Cincinnati
Inspired by the success of Philadelphia’s mural art program, Cincinnati mayor John Cranley launched a similar program in 2014 with the goal of creating a mural in each of Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods. Local artists have made significant progress since then, completing 132 public murals in 44 neighborhoods and seven neighboring cities. ArtWorks, the organization administering the project, offers tours that highlight some favorite local murals. Groups on the hunt for public art in Cincinnati will also enjoy seeing the “Sing the Queen City” sign that greets travelers as they enter the city over the Roebling Bridge, as well as the imaginative “Spinnradl” sculptures in the Pendleton neighborhood.
Seattle
Since 1973, Seattle has intentionally grown its collection of urban art, dedicating 1 percent of the city’s capital improvement funds to commission public art in a variety of settings. Visitors can now find more than 380 permanent pieces of public art; another 2,800 pieces move from place to place around the city. The city’s entire collection is valued at more than $39 million. Among highlights is “Black Sun,” an imposing doughnut-shaped sculpture in Volunteer Park said to have inspired some of the grunge music of the 1990s. Another local favorite is “People Waiting for the Interurban,” five aluminum figures of people waiting to catch an electric streetcar.
San Francisco
The City by the Bay is brimming with public artwork — its Mission District alone has more than 400 murals — and groups visiting San Francisco can see myriad pieces scattered throughout the city. Some, such as “Skygate,” a towering, twisted sculpture of stainless steel that honors a local poet, were funded by large corporations based there. Another massive sculpture, “Sea Change,” weighs 10 tons and sits at the port where many immigrants from Asia first entered the United States. Among the most recent and most popular installations is “The Bay Lights,” a series of 25,000 individual LED lights strung along the 1.8-mile expanse of the Bay Bridge.
