DATE: March 1, 2022
TO: Christine Daniel, City Manager
FROM: Charles S. Bryant, Community Development Director SUBJECT: Resolution Of The City Council Of The City Of Emeryville Authorizing The City Manager To Establish A Pilot Program To Augment The Community Grant Program With $50,000 From The Art In Public Places Fund For Visual Arts Grants
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the above-entitled resolution authorizing the City Manager to establish a Pilot Program for Visual Arts Community Grants using $50,000 of Art in Public Places (“AiPP”) funds (Fund 243) beginning in Fiscal Year 2022-2023.
BACKGROUND
In 2016, the City Council adopted the Public Art Master Plan, which, in addition to calling for the establishment of a mural program, identified community collaborations and leveraging of AiPP funds as top objectives. In the intervening years, the City facilitated the installation of a mural along the Emeryville Greenway south of Powell Street as a pilot, to determine the viability of a mural program supported by AiPP funds. Based on the results of the pilot installation, on November 17, 2020, the City Council adopted the Public Art Mural Program Guidelines, and a mural was installed at 1451 Sherwin Avenue in 2021 through the Public Art Mural Program.
Concurrently, the Community Grant Program, established in 1996, was making grants to non-profit organizations for community events and activities, including some that included “visual arts” installations. Projects awards funds through the Community Grant Program have included visual art installations such as a mosaic at the Emeryville Center of Community Life and an artist-designed cistern at the Big Daddy Community Garden. Prior applications to the Community Grant Program have included murals, raising questions regarding the role of the Public Art Committee (“PAC”) in the review of murals that receive City funding. In summary, the City currently has two separate programs with distinct review processes, procedures and guidelines available to provide funding support for murals.
In 2021, the PAC was approached by an organization seeking AiPP funds to support a mural festival. The PAC considered recommending that the City Council allocate funds, but staff advised the PAC to formalize a process for community partnerships to resolve potential concerns regarding the public funding of unsolicited proposals. The PAC has also expressed concern about Community Grants being awarded for visual arts installations on public properties without review by the PAC, since the PAC has purview over all City-sponsored public art pursuant to Section 18.13 of the AiPP Policy and Procedure adopted by City Council Resolution No. 90-115 on December 18, 1990.
DISCUSSION
On November 18, 2021, and January 13, 2022, the PAC was presented with an overview of the current Community Grant Program guidelines, grant process, and award review process. After discussion and consideration of multiple alternatives, the PAC recommended that the City Council approve a Visual Arts Community Grant Pilot that:
Augments the Community Grant Program, but in no way changes the 2021 cycle of the Community Grants Program Provides AiPP funds to artists proposing visual arts that are permanent or semi-permanent works consistent with the AiPP Ordinance Is funded for a one-year pilot program that is evaluated after the first cycle is underway Provides $50,000 in AiPP funds for the pilot
Limits grant awards to $10,000 each
Provides for PAC review of awards recommended by the Community Grants Panel for subsequent recommendation to the City Council (the PAC’s review would focus on proposals’ consistency with the AiPP requirements), and, Allows for awardees of non-AiPP Community Grants to also seek AiPP funding of visual arts if the proposed project scope includes both an event and visual arts, provided the application demonstrates a clearly defined need for grant funds for items not covered by the non-AiPP Community Grants funding.
Schedule
The PAC recommended that the City Council approve the pilot as outlined above at its meeting on January 13, 2022, and the Community Services Committee approved a similar recommendation on January 24, 2022. Should the City Council approve this action, the schedule of future activities is anticipated as follows:
Applications due May 1, 2022
Community Grant Panel Review of Applications – May 2022 PAC Review of Community Grant Panel Application Recommendations – June 9, 2022 City Council Consideration of Applications for Award – July 5, 2022 Execution of Funding Agreements, period of performance – August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2023 Fiscal Impact
The recommendation to provide AiPP funding augmentation to the Community Grants Program represents a total expenditure of $50,000. The AiPP Fund (Fund 243) has sufficient funds to cover this expenditure without deleterious impacts on the programs and capital projects supported by the AiPP Fund. If the City Council approves the pilot program, staff will include $50,000 from Fund 243 in the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 budget for this purpose.
Staff Communication with the Public
Staff provided a presentation to both the PAC and the Community Services Committees, and both committees unanimously endorsed the pilot as outlined above.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
None.
CONCLUSION
Staff requests that the City Council adopt the attached resolution authorizing the City Manager to develop the pilot program for Visual Art Community Grants.
PREPARED BY: Amber Evans, Community and Economic Development Coordinator REVIEWED BY: Chadrick Smalley, Economic Development and Housing Manager
APPROVED AND FORWARDED TO THE
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EMERYVILLE:
Christine Daniel, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
Draft Resolution
Visual Arts Community Grant Pilot Program
City Council Meeting | March 1, 2022
City of Emeryville
CALIFORNIA
MEMORANDUM