Anyone who has been out and about in Cleveland over the past months has no doubt spotted some of the colorful creatures scattered throughout the city.

The temporary public art installation, created by Cracking Art, brought here by LAND studio and a grant from the Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, is here through next spring.

But when the snails and turtles make their exits, a new batch of temporary public art will take its place. Last week, LAND studio issued a call for artists within a 350 mile radius of downtown Cleveland to submit applications for three to six additional public art installations throughout 2017 and 2018.

“Public art can be really experimental, but then if it works out it’s an idea for something on a more permanent bases,” says Vince Reddy, LAND studio’s project manager, adding that the Cracking Art for the most part received positive reactions. "We want people to think of Cleveland as a place to view public art."

The Fowler Family Foundation is also supporting this new public art endeavor, which will have installments in Public Square, Mall B, East 3rd Street between Superior and Rockwell Avenues or in nearby publicly accessible locations. Selected artists will have a $40,000 budget for their works, which will be displayed at various times between spring 2017 and the end of 2018.

Reddy says they opened the call for artists to a 350 mile radius in order to attract both local artists and artists from neighboring cities, such as Pittsburgh, Detroit, Buffalo and Columbus. “More than half of the public art we do is local,” he explains. “Outside artists must work from their impressions of Cleveland, and we want to find out about artists from our peer cities.”

Furthermore, Reddy says the larger field will introduce the city to new perspectives. “There are a lot of good artists with great ideas who don’t know how to express them,” he says. “This is an opportunity for some artists who may never have worked in public art.”

Rather than asking applicants to outline their ideas, Reddy says LAND studio is asking for qualifications and a one-page statement as to why they want to participate in the project. “We’re asking they not just submit ideas, just to submit their qualifications,” he explains. “We’re looking for people who have really thought about it. We’re asking how they would approach it. We’re hoping to get a big response.”

Interested artists should read the application requirements and submit their materials by 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28.