A new interactive inventory aims to help residents of and visitors to Akron connect with the city's public art pieces.
The Akron Public Art Commission unveiled the Akron Public Art Inventory in December. The inventory includes more than 700 pieces of art and cultural items owned by, funded by or located on city-owned property.
The inventory was created by Art x Love, a creative agency based in Downtown Akron, over the past two years using a custom designed app and geographic information system. Before the project, the city's only public art inventory was a PDF with 35 art pieces listed, according to the inventory's website.
“This new inventory allows us to celebrate the creativity and beauty we have here in our city while also helping us plan for maintenance and future projects," Mayor Shammas Malik said in a statement. "I hope this can provide a meaningful way for residents and guests to continue connecting with art in our community.”
The inventory tracks art in all 24 of Akron's communities and allows users to to filter by ward or category, which will help ensure future artwork is equitably distributed throughout the city.
Of the 725 pieces of art, 166 are sculptures, and 128 are murals, according to a press release from the city. About 85% of the documented art is free and accessible to the public.
The database also assesses the condition of public art in the city. It found that 32% of the city's public art is in poor condition. The public art commission will use this tool to guide future public art maintenance planning and future public art investments.
"We're also looking at what we can do in the future academically or in terms of maintaining the art with the community," art commission chair Andy Hillier said.
While working on the inventory, the public art commission approved the first round of traffic control box wraps. The work of 20 local artists is now on display at intersections across the city and have already been added to the public art inventory. A second round of designs will be selected in 2026.
The public art commission invites residents who have information about pieces of public art, specifically titles of pieces and name(s) of artists, to contribute to the inventory by contacting the public art commission.
"I think that one of the main uses of the tool and one of the things that we're gonna look at doing over the next year is going out and asking people, 'What do you value about the public art that's already in the city?,'" Hillier said.
