New city body to guide and oversee public art
TIFFIN, OHIO – September 21, 2021 – During a meeting Monday evening, Tiffin City Council approved the creation of the Tiffin Municipal Arts Council, the first of its kind in the city’s history. The Arts Commission will promote and oversee public art in the city of Tiffin. It is the result of the work of the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership’s (TSEP) Downtown Design Committee, part of Downtown Tiffin’s Main Street program, together with Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz and the City Administration.
Montz celebrated the development: “I am very pleased to see Tiffin continue to be proactive and progressive in enhancing the quality of life of our community. Public art is an important part our Downtown Strategic and Comprehensive Plans, and we believe it will build community pride, strengthen our downtown and tourism, and celebrate talent residing in our community.”
The Arts Commission will help develop public art sites, support artists, provide policy input, coordinate artwork installation and signage, serve as a liaison between stakeholders, serve as a resource to the City on art-related matters, develop a planning process, and other matters. The initial annual budget for the Commission to support and promote public art will be $10,000.
Ryan Poignon, local artist and member of the new Arts Commission praised the development. “Art is such an important part of the fabric of our community, and I’m truly appreciative of city leaders and volunteers working together to make this happen. I’m looking forward to working with the City and TSEP to strengthen public art and the arts in general.” Poignon also owns The Poignon Project, a downtown Tiffin art studio and shop featuring handmade artwork, glass, and live glassblowing.
The Arts Commission is the product of a year and a half of work that began last summer. Throughout 2020 and into this spring, members of the Downtown Design Committee benchmarked Ohio communities such as Athens, Yellow Springs, Marietta, and Sandusky, looking to develop a public arts policy for the City of Tiffin. Public art appears several places in the 2010 Downtown Strategic Plan, most notably in the sections on promoting the downtown to visitors (Promotion) and the appearance of the downtown (Design.)
Tiffin’s Director of Downtown Revitalization Amy Reinhart said, “I want to express my appreciation for Mayor Montz, the city administration, and Law Director, as well as Tiffin City Council. I also appreciate Design Committee Chair Brian Perrine and the volunteers who did a lot of the work to help make it happen, in particular Mike Pinkston, Debbie Roszman and Design Committee Vice Chair Tony Consolo.”
The 2020 Comprehensive Plan has a public art strategy under Goal 6 “Strong Community & Image,” recommending the city “commission pieces of public art and install them at various locations throughout the community.” TSEP’s Tiffin Community Development Committee plans on working with the new group to support public art as part of the community’s overall community development strategy.
About the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership
Started in 1983 as the Seneca Industrial and Economic Development Corp. (SIEDC), the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership is a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to driving positive economic, downtown, and community development in Tiffin and Seneca County, Ohio, which consistently ranks among the top communities nationally for economic development. Learn more about the great things going on in Tiffin and Seneca County at www.tiffinseneca.org.
