OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Lakewood Public Art Advisory Board Meeting - May 21, 2025

Boards and Commissions — Wednesday, May 21, 2025
BodyLakewood, Ohio
SessionBoards and Commissions
DateWednesday, May 21, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:29:05

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

All right.

0:02

Would you like to do a roll call?

0:05

Miss Amanda?

0:07

Mr.

0:07

Robar?

0:08

Here.

0:08

Mr.

0:09

Frederick?

0:09

Here.

0:10

Miss Rosie?

0:11

Here.

0:11

And Miss Ryan and Miss DeSantis both uh had some conflicts or not able to make it tonight.

0:17

They did send some comments to discuss though if we need to.

0:21

All right, great.

0:23

Let's see.

0:24

I'll ask if anyone had any comments at all on the meeting minutes from April 9th.

0:31

Any comments on our no comments?

0:34

All right.

0:35

Myself included in no comments.

0:37

So I'll ask for a motion to approve the minutes of April 9th.

0:41

I'll second that.

0:42

All right.

0:42

All in favor.

0:44

Aye.

0:45

All right.

0:46

Thanks, guys.

0:48

Okay, uh, let's jump into uh opening remarks, which I already passed over.

0:54

Okay.

0:55

Welcome to the public art advisory board meeting.

0:58

The purpose of the public art advisory board is to collaborate with city officials regarding its public art policies and practices, promote the city's public art initiatives and educate residents on the benefits of public art on public and private properties.

1:09

The board is composed of volunteer citizens without financial compensation.

1:13

All documents shared with the board and any addenda statements, maps, diagrams, etc.

1:18

referred to the board by any person shall be considered by the board prior to rendering a decision.

1:23

Those who offer a public comment are asked to come to the podium and sign in on the sign-in sheet provided.

1:27

This serves as an oath or affirmation that you will tell the truth before the board.

1:31

Before offering your comments, we ask that you please state your name and address for the record while speaking.

1:36

Please stay close to the microphones.

1:38

We can ensure all aspects of the discussion are accurately captured.

1:41

We will not be in with the regular business of the public advisory board.

1:46

Okay.

1:48

I figured that I tried to make this easy to go through and it wasn't.

1:53

And um Adobe got mad at me, so the images don't look right in here, so I'm just going to pull them up individually.

2:01

If anybody has a conflict and you need to like get out of here quickly to the podium and let me know an energy provided, this serves as an oath or affirmation that you will tell the truth to me.

2:11

Before offering your comments, we ask that you please state your name and address for the record while speaking.

2:16

Please stay close to the microphones with ensure all aspects of the discussion are accurately captured.

2:20

It will not be in with the regular business of the public advisory board.

2:49

Great.

3:11

So we know that it'll look a little different.

3:17

So if we go to the second page.

5:00

And uh what you see here are the first concept has uh the two the two blue birds um joyfully singing, and then the tree in the middle.

5:06

Um, and this is based on the specs of the boxes, and the alternative is called hello birdie, and it's uh a blue bird and a uh cardinal, and instead of the tree, the middle says hello birdie um in type.

5:23

So I guess my question to you would be which one would you prefer um for this concept.

5:40

Um yeah, let's go through all of yours and then that's that's a good question.

5:46

Second one is called frog pond, and again, from the frog in my uh summer day lino print.

5:52

Uh this one um I'm requesting the location right outside of the school on uh like um Madison and Wager.

6:00

Um and so uh the frogs are uh you know swimming through the frog pond.

6:07

Um again um inspired by uh the Cleveland Metro Parks and uh Rocky River.

6:13

Um the second alternative option is dragonfly, again, picked up from my uh Summer's Day lineup print.

6:20

And so again, this is a dragonfly flying through the colorful flowers.

6:25

Um and I think having the location in front of the school is great because the the children can see it when they look out their window, if they're not paying attention, um, and also when they're walking in front of the school.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Art█████████████████████████████████████████████92%
Public Works██4%
Procedural█2%
Community Engagement█2%
Summary of Proceedings

