Sanaa Julien knows how to draw our attention to spaces we once considered afterthoughts. As chief marketing officer for the Cleveland Metroparks, she helped launch Edgewater Live and made the park and beach a go-to spot every Thursday evening during the summer. Now the Group Plan Commission is borrowing her talents for a year to help get Public Square off on the right foot with live music, festivals and summer programs for kids. We caught up with Julien for her take on the square, which officially opens to the public with a July 29 Cleveland Orchestra performance.
On what she’s looking forward to:
I’m excited to see the community come in and stay a while instead of pass through. I’m excited about the creative challenges of putting this program together in a way that makes sure we include and provide for everybody. I wake up jazzed every day, and I can’t sleep because I’m constantly thinking about ideas.
On her goal for Public Square:
At the end of the day, my goal is that everybody feels successful. Everybody feels like this was for the community or the city, and it becomes a natural part of their day or their week or their month to think about Public Square.
On the square’s uses:
The lawn itself, which will serve as a concert area, has seating rows imbedded in it. There’s an area for lots of different kinds of public presentations. So whether someone wanted to host a wedding or a company event, it provides a natural space to do that. And if you just want to bring a book and a blanket, and plop down, it lends to all of those things.
On the square’s lawn and elevated hills:
I love the view that people will enjoy from those locations. The fact that we can create programming opportunities, whether it’s a musical performance, a theatrical performance, a student presentation. There are lots of ways for people to enjoy that massive lawn at the same time.
On new versus old:
There are some dramatic differences on how the space was designed versus what it used to be. It’s no longer four quadrants. It feels like one giant park as opposed to a park that’s intersected by streets. Not having all those cars will make it easier for families to navigate the space.
On collaboration:
Collaboration is incredibly key. The unique partnership [among the Group Plan Commission, Downtown Cleveland Alliance, city of Cleveland, Land Studio, Greater Cleveland Partnership and Cuyahoga County] that came together to create it couldn’t have been done without the collaboration. Lots of players had to get involved.