The JCPRD Public Art Plan advances the vision that public art in Johnson County Park and Recreation District parks, trails and facilities will inspire a deeper connection to place through interactive, immersive, and inclusive experiences. Via, working in collaboration with SWT Design, developed this plan, which provides a roadmap to guide the program’s work, including a set of recommended public art opportunities and administrative tools and processes to help get the work done. 

While we were working on the plan, JCPRD launched the artist selection process for a new, site-specific permanent work of art for one of its parks. Helping to launch this artist selection process gave us an opportunity to work with JCPRD staff, their Public Art Committee, and Artist Selection Committee to test the processes outlined in the plan and refine our recommendations based on feedback throughout the process. 

Once the plan was complete, JCPRD staff immediately began putting it into action, commissioning artworks for a recently developed neighborhood park, developing an artist residency program with JCPRD’s Natural Resources department, and initiating other new projects outlined in the plan. We continue to advise JCPRD staff as they utilize the Public Art Plan to serve this organization’s unique mission and the residents of Johnson County, Kansas.