The Team
The project site is a public space with historic district status and boundaries. The project site has complex infrastructure and will require ongoing maintenance. OHA is coordinating with representatives from the Mayor’s Office, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Youth, Department of Planning and Sustainability, and the City’s Public Art Coordinator to ensure the competition guidelines take these details into consideration.
Additionally, OHA has contracted with a team of experienced and well-respected experts, including but not limited to Forecast Public Art; Syracuse-based landscape design and environmental research firm, EDR; media and communications specialists Daylight Blue Media (the documentarian of the project) and Cowley Associates (marketing/outreach); and internationally recognized public artist and artistic advisor, Carrie Mae Weems.
Onondaga Historical Association (OHA): Project Lead
City of Syracuse: Municipal Advisor
Forecast Public Art: Project Consultant
EDR: Environmental Design/Planning Consultant
Daylight Blue Media: Videography
Cowley Associates: Communications Consultant
Stakeholders
In preparation for The Full Circle Design Competition, the project team identified a group of well-respected and highly invested individuals from across the community, to be interviewed by Forecast Public Art. These project stakeholders were asked to share their varied perspectives about the past, present, and future state of the Columbus Circle and Heritage Park/Powelson site.
This feedback will provide context for the Curatorial Committee, as well as for the designers who are invited to submit ideas for the project site.
Nominations Process
Forecast Public Art collected nominations from a variety of stakeholders, arts and design professionals, cultural organizations, and members of the Project Team. Eligible nominees could be from the local and regional community, as well as across North America. Eligibility also requires designers with experience in public facing projects.
Curatorial Committee
The Curatorial Committee is a group of nine individuals who have cultural, historical, and professional expertise to bring to this process. Guided by the competition consultants, they will develop the scope of the project that will be shared with the invited designers, review the submitted design proposals, select the finalists for the public exhibition, and choose the winning design. As with many design competitions, the committee will remain anonymous until the judging is completed to ensure fairness, prevent bias, and maintain the integrity of the selection process.
Designers
Local and regional designers will be eligible, as well as those from across North America. They must be mid-late career professionals and have experience in spacial design and collaborative projects of this scale. Finalists will participate in a design team site visit with community stakeholders, as they prepare for a public exhibition of their work in the fall of 2026. The winning design will advance to a schematic design for the City to utilize for administrative approvals, fundraising and construction.