Kennesaw’s Public Art Master Plan has been approved by the City Council after two years of research.
The plan’s purposes are to identify strategies, short- and long-term goals, potential partnerships, funding avenues and other opportunities that can promote public art of all forms in private and public properties throughout the city, according to a city statement.
Appointed by the city’s mayor and Council, Kennesaw Art and Culture Commission members spearheaded the research and a community outreach strategy that will be the basis of the report findings.
The community outreach included online surveys, public interviews at city events, 220 one-on-one meetings and two art public forums in May.
The draft document was posted on the city website for public review at kennesaw-ga.gov/?s=public+art.
Already Kennesaw has public art installations in place at the city’s Smith-Gilbert sculpture gardens and with historic murals and architecture, large green spaces, walkable trails, small memorial parks, festivals and live performances.
According to Georgia’s Creative Economy report published by the Georgia Council for the Arts, the “creative industries in Georgia represent a combined $37 billion in revenue, including 200,000 employed with $12.1 billion in earnings and $62.5 billion in total economic impact.”
Over the next five years, Kennesaw goals are to select public art projects, administer a multi-discipline public art program, develop a set of funding guidelines for city and private developers and establish a framework for the city’s maintenance of public art.
