After a September City Planning Commission meeting featuring presentations on proposed murals throughout Cleveland, Documenter Kellie Morris asked, “Do community members have the opportunity to give input on the final selection of mural designs or the artists selected to create the designs?”

Short answer: Yes.

What we learned about the public art process

Community members can attend meetings of both the Landmarks and City Planning commissions and give public comment on any proposed public art.

The city encourages anyone putting up art on private or public property to engage with community members as they go through the city’s approval process – but it isn’t required for a project to be approved.

Public art projects paid for through the city’s public art program, however, do require community input as the artists design their piece. Community members also sit on a Public Art Committee that selects artists and approves the design. The committee is made up of volunteers, and two of its seats are set aside for community members on a project-by-project basis. According to the city charter, those seats are appointed by the council member in whose ward the project is proposed

How does the city approve public art?

The city has two processes to approve public art, both of which are required by the city charter.

Regardless of whether a piece of art is proposed on private property or in a public space, if it is visible from a public street or another property, it’s subject to the city’s Outdoor Works of Art ordinance.

The first step in this process is to check if the art will be located in one of the city’s design review districts (it probably will be) and submit an application and presentation to the relevant design review committee, according to Cleveland’s Public Art Coordinator Tarra Petras. Petras said people can also contact her for guidance on what to include in the application and design-review presentation.

Petras said that while the application itself is simple, the presentation should include information such as a rendering of the art piece, the dimensions of the piece, the proposed location, materials used, and a maintenance plan.

The person, organization or business submitting the application is not required to get feedback from the  community on their proposal, but Petras said she strongly encourages applicants  to contact “neighborhood stakeholders.” Private building owners tend to do less engagement at the beginning of the process, she said. Residents can also submit comments on the projects to Petras or the neighborhood planner for the area.

Once approved by the design review committee, proposals go to the Planning Commission for approval unless the proposals are located in a landmark or historic district, and the City Planning Commission if they are not. (If the project wasn’t located in a design review district, it goes straight here.)

Community members can also make comments on a project at the Landmarks or City Planning Commission meetings.

These meetings are the last stop for a project. If approved by either commission, the project can move forward.

Cleveland’s Public Art program

The city’s Public Art Program only applies to city-led projects with construction costs of $300,000 or more, according to Petras. The city charter requires that these projects set aside 1.5% of the budget for public art.

The program has been around since 2003 and was managed by LAND Studio until 2022. Petras said the program is now run by the city.

Public input is required for streetscape projects, which Petras said are projects that change the look and feel of a street, such as changing the sidewalk. New construction, such as buildings or bridges, and large-scale renovations or expansions, like recreation center improvements, also qualify if they have a budget of $300,000 or more.  

Petras said the public art program does require community engagement in the design process, and community members sit on the Public Art Committee.

The Public Art Committee chooses the artist for a project, and the artist is expected to incorporate community engagement into the design process. Petras said it is up to the artist how to best work with the community. In the past, one artist did community surveys through the neighborhood recreation center, Petras said, while another created a photo drop box for community members to submit photos that would be used in the final design.

If an artist is struggling to engage community members in their work, Petras said that city staff will work with the artist. They may get the artist out to ward meetings or other large events.

The artist will return to the Public Art Committee to present their design for approval. From there, they go to the City Planning Commission for final approval.

How long does it take for public art to be approved?

Petras said approval for artwork falling under the Outdoor Works of Art ordinance typically takes three weeks. 

The process for the Public Art Program varies more, as the timeline is attached to ongoing projects. Petras said that when the committee puts out a request for qualifications from artists, there is usually a four- to six-week window to submit qualifications. She said the public arts committee will look at submissions two to three weeks later. After that, the timeline is project-dependent.