Salisbury Public Art Master Plan
The City of Salisbury sought a path for structuring and expanding various public art initiatives and supporting its creative energy. Bressi’s plan showed how the City could take leadership in public art and created a consolidated process that would catalyze creative partnerships between artists and designers, the city and communities, and the university and downtown.
Date | 2023
Client | City of Salisbury, MD
Public art has been an increasingly visible part of the life of Salisbury, Md., an economic hub for Maryland’s Eastern Shore, for more than twenty years.
Thematic sculptures and colorfully painted utility boxes downtown; murals downtown, in neighborhoods, and along major arteries; and a monumental sculptures in a gateway roundabout and a new downtown square are all testaments to Salisbury’s remarkable pride, energy, and creative resources.
With this in mind, the City determined it should develop a comprehensive strategy for public art and asked Bressi to lead a public art planning process. The goal was to harness, direct and optimize the efforts of City departments, its Arts and Entertainment District, and artists and community groups – while giving Salisbury’s creative energy even more support.
The year-long process culminated in City Council accepting the plan in September 2023, and establishing a public art committee. The plan focuses on:
Identifying what kinds of public art people would like to see in Salisbury
Identifying, prioritizing, and mapping the City’s public art opportunities
Identifying sustainable funding for public art
Outlining policies and procedures that provide for an equitable use of City resources and that catalyze private sector and community resources
Outlining a framework for implementing and maintaining public art projects
The plan includes the following notable recommendations:
Establishing Salisbury’s first-ever public art committee to provide ongoing, comprehensive community guidance
Creating an annual planning process that allows for City-initiated and community-initiated proposals to be considered and funded each year
Establishing a competitive, proposal-based “Salisbury Prize” that encourages local artists, communities and creative professionals to collaborate on signature art ideas
