Kennesaw to hold community forums on art

Concerning public art recommendations, community meetings are planned for 6:30 p.m. on May 7 and 14 at the Ben Robertson Community Center, 2753 Watts Drive, Kennesaw by the Kennesaw Art and Culture Commission. (Photo courtesy of Kennesaw)

Concerning public art recommendations, community meetings are planned for 6:30 p.m. on May 7 and 14 at the Ben Robertson Community Center, 2753 Watts Drive, Kennesaw by the Kennesaw Art and Culture Commission. (Photo courtesy of Kennesaw)

The Kennesaw Art and Culture Commission will hold two community forums in May regarding public art.

These meetings will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on May 7 and 14 at the Ben Robertson Community Center, 2753 Watts Drive, Kennesaw.

Community members, local business owners and art enthusiasts are invited to learn more about key findings and recommendations of the 55-page draft of the Kennesaw Public Art Master Plan during these meetings.

In addition to featured performances from area drama and music students, there will be opportunities to provide input on creative place-making priorities in Kennesaw.

The commission has invested more than two years meeting with stakeholders and conducting research to draft this public art master plan.

The draft plan’s recommendations are:

• A Percent for Art program should be created and adopted by the city of Kennesaw to allocate a portion of the budget for city-funded construction projects to fund public art.

• An optional Percent for Art policy for developers, encouraging them to include public art on their sites as part of new construction projects, should be created and adopted by the city.

• Organize community engagement activities to develop themes that express Kennesaw’s identity and serve as guides for art projects.

• Art projects should be selected that express the city’s unique visual identity and support the city’s ongoing efforts to create an economically viable and active Downtown Kennesaw.

• Expand and build a quality collection of public art that earns the city of Kennesaw a national reputation as a vibrant community to live, work and play.

To view the draft master plan, go to KennesawArt.com/copy-of-volunteer-2 or bit.ly/2Ipge3A.

Information: facebook.com/events/2394010780844986, facebook.com/KennesawArt