CONCORD, N.C. — City of Concord officials are asking for the public’s input as they develop a public art master plan to help decide what the city should look like moving forward.
Most big cities have tons of art on display -- murals, statues, or installations make it a unique and memorable place. Concord is rapidly growing, it’s now the second-largest city in the Charlotte region.
City officials are hoping to bring more art to the area to help build on the city’s sense of identity.
The heart of Concord has a lot of small-town charm. With sights, like the Avett Brothers mural, that will stop someone in their tracks.
“All of those experiences we have in our city end up forming our sense of why we want to be here,” Sarah Gay, the ClearWater Art Center coordinator in Concord, said.
City officials are hoping to build on that sense of community and belonging through art. They’re developing a public art master plan, a blueprint for the types of art that can be brought to the area in the next 5 years.
“Art has the capacity to bridge the divides between us. People who say oh this is who we are, this pulls us together, this unites us,” City Councilman Andy Langford said.
Langford is the chair of the city’s public art advisory committee. He says the city hired a consultant and right now are in the listening phase, hoping the people who live and work there will share their thoughts before any decisions are made.
“There’s a huge universe of possibilities,” Langford said.
It’s all meant to enhance the city and reflect the values of the people who call Concord home.
“As you have art in your environment, it can reflect back to you your own sense of what you think is important, it can give you new ideas of what’s possible, it can all sorts of effects on people,” Gay said.
So far 300 people have responded to the city's survey but they are hoping for more input. It is open until May 13. Concord residents can take it here.
Contact Chloe Leshner at cleshner@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
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