Inspired by a desire to represent place and community artists and designers who are commissioned to create site-specific product would be well advised to seek out opportunities for collaboration with the locals. Each community is made up of sub-communities with their own agendas and priorities, it is therefore important for the designer and artist who are creating product which will ultimately reside in and become a part of a place (site specific), to implement methodologies which will provide opportunities for involvement by the broader community. This paper argues that the collaboration between the designer and the community is a valued component of the public art and design process and one, which results in a stronger connection to, and ownership of the product, by the broader community. This argument through a collection of case studies, will explore methods used by artists and designers whose practice strongly supports this belief.