akron and its neighboring cities are largely undefined. Entry points provide an opportunity to create a first impression to visitors, and a beacon that welcomes residents home.

WHY GATEWAYS ARE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ART

Akron can project its identity within the county and northeast Ohio region as a city that cares about creativity through using public art installations to define entry points. It’s essential that gateway art feature unique designs emblematic to Akron that are visible to motorists and pedestrians. 

POSSIBILITIES

Sculpture, artist-designed signs, murals on the sides of buildings at key gateways

III. As Infrastructure

WHAT

Infrastructure is a fundamental investment for a growing city. Infrastructure elements include street signage, light poles, pedestrian and vehicular bridges, crosswalks and bike racks. 

WHY INFRASTRUCTURE CREATES GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ART

Investing in artist-designed infrastructure creates an opportunity to integrate creativity into the everyday built environment by transforming public projects that can be mundane. 

POSSIBILITIES

Bike racks, Transit bus stops, Manhole covers, light poles

Additional Infrastructure Option:

  • Streetscape Projects

  • Tree grates

  • Benches

  • Tree bands

  • Rain garden elements

  • Bike racks

  • Utility boxes

  • Transit Stops

  • Planters

  • Retaining Walls

  • Fencing

  • Pillars and Support Beams

  • Canopies and Underpasses

  • Walkways

  • Plazas

IV. In City Buildings and Community Facilities

WHAT

City owned facilities provide a unique opportunity to showcase the creativity of the community through investment in public art for interior spaces and for exterior spaces at City-owned facilities. 

WHY CITY BUILDINGS AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES ARE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ART

City-owned facilities are often meeting points for the community and can provide opportunities for residents and visitors to interact with and explore public art. 

POSSIBILITIES

Interior public art collection for offices and public spaces in City Hall, Police and Fire Stations, Courthouses, sculpture in plazas adjacent to or at entries for facilities, murals in or on public buildings

V. In Neighborhoods

WHAT

Akron is a city of unique and diverse neighborhoods. These urban areas are often older, have storied histories, and loosely-defined centers. Neighborhood entrances provide a unique opportunity to share the spirit of the people who make up the neighborhood. 

WHY NEIGHBORHOODS ARE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ART

Public art can be used to manifest the neighborhood boundaries in the built environment and let visitors and residents know when they enter a new, unique area. Through an investment in neighborhood entrances, business districts, and neighborhood centers, all neighborhoods can share their own unique identity and show pride in being part of Akron.

POSSIBILITIES

Sculpture, murals, signage designed by artists

VI. Throughout Downtown 

WHAT

Downtown Akron is the county’s hub for arts and culture, thriving with local restaurants and new experiences,
providing ample opportunities for public art investment. 

WHY DOWNTOWN AKRON CREATES A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC ART

 A dense central business district provides opportunities for prominent placement as well as those that are hidden, guaranteeing an array of spaces into which art can be integrated. Public art can play a role in connecting downtown to key institutions like, The University of
Akron, Stark State College, Akron Children’s Hospital, arts anchors and public plazas.  

POSSIBILITIES

Large sculpture, murals, small installations in overlooked spaces, light installations on large buildings

B. Public Art Typologies

Several types of art are mentioned throughout this document as ideal mediums for public art in Akron. They are described in detail below.

 MURALS

Murals have been some of the most successful and beloved pieces of public art installed in Akron to date. The success of these murals is evidenced by social media engagement, neighborhood celebrations in conjunction with the installation, and features in the media.

While curating permanent works of art as part of the city’s collection is important, ephemeral works such as murals allow for the exposure of many artists over a short period of time rather than a few artists over a long period of time. Semi-permanence also allows for integration of other mediums not typically included in mural installation, such as photography.

 SCULPTURE

Whether contemporary, irreverent, traditional or something more, sculptures are often the highlights and focal points of civic art. Sculptures may commemorate and celebrate our history, express civic pride, or be established as culturally-defining showpieces for the city.

