Lakewood Public Arts Advisory Board Meeting - April 9, 2025

The Public Arts Advisory Board of Lakewood, Ohio met on April 9, 2025, at 10:45 UTC. Members at roll call included Robar, Ryan, Frederick, and Santas; Ms. Rosie was not yet present. The board approved prior minutes, discussed a newly awarded public art master plan, heard public testimony about vinyl mural durability, and selected artist finalists for a large traffic box mural program.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the January 8, 2025 meeting minutes by voice vote, with no corrections offered.
• The board noted that the 2024 Spectacular Vernacular update was still pending and took no action on it at this meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• A public commenter stated that she came to learn about the mural program because many of the city's murals were vinyl and were deteriorating faster than expected. She said she had been told the vinyl would last about 10 years, and she relayed that someone in the vinyl industry told her vinyl was not intended for permanent murals and would always fall apart.
• Staff acknowledged that vinyl wall murals had not lasted as long as promised, causing the program to shift away from vinyl wall murals. Staff noted that replacing one mural could cost about $15,000, and that the city's public art master plan would examine better materials, maintenance practices, and the city code prohibition on painting previously unpainted brick without Architectural Board of Review approval.
• A board discussion noted support for painting brick murals when done correctly, while also discussing the need for owner maintenance, historic preservation, and research into approaches used in other cities such as Philadelphia.

Discussion Items

• Public Art Master Plan: Staff and a board member had interviewed with the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, and the board announced it had received a grant to create a public art master plan. Goals include broader public engagement, easier processes for temporary art and murals, clearer evaluation criteria, and maintenance guidance. The grant must be presented to City Council at the end of the month for acceptance.
• Hayes Elementary Asphalt Art: Work outside Hayes Elementary remains delayed because of work by NBRI, with Public Works requesting final plans to determine the construction schedule. The artist asked about starting other portions early; staff were open to that, and the board hoped for completion by late summer or early fall.
• Traffic Box Artist Selection: The board received 45 applications for 42 traffic boxes located across Madison, Franklin, Athens, Warren, Woodward, and the Hayes area. Staff mentioned that $15,000 of the budget was set aside as a potential grant match; if that grant does not materialize, the program could expand into areas such as Detroit, Clifton, and Edgewater. Board members discussed methodology, including community appeal, proposal quality, artist diversity, and whether some artists already have many existing works in Lakewood.
• Board members considered artists who received differing vote totals, including one artist who received all five board votes and three artists who received four votes. The original RFP sought three to five artists, but the board agreed to expand the number because of the strong applicant pool.

Key Outcomes

• The board voted to move forward with 11 artist finalists for the traffic box program. Preliminary concepts are due May 16, with board review scheduled for the following week on May 21.
• The board directed that the public art master plan proceed to City Council for grant acceptance, with the board to be heavily involved as the plan is developed.
• Staff will continue coordinating with Public Works and the artist on the Hayes Elementary art installation once the construction schedule is known.