Fort Wayne’s Public Art Commission was formed last year, finalizing its roster of board members in late August. Over the last year, those members have worked to create Fort Wayne’s “Public Art Master Plan,” which was revealed to the public in an open house at the Hop River Brewing Company Monday.
The purpose of the plan is to outline a detailed vision for public artworks, while defining locations and projects appropriate for Fort Wayne. The plan identifies principles for developing and sustaining the city’s collection of public art to support collaboration, diversity and economic vitality.
The commission drafted the plan with the collaboration of Arts United and the city’s Community Development Division. Designing Principal consultant and board member Amanda Golden says public engagement ahead of the reveal was “extensive,” including workshops and open houses around the community.
“We also were at two different high schools asking the youth what their ideas for public art were, and what’s important to them. We had 66 individual stakeholder interviews that were an hour-ish long, and then we had 857 surveys,” Golden says, running through the feedback process.
The plan creates a blueprint for officials and artists in the city of Fort Wayne, showcasing public art projects around the city throughout history while detailing some “inspiration” from other places -- like Cloudgate, better known as Chicago’s “Bean” -- and how much those projects cost.
A collection of conceptual projects are also featured in the plan. Dan Baisden is an urban planner with the city and says searching locally and worldwide for inspiration could help Fort Wayne better define itself through public art.
“We really have some iconic pieces of art, too, like with the Grand Wayne Center, their continuous investment in the core of the city, what ways could we really express who we are through an iconic piece of art that could really represent the city?” Baisden asked.
The plan has three phases: short-term goals through 2022, mid-term goals through 2026 and long-term goals through 2031 and beyond.
Residents packed into Hop River for the open house Monday, and they were encouraged to leave suggestions for the commission on post-it notes. Some of the suggestions included creative crosswalks and using artwork to enhance “views and vistas.”
The commission says it will take these ideas and make revisions to the existing plan to greater reflect the community’s perspective.