ASU students present public‑art 'playbook' to Kingman commission

Arizona State University graduate students presented a draft “playbook” for public art in Kingman at the Tourism and Economic Development Commission meeting, outlining results from a city survey, a public workshop and peer‑city case studies.

The playbook, produced by students in ASU’s Project Cities program and introduced by Allison Almond, program manager for Project Cities at ASU, summarizes more than 400 online survey responses collected Feb. 21–March 10 and in‑person workshop feedback gathered in February. The presenters said downtown, major entryways and Interstate‑40 corridors were the community’s top preferred locations for public art, and that murals, sculptures and vintage neon were the most desired types.

The ASU team offered a “menu” of short‑ and long‑term recommendations organized into three themes: policy, funding and implementation. On policy, students recommended integrating public art into Kingman’s economic development strategic plan as an initial step and later into the city’s general plan; on funding they described options including business partnerships, crowdfunding and a “percent for art” model tied to development fees; and on implementation they recommended a public art advisory board and a maintenance plan for existing pieces.

“Kingman is special to me because…,” the students summarized from a word‑cloud exercise, noting residents repeatedly connected public art to local history and Route 66 identity. The class also reviewed five peer cities (Peoria, Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Grand Junction and Asheville) and highlighted practices those cities use — for example, dedicated staff, business partnerships and, in some cases, 1%‑for‑art policies — as models that could be adapted to Kingman.

Commissioners asked about next steps and public distribution; the students and ASU staff said the group will present the playbook to Kingman City Council at its May 6 meeting and provide copies to commissioners on request.