Art commission receives update on Reimagining Columbus statue project and city public-art planning

City art commissioners heard an update on the Mellon-funded Reimagining Columbus project, the city’s City Hall public-art plan and how the commission will work with a new Art in Public Places (AIPP) committee.

Project presenter Amanda Golden told the commission the team had completed its first year of activities, including historic research, a community engagement series and an online learning program. "We have completed kind of our first year of activities," Golden said, describing walking tours, focus groups and a public website at reimaginingcolumbus.com.

The presenters said the second year will concentrate on turning community input into design concepts. The design team has met weekly and traveled to Washington, D.C., to study museum exhibitions and discuss how difficult histories can be interpreted in built environments. The project aims to produce concept designs for recontextualizing the Christopher Columbus statue and recommendations for public art on the City Hall campus.

Erin Prosser, deputy director in the Department of Development, told commissioners the city and partner organizations were clarifying roles between the Art Commission and GCAC/AIPP. "It is not anyone's intention to remove the approval authority from the Art Commission on public art projects. So that authority will remain with this commission," Prosser said. Mark Trebilis, planning division administrator, confirmed the same point: "The Art Commission will remain as an entity that will maintain all of your approval authority that you have today."

Commissioners and staff discussed process changes to make applying for public-art projects less cumbersome for artists. Staff acknowledged issues with the city’s application portal and said the planning department will provide clearer communications, FAQs and direct assistance, including in some cases completing applications with applicants who need help.

Staff also reviewed the city’s public-art maintenance work and budgets. Recent work included waxing three deer sculptures, rebuilding a failing stone base on the U.S.–Spanish War Memorial and documenting monuments related to Black history to plan restorations in 2025. Staff said a more substantial maintenance budget request is in development and that the 2025 maintenance list will include cost estimates for each item.

On sequencing and next steps, presenters said a draft of the City Hall public-art plan should be available for commission review in January; the Reimagining Columbus team plans a public presentation at the Columbus Museum of Art on January 9. Project presenters said final deliverables required by the Mellon grant will be submitted to the mayor’s office by the end of the following summer.

Commissioners asked for more regular, lower-formality opportunities to discuss business and for clearer liaison staffing between the AIPP effort and the city. Staff proposed scheduling recurring monthly business meetings in which commissioners could discuss process and policy even when no applications were pending. Prosser said the city anticipated dedicating staff to the AIPP–commission liaison role once the workload is better defined.

The meeting included requests for clearer public guidance about where and how artists should submit proposals and for the AIPP plan to state explicitly how AIPP and the Art Commission will interact when projects affect city property. Staff agreed to return with clearer timelines, communication materials and a maintenance-cost list for the commission to review.

The session did not include a formal vote or ordinance. Staff emphasized the commission will continue to hold final approval authority for projects on city property and will be engaged in drafting and reviewing the City Hall public-art plan and subsequent artist selection processes.