SPECIAL MEETING OF THE June 2, 2026
CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION 6:00 P.M.
PUBLIC ART SUBCOMMITTEE
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA
Call to Order & Roll Call
The special meeting of the Cultural Affairs Commission Public Art Subcommittee was called to order at 6:03 P.M. in the Patio Room at City Hall.
Present: Ehsaan Mesghali, Member
Shona Gupta, Member
Staff: Sally Unsworth, Cultural Affairs Manager
Sam Lee, Cultural Affairs Analyst
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Informational Item
Item I-1
Receipt of Report for a Vinyl Art Wrap Plan for an Outdoor Fitness Court at Culver City Park; and, Provide Feedback Sally Unsworth, Cultural Affairs Manager, reported that the Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS) Department had received a grant for fitness equipment; discussed bringing in an art component in the form of a vinyl wrap mural for the fitness equipment; implications for Colorful Communities poster program; the Tellefson Park community meeting; fulfilling the National Fitness Campaign grant in Culver Park; insufficient artist fees provided; engaging in a Call for Artists to allow supplemental funding; maintenance; clarification that the item would not be part of the permanent collection; commitment to two cycles with an original piece of artwork; National Fitness Campaign specifications; use of Colorful Communities for the Jefferson neighborhood for the next cycle; coverage for two Cultural Affairs Commission
Public Art Subcommittee
June 2, 2026
wraps, or 10 years; the time and budget saving nature of Colorful Communities; providing an artist commission; the poster artist; the process; artist selection; and the timeline.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding the ability to use the Colorful Communities archive; Commissioner Gupta volunteered to participate; the landscape architect; amount of the original grant that goes to the artist; use of the Farragut Connector model; the need to pay the artist to put the time and effort into the proposal; the practices of other agencies; amount of money if an artist is selected; work of the National Fitness Campaign with the artist to fit the art to the apparatus; continued negotiation with PRCS over the grant; project scaling; the new PRCS Director; money provided for the design phase; and money awarded to the winner.
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Consent Calendar Items
Item C-1
Approval of Minutes of the March 31, 2026 Cultural Affairs Commission Public Art Subcommittee Meeting
MOVED BY CHAIR MESGHALI, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GUPTA AND
UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION PUBLIC ART SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVE MINUTES OF THE MARCH 31, 2026 CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION PUBLIC ART SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING. o0o
Order of the Agenda
No changes were made.
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Action Items
Item A-1
Consideration of (1) a Change in the Artist Procurement Process for the FY 2026-2027 Cycle of the Culver City: Colorful Communities (CC:CC) Poster Program; (2) Review, Discuss, and Cultural Affairs Commission
Public Art Subcommittee
June 2, 2026
Provide Comments; and (3) Make a Motion to Approve the Change in the Artist Procurement Process
Sam Lee, Cultural Affairs Analyst, discussed lessons learned through the first cycle of the poster series; scoring;
neighborhoods for the next cycle; scores from the first cycle; advancing artists to the next iteration; and allowing
participation in the third cycle.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding artist scoring; the intent to spread out the process; context for scoring; the pilot year of the program; neighborhood representatives that scored the artists but did not make the selections; various options; artist availability; navigating the process; the meet and greet planned at the restaurant, Destroyer; engaging in a continuous rolling application process; the neighborhood representation aspect of the process; the selection panel; including a longer availability in the Call for Artists; completion of the program in time for the Olympics to allow for a wholistic show; staff workload; time required for community events; equity in including all of the neighborhoods; creation of a project plan; spring as the best time for engagement; timing; issuing the Request for
Qualifications (RFQ) in the fall; the contracting phase; liability insurance; the need to pay for a City business license; expenses covered by the City; advancing artists; reapplication; a suggestion that the higher scoring artists sign a form to be considered again and fast tracked into the same pool; short-listed artists; letting the neighborhood representatives know that they are scoring the new applications and choosing less applicants; ensuring against bias; and consulting the artists to see who is amenable to waiting two years.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding retaining the neighborhood process; concern with rejecting artists multiple times; the new pool of artists; understanding what suits people and their timeline; clustering engagement sessions; using an 18 rather than a 12 month cycle; staffing; park support; a suggestion to use volunteers; liability; the process; artist availability; pre-assignment of community engagement dates; help from Commissioners; doing the whole thing at once with an extended timeline; providing a report to the Commission; the change in procedure to do an 18 month cycle for the remaining 10; creating other assets in time for the Olympics; application for a Culver City Innovation Award Cultural Affairs Commission
Public Art Subcommittee
June 2, 2026
and other awards for the successful efficiency program; digital assets; interest received from other cities in the model; the many components in the process; fabrication; creation of a content plan for the program; videos and mailers; different promotions based on neighborhood needs; and the event at the restaurant, Destroyer.
Further discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding agreement to engage in an 18 month cycle for 10 artists; advancing four; solicitation for 10 neighborhood representatives to complete the program; front-loading the program to get art in hand sooner for the Olympics; the Public Art Master Plan; staff capacity; the temporary sculpture program, From the Ground Up; potential engagement in a thematic program for the Olympics; and the county program that calls for temporary and permanent sculptures.
MOVED BY COMMISSIONER GUPTA, SECONDED BY CHAIR MESGHALI AND
UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED THAT THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION PUBLIC
ART SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMEND EXTENDING THE COLORFUL COMMUNITIES PROJECT TO AN 18-MONTH CYCLE AND ADVANCING FOUR ARTISTS FOR SUBSEQUENT PROGRAM ITERATIONS.
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Items from Members/Staff
Sally Unsworth, Cultural Affairs Manager, discussed ReThink; the City Council memo necessary to waive the art fee to keep the structural staircase; advice from the Legal Department that the item be classified as Art on Site; concern with precedent; inclusion in the Art in Public Places Program; consideration by the Public Art Subcommittee before the full Commission; the push for Art as Architecture; and the project that came through Economic Development rather than Planning.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding unwillingness to make changes to make the project look more like art; the process; the regular Cultural Affairs process for an art sculpture; responsibility for maintenance; and standard procedures.
Sally Unsworth, Cultural Affairs Manager, discussed the Veterans Memorial Park Tower lighting plan; public comment from Marla Koosed indicating that Cultural Affairs should be handling a projection program; staff bandwidth; issuing a call for video Cultural Affairs Commission
Public Art Subcommittee
June 2, 2026
projection services in 2027; and the need for communication with the Parks Department.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding continued work being done on the tree surrounds and the MGM sign with a report forthcoming when possible; gateway art for the Olympics; the Public Art Master Plan; timing; the temporary art sculpture process; collaboration with Public Works; informing the discussion with CVL + MIG; and things that are considered art vs. things that are considered signage. o0o
Cultural Affairs Commission
Public Art Subcommittee
June 2, 2026
Adjournment
There being no further business, at 7:00 p.m., the special meeting of the Cultural Affairs Commission Public Art
Subcommittee adjourned.
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______________________________________________________________ Jeremy Bocchino
CITY CLERK of Culver City, California
EX-OFFICIO CITY CLERK of the City Council of Culver City, California
APPROVED ___________________
______________________________________________________________ Ehsaan Mesghali
CHAIR of the Culver City Cultural Affairs Commission
Public Art Subcommittee