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Request for Proposals: 2026 Spectacular Vernacular

The City of Lakewood’s public art program creates opportunities for collaboration between artists, and the City to create art designed for the public in our commercial corridors.

Since 2016, the City has been investing in public-private art projects to increase its value as a place that attracts and retains residents, entrepreneurs, employees, and entertainment offerings. Higher community values like these help attract and retain businesses and residents, while increasing social connections. Based on lessons learned from past projects, the City of Lakewood is happy to release the Request for Proposals for the 2026 Spectacular Vernacular program.

The City is open to several options for this site:

  • 3D art/sculpture
  • Interactive art
  • Mural that would be installed on aluminum and then drilled into mortar of brick, creating a flat 2D piece
  • Painting directly onto the brick (after receiving required approvals from City of Lakewood Architectural Board of Review)
  • Something that is similar in size, larger, or smaller than the existing

Process

  1. The artist(s) submits portfolio, proposed intervention, and projected budget. Along with the theme, the City will require renderings or examples of what the proposed art would look like. These can be sketches and not final images. Artwork should not act as an advertisement for any businesses.
  2. The artists will be selected by the City of Lakewood’s Public Art Advisory Board. Either a single artist or an artist group will be accepted, however, a group will be offered the same stipend as an individual. The building owner and business tenant (Superscript) will also be engaged in this process. If the Board needs additional insight into proposals, interviews may be scheduled with some artists.
  3. After selection, the artist(s) will work with City officials, building owners, and building tenants to flush out design. Check-ins with the Public Art Advisory Board will take place often throughout the design process.
  4. Project must be completed in 2026. See timeline for details.

Project Timeline

  • February 2 – Request for Proposal released.
  • February 20 – Questions submitted to the City electronically by 12:00 p.m.
  • February 27 – City responses to questions posted to City website.
  • March 13 – Applications due, electronically, by 12:00 p.m.
  • April 8 – Public Art Advisory Board meeting to select artists. *If needed, follow up interviews with up to 3 artists the week of April 16.
  • May 8 – Preliminary concepts submitted to the City.
  • May 13 – Special meeting of the Public Art Advisory Board to review preliminary concepts. After this, we will interact via email, phone, or in-person to finalize the design.
  • June 12 – Final design documents submitted to City.
  • September 30, 2026 – Project must be completed and implemented.

Eligibility

  • Incomplete applications will not be considered.
  • Artists must live in Cuyahoga County or adjacent counties.
  • Artists who received city funds for two or more projects within the past 5 years may not be eligible.

Questions

Have questions about the project or process? Submit all questions by February 20th at 12 pm to: Amanda
Cramer, AICP, Department of Planning and Development, amanda.cramer@lakewoodoh.gov.

Disclaimers

  • All submissions become property of the City of Lakewood.
  • Selection of artists by the City and the pursuit of all city activities are implemented without preference to racial or ethnic origins, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disability, or age.
  • The City reserves the right to modify this solicitation and to request additional information from the participating artist.
  • The City reserves the right to accept or reject, at any time prior to the commissioning of a work, any or all proposals when the acceptance, rejection, waiver or advertisement would be in the best interest of the project or City.

Submittal Requirements and Instructions

  • Not a requirement, but highly suggest providing a proposed design for the wall.
  • Maximum of 10 projects on 10 pages, showing relevant project experience. Additional project pages will not be reviewed.
  • Each project must include artist name, contact info, dimensions, artist’s role in the project, and project partners, if any.
  • All materials must be in a single PDF file.
  • PDF file name to include the Artist’s name, saved as “Artist Last Name_SV_Application”
  • Emails exceeding 25MB will NOT be delivered to the inbox; multiple emails will NOT be accepted.

Email application materials by 12pm on March 13th to: amanda.cramer@lakewoodoh.gov.

For additional information, please contact:

Amanda Cramer, AICP
Department of Planning and Development
216-529-7679 / amanda.cramer@lakewoodoh.gov

Applicants will be notified as to the status of their application.