By Alisa Williams | The City of Duluth began a journey to define its unique character and translate it into public art throughout the city in October of 2014. Workshops were held to allow citizens to help fill Duluth’s canvas with art that tells the one-of-a-kind story. The Duluth Public Art Master Plan knits the diverse community together by defining and implementing the city’s expression—its signature — to the world.
Duluth’s Ascension Art Project.
Public art is accessible to everyone. It encourages dialogue. Not only do the arts provide a much needed social escape for many communities—they also help drive local economies. Having an abundance of unique arts and events means more revenue for local business. It also makes the community more attractive to young, talented professionals—whose decisions on where to start a career, business, or a family are increasingly driven by quality of life and the availability of cultural amenities.
The City of Duluth was inspired to create a public art master plan to provide a framework for future art projects that will be appropriate for the community. The Duluth Public Art Master Plan will be implemented by the Duluth Public Art Commission, under the auspices of the City Council, to ensure that a high quality of art, as well as a variety of artistic experiences, are available to Duluth citizens and visitors.
Cities all over the world gain value by weaving arts and culture into their physical, social and economic fabric. One way to express a city’s arts and culture is through public art. Residents can share distinctive parts of the city’s history and its ever-changing culture.
We can also reflect and reveal our society, add meaning to Duluth, and create attachment to our community for citizens and visitors alike. Public art is valuable to Duluth because it enhances our culture and our economy. It also celebrates our rich history, points to our aspirations, and reflects who we are and how we want the world to see us.
This public art master plan will cause our unique built environment to become even more distinctive. It also invites new ideas and conversations into our public realm. Public art in Duluth should also be easily accessible to all of our citizens.
Duluth’s vision for public art stems from a long tradition of valuing the connection between the citizens of Duluth and the city itself. Public Art is one of many tools the City of Duluth has used to promote community excellence. It will be a tool that is used to define Duluth for years to come.
This public art master plan resulted from a vision for creating a deeper sense of civic identity and stronger connections between people and places that are important to community and civic life. To view Duluth’s Public Art Master Plan go to www.duluthga.net/publicartmasterplan.
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