Lakewood Public Art Advisory Board Meeting - May 21, 2025

The Lakewood Public Art Advisory Board met on May 21, 2025, to review artist proposals for traffic signal box wraps, discuss timelines, and receive updates on related public art initiatives. The board approved the minutes from April 9, 2025, and provided feedback to seven artists presenting concepts for up to 40+ boxes. Key decisions included a June 20, 2025, deadline for final designs and adjustments to avoid Bunts Road locations due to planned utility work.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approval: The board voted unanimously to approve the minutes from the April 9, 2025, meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Mickey (Artist 1): Presented three box concepts: two blue birds with tree (preferred by board) vs. a cardinal with "Hello Birdie" typography; a frog pond design for near the school (Madison and Wager); and a farmer's flowers design for Larchmont and Madison. Board expressed preference for the first option (no text) and deferred to artist discretion on final choices.
  • Malcolm Bulu: Showed four avant-garde designs, including a sports/anime hybrid, a surveillance-themed piece, and a design incorporating the Lakewood City logo. Board praised the eclectic style and the logo usage. One design included a QR code for a website; board suggested linking to a story behind the art.
  • Debbie Clapper (neural): Presented six geometric abstract designs from her "Optical Hypnosis" collection, including Disco Tech, Infrastructure, Celebration, and Whirlwind. She noted preferred locations (near Screw Factory, Lakewood Park, etc.) and offered a black-and-white option. Board particularly liked the black-and-white design and vibrant colors.
  • Mendy Towsley & Terry: Collaborated on turning Terry's colored pencil drawings (done with non-dominant hand after an injury) into digital wraps. Designs included psychedelic patterns, sawgrass, and beach waves. Board appreciated the movement and mid-century feel.
  • Unnamed Illustrator (American Greetings): Proposed turning boxes into whimsical character faces with bold tertiary colors. Board loved the fun, comic-book style. Additional animal-themed designs (dog, cat, cardinal, raccoon) were mentioned for future boxes.
  • Sequoia Bostick: Arrived late and presented nature-inspired designs (zentangle, bugs, Lakewood Park scene, ginseng pattern). Board liked the botanical/herbal motif and suggested exploring color saturation.
  • Tao (late arrival): Presented a design with integrated text (words like "This is not a pipe"). Board debated typography but ultimately agreed the text was woven into the imagery effectively.
  • Natalie (via phone): Showed abstract designs with symbols (monstera leaf, piano keyboard, faces). Board praised the abstract, non-literal style and encouraged her to add a signature or QR code.

Key Outcomes

  • Design Approval: The board approved the direction of all presented concepts, leaving final artistic choices to the artists.
  • Final Deadline: Artists must submit final high-resolution designs (300 DPI) to city staff by June 20, 2025. The city will then coordinate with installer Inflatable Images.
  • Location Adjustments: Due to planned utility work on Bunts Road, no boxes will be placed there; alternative locations on Franklin Avenue and others will be assigned based on artist preferences.
  • Asphalt Art Program: The Hayes Elementary street mural (grant-funded) is delayed but expected to be completed by the start of the 2025-26 school year (August 2025).
  • Public Art Master Plan: A new plan, funded by Cuyahoga County, will include community engagement sessions and a framework for future projects. The board will nominate one member to join the planning committee.
  • Artist Support: A group Zoom with the printer (Inflatable Images) may be arranged to answer technical questions about color and resolution.
  • Next Meeting: Not specified; future updates will be shared via email or the city's public art map.

Meeting Transcript

All right. Would you like to do a roll call? Miss Amanda? Mr. Robar? Here. Mr. Frederick? Here. Miss Rosie? Here. And Miss Ryan and Miss DeSantis both uh had some conflicts or not able to make it tonight. They did send some comments to discuss though if we need to. All right, great. Let's see. I'll ask if anyone had any comments at all on the meeting minutes from April 9th. Any comments on our no comments? All right. Myself included in no comments. So I'll ask for a motion to approve the minutes of April 9th. I'll second that. All right. All in favor. Aye. All right. Thanks, guys. Okay, uh, let's jump into uh opening remarks, which I already passed over. Okay. Welcome to the public art advisory board meeting. The purpose of the public art advisory board is to collaborate with city officials regarding its public art policies and practices, promote the city's public art initiatives and educate residents on the benefits of public art on public and private properties. The board is composed of volunteer citizens without financial compensation. All documents shared with the board and any addenda statements, maps, diagrams, etc. referred to the board by any person shall be considered by the board prior to rendering a decision. Those who offer a public comment are asked to come to the podium and sign in on the sign-in sheet provided. This serves as an oath or affirmation that you will tell the truth before the board. Before offering your comments, we ask that you please state your name and address for the record while speaking. Please stay close to the microphones. We can ensure all aspects of the discussion are accurately captured. We will not be in with the regular business of the public advisory board. Okay. I figured that I tried to make this easy to go through and it wasn't. And um Adobe got mad at me, so the images don't look right in here, so I'm just going to pull them up individually. If anybody has a conflict and you need to like get out of here quickly to the podium and let me know an energy provided, this serves as an oath or affirmation that you will tell the truth to me. Before offering your comments, we ask that you please state your name and address for the record while speaking. Please stay close to the microphones with ensure all aspects of the discussion are accurately captured. It will not be in with the regular business of the public advisory board. Great. So we know that it'll look a little different. So if we go to the second page. And uh what you see here are the first concept has uh the two the two blue birds um joyfully singing, and then the tree in the middle.

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