DATE:
April 16, 2024
TO:
Paul Buddenhagen, City Manager
FROM:
Chadrick Smalley, Community Development Director
SUBJECT:
Resolution Of The City Council Of The City Of Emeryville Adopting The Community Grant Subcommittee And Public Art Committee Recommendations To Select Artists Sean Griffin, Joey Rose, Rachel Wolfe Goldsmith, John Patrick Thomas, Salma Arastu, Chris Granillo, And Juan Lopez As The Recipients For The 2024-2026 Visual Arts Grant Program; Approving The Artworks Proposed By The Recipients; Authorizing The City Manager To Execute Grant Recipient Contracts With The Recipients Or Their Fiscal Agents, As Applicable, For The Installation Of The Proposed Artworks; And Appropriating An Additional $53,000 From The Public Art Fund (Fund 243) To The Operating Budget For Fiscal Year 2024-2025 For The Visual Arts Grant Program
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the attached resolution adopting the recommendation of the Community Grant Subcommittee and Public Art Committee to select Sean Griffin, Joey Rose, Rachel Wolfe Goldsmith (with Fiscal Agent SOA Village Housing DBA Support Oakland Artists), John Patrick Thomas, Salma Arastu, Chris Granillo, and Juan Lopez as recipients of Visual Arts Grants for 2024-2026; approving the artworks proposed by the recipients as represented in their applications for Visual Arts Grants Program funding, authorizing the City Manager to execute Grant Recipient Contracts with the recipients or their fiscal agents, as applicable, for the installation of the proposed artworks, and appropriating an additional $53,000 from the Public Art Funds (Fund 243) to the Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 for the Visual Arts Grants Program, for a revised budget of $103,000.
BACKGROUND
The Community Promotions Grant Program (“CPGP”) was established in 1996 and has awarded grants to non-profit organizations for community events and activities, including some that included “visual arts” installations. Projects awarded funds through the CPGP have included visual art installations such as a mosaic at the Emeryville Center of Community Life (“ECCL”) and an artist-designed cistern at the Big Daddy Community Garden. Prior applications to the CPGP have included the installation of murals, which raised questions regarding the role of the Public Art Committee (“PAC”) in the review of murals that receive City funding, and the interplay between the Public Art Mural Program and the CPGP. In 2021, the PAC 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 Art in Public Places (“AiPP”) Policy and Procedure adopted by City Council Resolution No. 90-115 on December 18, 1990.
To resolve these concerns, the City Council approved Resolution No. 22-26 establishing a Visual Art Grants Pilot Program on March 1, 2022. This program provides AiPP funds to augment the CPGP, thereby creating a mechanism for the PAC’s review of applications for visual arts proposals for funding.
DISCUSSION
A call for applications for the Visual Arts Grants Program was released on January 22, 2024, with applications due by February 28, 2024. The City received twenty-nine applications from 26 artists (summarized in Attachment 1) for 16 locations (Attachment 2), representing geographic distribution across the City and a variety of media types, as follows:
Artist
Media
Location
Amanda Goldberg
Moss
Senior Center clock nook
Anjellica Colliard
Mural
ECCL pool and gym lobby
Bolston Jones
Mural
West wall, proposed Planet Fitness (4349 San Pablo)
Brett Flanigan
Ceramic
Senior Center clock nook
Cecilia Pagkalinawan
Video
ECCL pool and gym lobby
Chris Granillo
Murals
3 locations:
Emerytech (1370 65th)
Planted Design (1316 63rd)
Rising Sun (1116 36th)
Erin Fong
Mural
ECCL pool and gym lobby
Evan D. Wilson
Mural
4200 Horton
Fernanda Martinez
Mural w/foam attachments
Planted Design (1316 63rd)
Heather Hardison
Murals
2 locations:
a) 1321 67th Hollis frontage
b) Planted Design (1316 63rd)
Isadora Gullov-Singh
Mural
ECCL pool and gym lobby
