Ocala City Manager Sandra Wilson says the city of Ocala has 89% more public art per capita than the City of Chicago.
Wilson made the remarks during a recent meeting of business professionals.
“Currently, we have 89% more public art [in Ocala] per capita than the city of Chicago,” said Wilson. She says almost half of the public art collection was paid for by private funds, and almost 40% of performing arts events are comprised of private funding.
The city has continually made efforts to incorporate way finding signage and public art throughout Ocala’s landscape, including gateway signage, murals, and public works on display at multiple parks.
Perhaps the best example of the public art on display within Ocala, Tuscawilla Art Park has seen a wide variety of works installed since its inception in 2016.
Just down the road, Tuscawilla Park, the Discovery Center, and the Ocala Skate Park all offer residents and visitors a spattering of public art along the way.
Murals cover portions of downtown Ocala, with more on the way.
Comparatively, the city of Chicago is flooded from corner-to-corner with public art, the magnitude of which is even difficult to capture in photos:
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