COVINGTON, Ky. — The City of Covington is launching a new interactive project celebrating one of the community’s defining features: its vibrant and ever-growing public art scene. Featuring 144 examples of public art across Covington, the new online experience offers residents and visitors an engaging way to explore the City’s creativity, walkability, and unmistakable charm.
In recent years, Covington’s public art has gained national and regional attention, with local media outlets highlighting the City’s creative assets. Clive—the 30-foot extraterrestrial figure emerging from the Midtown Parking Garage—is now even featured in the statewide tourism guide.
As that attention grew, the City recognized it did not have a centralized inventory of its public art collection. This project fills that gap, establishing a comprehensive dataset that documents Covington’s artistic assets and preserves their histories.
Accessible now, the public art site catalogs murals, sculptures, architectural details, and other artistic expressions throughout Covington’s neighborhoods. Each entry includes information about the artwork, the artist, and the story behind how the piece came to be.
“Art is a vital part of Covington’s identity,” Kaitlin Bryan, Regulatory Services Manager & Historic Preservation Specialist for the City, said. “It reflects the City’s history, creativity, and sense of community. From international artists to local creatives, art here lives in our streets, throughout our neighborhoods, integrated into our city’s fabric.”
The inventory is expected to serve as a valuable resource for organizations interested in arts research, cultural planning, or developing public art tours, as well as for residents looking to discover art in their own neighborhoods.
Explore the public art viewer here: Public Art in Covington
As part of this project, the City is also encouraging the community to join in documenting Covington’s creative landscape. Residents and visitors can upload their own photos of public art to be featured on the site, helping to build a shared library of images that reflects the City’s evolving artistic identity. Each submission will be reviewed by City staff before being visible on the app.
Submit photos here: Photo Submission Form
The project was created with support from ArtsWave and meetNKY, both of which partnered with the City to help identify installations, gather background information, and shape an experience that welcomes residents and visitors to explore Covington’s creative spirit.
“This new public art collection promises to elevate Covington’s creative landscape even further. An accessible, interactive inventory like this strengthens research, cultural planning and can even help highlight Covington’s commitment to public art during major regional moments like the next year’s BLINK event,” Rachael Parker, Director, Northern Kentucky Creative Placemaking for ArtsWave, said. “It also supports ArtsWave’s mission of bringing people together by making it easier for residents and visitors to experience both sides of the river as part of one connected, vibrant community.”
The City also extends a special shout-out to Adebukola Aderanti, an intern with the City’s Economic Development Department, who did much of the heavy lifting needed to get this project off the ground.
Whether it’s a mural tucked along a side street, a sculpture anchoring a busy corridor, or a colorful surprise discovered on an afternoon walk, Covington’s public art tells a story—one that this new project makes easier than ever to experience.