The results are in on Naperville’s community art survey

The community weighed in on public art in Naperville and the results are in.
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According to a press release from the City of Naperville, the city sent out a survey in October asking for residents’ perspectives on future public art. The survey asked about themes, preferred styles, and locations for public art.

“We appreciate all community members who took the time to participate in our public art survey,” said City Clerk Dawn Portner. “Now we better understand the community’s interest in public art projects. It’s exciting to be able to use these insights to help create future public art in the community.”

The results showed strong support for nature-inspired and interactive art projects and for the art to be placed around the city, not just in the downtown area.  The survey respondents said they want public art that illustrates Naperville’s diversity and supports community engagement.

Naperville public art survey highlights

Some of the survey’s key findings include:

  • Role of public art. Most respondents believe public art should spark creativity and joy (82%). Other important roles include fostering community pride and diversity (66%) and celebrating Naperville’s history (66%).
  • Interest in public art. Nearly half of the respondents (45%) highly value public art and believe it is essential to a community. Another 44% value public art and consider it to be important.
  • Preferred locations for public art are downtown and parks. Downtown and commercial areas (91%) ranked highest for public art placement, followed by parks and green spaces (76%).

Temporary and interactive art was also encouraged.

According to the press release, the survey included fewer than 20 questions and took about five minutes to complete. Open-ended responses are currently under review and will be analyzed to identify additional themes and insights for future projects. 

The City of Naperville used Polco, a civic engagement platform used by local governments, to conduct the survey. 

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