History

Since its inception, Cleveland Public Art has assembled members of the arts and design communities and interested citizens to direct their collaborative energies toward public art and the design of public spaces. Organized in 1984 at SPACES Gallery, CPA was originally called the Committee for Public Art in the Warehouse District. The Committee was composed of artists, architects, and arts professionals who were interested in creating one temporary installation in the area.

The W. 6th Streetscape was a City of Cleveland infrastructure project that created public spaces on the main street of the neighborhood. Buster Simpson, from Seattle, won an open competition that attracted almost 300 artists.

Through direct contacts with curators and public art specialists, we assembled an excellent pool of artists (local and national), used a professional and diverse jury to select the artist, and scheduled public information meetings throughout the entire process. This process, once established, became the core of the Committee for Public Art's public art process.

Within a few years, CPA's scope expanded beyond the geographic boundaries of the Warehouse District and the usual definition of public art to include a broad range of programs and projects in downtown Cleveland and in the city's neighborhoods.

The name of the organization was changed to Cleveland Public Art in 2000.

Community served by Cleveland Public Art

CPA has completed projects in some of Cleveland's most visible public spaces as well as in some of its most disadvantaged communities. Our service area encompasses all 77 square miles of the City of Cleveland.