A new arts-focused master plan and public art program is making headway in Celina.

The gist

Celina City Council members unanimously approved an Arts & Culture Masterplan and public art pilot program during the Sept. 12 meeting.

The five-year master plan is designed to be a strategic guide when planning and making decisions regarding arts and culture in the city, according to meeting documents.

Looking back


Council approved an agreement with Keen Independent Research to create a draft of the Arts & Culture Master Plan—then called the Fine Arts Master Plan—in September 2022.

Since then, council and city staff have continued to make updates to the plan to ensure it “embraced Celina’s heritage and culture and was historically accurate” before the plan was finalized in July, according to meeting documents.

“It's been a rewarding process to be involved with all of this,” Strategic Services Manager Anthony Satarino said. “It's a truly community-driven process.”

Community outreach efforts included interviews, a town hall, site visits, a virtual workshop with 700 participants and more, according to a meeting presentation.


“It was what I would call one of the most united community efforts I’ve seen in my time on council,” Council Member Wendie Wiggington said.

Looking ahead

The first test for the Arts & Culture Master Plan is a new public art selection process, which was also approved Sept. 12.

Here is a quick breakdown of what the selection process looks like:
  • A public art selection panel is gathered, featuring a resident at large, a council member to lead discussions but not vote, three Arts and Culture Board members, and a city staff member with some relation to the project.
  • City staff releases a call to artists.
  • The panel reviews artists’ submissions and narrows it to four to six semifinalists.
  • The panel conducts video interviews of up to five artists.
  • The remaining three artists submit concept drawings.
  • Artists present concepts to the Arts and Culture Board in an open forum.
  • The panel names the finalist or finalists.
  • Finalists are presented at a council workshop.
  • City staff gives a recommendation to council for approval.
The program’s first art project has already been selected—a mural for Fire Station No. 3.


More details about the mural are expected to be discussed in the future.