Cleveland artist Stephen Manka’s public art around Cleveland often provides deeper meaning in the public spaces where they are installed—frequently using metals, glass, and other materials to combine stunning forms with practical functions.

Manka’s passion, world experience, and architectural knowledge is evident in all of his public art projects—most recently, in the gate he designed for the Port of Cleveland’s Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve (CLNP) in Glenville.

The turnstile gate, completed in late spring 2025, illustrates Manka’s talent in mixing man-made materials with nature’s creations to create a classic example of form meets function, and is a culmination of his successive world experiences, studies, and true love of art and architecture.

The building blocks

Swinging benches at Edgewater Park by artists Stephen Manka and Stephen YuskoWhen Manka moved with his family to Shaker Heights from the suburbs of Washington, D.C. while in junior high school in the 1980s, he says he quickly fell in love with Cleveland’s architecture as he became absorbed in his art classes at Woodbury Junior High.

Manka went on to study architecture at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and went on to earn his master’s degree in architecture at Kent State University in 2001. Architecture opened the world to him, as he traveled to places like Spain and Turkey in his studies.

“I thought the skill of an architect was magical,” gushes Manka. “It started me down the path of why things are built the way they are. You fall in love with places—not just buildings, but the food, the ways, the language.”

Manka’s local projects include the outdoor bar rails at the Beachland Ballroom in Collinwood and the bicycle racks at the Noble Beast Brewing Company, near his studio in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood.

“I love seeing loads of bikes locked to the wall of this fine establishment that happens to be around the corner from my studio,” says Manka, as he describes his feelings about his Wavy Fence project at the Cleveland Public Theater in the Detroit Shoreway.

“This one always makes me smile,” he says of his fence. “I saw a kid with a cast on his arm balancing and walking on the top rail. I tried it, it's not easy.”

The Nature Preserve project

The 88-acre Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve is a park nestled off Lakeshore Boulevard. In 1979, the land was a designated disposal site for sediment excavated from Cleveland Harbor until 1999, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and became the CLNP in February 2012.

Today, it is a popular site for bird watching, as it brings hundreds of spectacular birds during their migrations.

The Port of Cleveland approached Manka in June 2022 to explore designs for a new CLNP gateway to replace an understated turnstile entry.

Manka worked closely with Linda Sternheimer, senior vice president of urban and development planning for the Port of Cleveland, to bring his vision for the new gate to life. The design and thought process itself took a year of fine-tuning and working closely with Sternheimer on the final vision.

The new gate at the CLNP, designed and built by public artist Stephen Manka.One of the main reasons it took that long? Manka says he wanted to be deliberate and precise in his process.

“You have to keep moving,” he explains. “It’s not about money, it’s about [asking], ‘how good can this be,’ ‘how do you weld,’ ‘how do you polish,’ or ‘what’s the composition?’

For Manka, it’s about bringing something meaningful to the spot to share with others.

Manka says he appreciated Sternheimer and the Port of Cleveland for their understanding of this deliberate and attentive process.

“The difference from other projects is that there was a bit of patience on the side of the Port Authority,” he says. “They let me have the time I needed to do it the right way.”

Manka calls the process an “immersive experience,” adding that, “Linda Sternheimer was the acceptable gateway of ideas for the port. And I gave her some outrageous ideas.”

Additionally, Sternheimer told Manka that the entrance had to be formatted as turnstile. With that, Manka began his design process.

Manka concedes that the final version is much better than his original concept. “You may do a drawing that says this is the direction, but the drawing is just a suggestion,” he explains.

Since the CLNP is a beloved birding park, Manka says he wanted to create an egg-like impression when visitors approached the gate—looking almost like a Faberge egg.

He emphasizes that a doorway should symbolize a change in thought for visitors entering to prepare them for what they’re about to experience—Manka likens his symbolism to the entrances of places like cathedrals.

“I wanted to reward people for finding it and then passing through it,” he shares of his gate. “It echoes an idea of why we’re here. It’s like a birding paradise.”

Manka says he knew he had to incorporate birds into the gateway, yet he says he felt his original concept had too many birds. So he considered different options for how the birds would appear.

He finally decided on a group of red-winged blackbirds. “The silhouette of that bird was my prototype—it’s a very social bird,” Manka explains, adding that the gate is meant to illustrate these social birds scattering upon the guest’s arrival. He also created a large flock of silhouette bird scattering and flying away directly above the turnstile where the guests enter.

The construction begins

The gate under construction in Manka's studio.Once the design process was complete, the construction took another year-and-a-half to finish. The construction segment had its own issues.

Manka says he had to determine the perfect balance of softness and rigidity for the safety of people walking through the turnstile. He says he wanted older people to easily walk through the gate, but he also didn’t want kids to injure themselves or damage the gate as it spun.

“I’ve seen a dad push his three kids through it,” Manka boasts. “So I knew it would be like a ride.”

Manka says he spoke to many engineers to perfect the rotating mechanism of the turnstile—noting that it squeaked, and his multiple attempts to fix the squeaking failed.

The ultimate solution was installing a copper thrust washer. “All this weight is bearing down on a big washer, a flat circular donut of bronze,” explains Manka. “It will be ground down to nothing in five to 10 years, and I’ll have to replace it. But it’s a soft metal, so it won’t squeal.”

The final iteration of the gateway features a large egg-like turnstile that smoothly leads visitors into the preserve. Manka used stainless steel with a rough finish, and the fence is adorned with the silhouettes of the red-winged blackbirds—welcoming people into the park and the wonders it holds.

A sentimental finish

A plaque dedicates the gate to Will Friedman, retired president and CEO of the Port of Cleveland.The installment features a plaque that dedicates the gate to Will Friedman, retired president and CEO of the Port of Cleveland. The plaque is dated June 23, 2025.

It reads: “With deep appreciation for 14 years of extraordinary leadership, innovation, and impact. A man whose dedication has transformed not only the Port of Cleveland but also the Northeast Ohio Community. His contributions have inspired all who had the privilege to work alongside him.”

The plants have already started to fill in and the vines growing around the gate will enhance the environment to match Manka’s vision: “An entry that promises and prepares one for the wild and wonderful experience of the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve,” he says.

Manka says his favorite part of the project has been seeing people enjoying the land. He says he asked himself, “What can I leave?”

“I want to leave some mystery,” he answers. “I want it to be delightful overall. People are there to enjoy the beauty of this place and walk.”

He adds that he hopes the gate serves as a reflection of the preserve’s beauty—preparing people for the wonder they’re about to encounter when they enter.

“I worry as a designer, it’s not just [part of] me,” he says of the gate. “It’s part of this place, and I hope people find meaning or joy in it.”