Sculptures can take on many shapes and sizes and often fit well when created in or alongside gateways, parks, urban gathering spaces, and city centers. Because communities can celebrate and enhance their civic identity, they may be especially appropriate for a growing city like Akron.

 FUNCTIONAL ART

Akron is a city that has focused on improving the infrastructure to facilitate residential and employment growth. Due to the ongoing addition and expansion of infrastructure in the city, there is a unique opportunity to implement designs in place of otherwise ordinary pieces of infrastructure. Integrating unique designs into infrastructure may be an affordable and efficient way to create a major visual impact.

Some possible options for functional art installations include bike racks, benches, signal boxes, medians, transit stops, storm drains, manholes, installations within parking garages, highway detail, highway gateway signage, monument signage, sidewalk treatments and more.

 LIGHT INSTALLATIONS

Contemporary artists have begun to use lighting in creative and interesting ways in order to manipulate the built environment with limited physical impacts. Light installations may be used on existing buildings, in parks on substantial landscape features, or as part of a larger installation of sculpture. They may be especially useful and impactful when used in infrastructure projects.

 MULTIMEDIA

Multimedia installations may combine many art types in ways that expand the imagination. Video, lighting, sculpture, murals, and more can be combined to make compelling multimedia installations. Multimedia installations are especially useful for temporary or pop-up installations.

 SITE-SPECIFIC

Site-specific art is created to enhance and celebrate its surroundings in which an artist considers the site first before anything else. Site-specific art uses the surroundings to enrich the experience of the place itself. It can help to tell the story of the location, neighbors or residents, or simply exist to elevate the site.

 POP-UP & TEMPORARY ART

Art can be long-lasting, or it can be something experienced for a short period of time. Though temporary art is not intended to live for a generation, it can have a lasting impact on a community by creating a sense of surprise and joy in unexpected places. Some ideal locations for temporary installations include construction sites, sidewalks, alleyways, parks, and temporarily empty spaces and storefronts.

Temporary art can be done inexpensively and easily, provide opportunity for additional artist engagement, and it can be a small investment that makes a huge impact. In whatever form, its short lifespan gives energy to the space and drives excitement among the community.
Temporary art invites collaboration, be it with local schools or community groups, and creates opportunity for the artwork to evolve with the city and residents over time.

 COMMUNITY PARTICIPATORY ART

Participatory art is more focused on the process for the creation of an art piece than any of the typologies listed above.  Specifically, a piece is made by the community to enhance and celebrate its process and participants. Collaborative art pieces invite people to enrich the experience and heighten pride and ownership.

ENVIRONMENTAL ART

Environmental art shows how a community can be deeply connected to the natural world and visually represents our human relationship with the environment. Environmental art works in harmony with natural resources. This means environmental artists are deeply focused on nature and the wellbeing of our natural spaces. These artists design installations that heal, solve problems, draw attention to environmental concerns, and leverage natural resources.

 

C. Funding A Public Art Program

There are many options for funding a municipal Public Art Program. Several factors were considered when determining the best funding mechanism for the City of Akron’s Program. The funding mechanisms that were explored are described in detail below.


Percent for Arts in City Capital Improvement Projects

Percent-for-art legislation encumbers a percentage (usually .5 to 2) of CIP (publicly funded capital improvement projects) per year for the commissioning of public artworks, which will usually be sited in, on, or adjacent to the building or project being constructed. Percent-for-art ordinances guarantee a funding stream for public art projects regardless of what happens to city budgets or arts funding. The policy also guarantees that public art projects will be planned each year, as long as CIPs are underway and municipal construction continues.

Percent for Art TIF Share

All new ORC 5709.41 TIF incentives will have 1% of the City’s net TIF revenue allocated to public art. 

General Fund Allocation

General Fund allocation allows elected officials to determine a specific amount of dollars from the general fund to be dedicated to public art. The specific amount would be determined during each budget season and could be a fixed amount or vary annually based on available funding. 

FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN EXPLORING FUNDING MECHANISMS:

  • How adoption of a funding mechanism will impact other municipal expenditures

  • What legislation is needed to adopt the funding mechanism

  • How much money the proposed funding mechanism will generate over time


Upon weighing the funding options, it was determined that the Percent for Art TIF Share is the best option to fund the Akron Public Art Program. Utilizing the Percent for Art TIF Share will allow for a funding stream for public art that does not detract from the multitude of essential services connected to the capital budget. 

Priority Action Plan

The following strategies are presented in no particular order.

Short-Term Strategies 

  • Adopt the Akron Public Art Program Ordinance establishing the Akron Public Art Program. (Policy provided in Appendix of document)

  • Seat the Akron Public Art Commission using the Commission Responsibilities proposed policy.

  • Complete an inventory of all public art pieces in the Akron Public Art Collection. Details must include: 

    • Type of public art

    • Specific location

    • Materials used

    • Artist

    • Current and projected maintenance needs

    • Date installed (if known)

    • Develop a maintenance plan for the existing collection. Anticipating short and long-term maintenance is a necessary focus for the City of Akron. The maintenance plan should address specific roles and responsibilities of the maintenance department and create a unique treatment of each piece as its own facility. Tasks, deadlines, necessary tools, parts, inventory, frequency of maintenance, and costs should be recorded and integrated into the Maintenance Department’s general maintenance plan. 

  • Adopt the following policies and guidelines to support the Public Art Program ordinance:

    • Collection Management Policy

    • Donation of Public Art Policy

    • Policy and Procedure for Maintenance

    • Mural Guidelines

    • Developer Guidelines

    • Commission Communication Guide for Public Art Commissioners

Long-term Strategies

  • Integrate culture into transportation infrastructure through temporary and permanent installations of public art. Increasing art in transit provides opportunity for cultural expression at a localized level, enhances cultural identity, and increases exposure to arts and culture. 

  • Explore additional funding opportunities specific to funding municipal public art programs. These include but are not limited to:

    • Capital Improvement Project Percent for Arts;

    • Annual General Fund Allocation;

    • Percent for art in private development;

    • Hotel/Motel Tax; and 

    • Bond measures.

  • Utilize Public Art Program funds to leverage and provide matching monies for grant opportunities from local, state, and national organizations. Target grants for strategic placemaking endeavors or programmatic actions such as: 

    • Programming that supports cultural diversity in the arts;

    • Programs for reaching underserved communities;

    • Projects that integrate arts and culture into community revitalization work such as land-use, transportation, economic development, education, housing, infrastructure, and public safety strategies;

    • Projects that position the arts to support the creative needs of non-arts sectors;

    • Projects that explore the intersection of artistic creativity and creativity in non-arts sectors;

    • Projects that empower the arts and the creative process to address complex issues; and

    • Programming that celebrates heritage or history of a specific place.

  • Purchase or commission art through collaborations between arts and non-arts partners throughout the city. 

  • Create public art projects and programming with non-traditional partners. Potential collaborators
    include health care facilities, rehabilitation and senior centers, disability-focused organizations, resettlement agencies, and more.

  • Assess opportunities for public art installations on City-owned facilities including: recreation centers, community centers, fire and police stations, athletic facilities, government administration buildings, parks, roads, bridges, and railway easements. Other opportunities include: libraries, museums, and University of Akron facilities. 

  • Collaborate with Akron Public Schools and The University of Akron to create curriculum and programming that features partnerships with commissioned public artists.

  • Collaborate with local, national, and international museums, galleries and collections to do innovative exhibitions throughout Akron. 


Moonshot (10-15 years, 2030-2035)

  • Develop an Artist in Residence Program. Engaging an artist at the most basic level within City functions will encourage creativity and integration of public art at the beginning of capital projects and new private development. Artists should be hired on a 9-12 month contract.

  • Adopt a 1% for the arts in private development policy requiring that new developments dedicate 1% of their project budgets to public art within the development or contribute the associated value to an art in-lieu of fund that is held at the City of Akron and is spent on public art projects throughout the City.  

  • Require public art plans as part of large scale streetscape projects within the City and dedicate 2% of the total streetscape budget to public art.