Jess Cook
Mural w/glass attachments
ECCL pool and gym lobby
Joey Rose
Mural
Bay Cities Pyrotector (1315 67th)
John Patrick Thomas
Mural
ECCL pool and gym lobby
Juan Lopez
Mosaic
Senior Center water fountain
Julia Davis/Bud Snow
Painted covered bench
Senior Center exterior
Kalani Ware
Mural
Gingko Bioworks (5745 Peladeau)
Lisa Marie Thalhammer
Mural
Planted Design (1316 63rd)
Mike Rich
Mural
5677 Horton
Mila Moldenhower
Mural
Gingko Bioworks (5745 Peladeau)
Packard Jennings
Birdhouse sculptures
Various locations, greenway
Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith
Mural
Fire Station 34 (2333 Powell)
Salma Arastu
Sculpture
Senior Center clock nook
Sean Griffin
Mural
Rising Sun 1116 36th)
Timothy Bluitt
N/A
Ineligible (lacks property owner permission)
Xavi
Mural
Flowtoys (6315 Doyle)
On March 11, 2024, a selection committee comprised of Nick Robert and Gail Donaldson of the Parks and Recreation Committee and Taryn Walker and Ronald Davis of the PAC, reviewed the applications, heard presentations from the applicants, asked applicants questions, and recommended award of grants to three applicants and for the PAC to consider additional funding for award to six additional applicants. Staff from both the Community Development and Community Services Departments coordinated the selection committee’s deliberations.
The selection committee nominated the following three applicants for the existing program funding level of $50,000:
Artist
Media
Location
Joey Rose
Mural
Bay Cities Pyrotector (1315 67th)
Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith
Mural
Fire Station 34 (2333 Powell)
Sean Griffin
Mural
Rising Sun (1116 36th)
The selection committee nominated the following six additional applicants for consideration, if additional funding were provided to the Visual Arts Grants Program:
Artist
Media
Location
Chris Granillo
Murals
3 locations:
Emerytech (1370 65th)
Planted Design (1316 63rd)
Rising Sun (1116 36th)
Fernanda Martinez
Mural w/foam attachments
Planted Design (1316 63rd)
John Patrick Thomas
Mural
ECCL pool and gym lobby
Juan Lopez
Mosaic
Senior Center water fountain
Packard Jennings
Birdhouse sculptures
Various locations, greenway
Salma Arastu
Sculpture
Senior Center clock nook
On March 14, 2024, the PAC reviewed the recommendations of the selection panel and after review of applications, public comment, and discussion the PAC recommended that the City Council award grants to seven applicants for seven sites. The PAC’s recommendation includes five murals (four exterior, one indoors), one sculpture, and one mosaic. One recommended awardee has received a prior Visual Arts Grant, and one recommended awardee has received a prior art commission from the City. Five recommended awardees have never received a commission or grant award from the City.
The following three applications are recommended by the PAC for award of grant funds if the current program budget of $50,000 is not increased and is spread evenly among each applicant, awarding $16,667 to each. This amount is slightly less than each applied for ($17,500, the program maximum):
Artist
Media
Location
Amount w/out budget increase
Amount w/ budget increase
Joey Rose
Mural
Bay Cities Pyrotector (1315 67th)
$16,667
$17,500
Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith
Mural
Fire Station 34 (2333 Powell)
$16,667
$17,500
Sean Griffin
Mural
Rising Sun (1116 36th)
$16,667
$17,500
Total
$50,001
$52,500
The PAC recommends an increase in program funding by $53,000 to a total of $103,000. This increase would allow for award of the full requested amounts of $17,500 to each of the three aforementioned applicants as well as fund the following four additional applicants:
Artist
Media
Location
Amount w/budget increase
Chris Granillo
Murals
3 locations:
Emerytech (1370 65th)
Planted Design (1316 63rd)
Rising Sun (1116 36th)
$17,500
John Patrick Thomas
Mural
ECCL pool and gym lobby
$9,000
Juan Lopez
Mosaic
Senior Center water fountain
$17,500
Salma Arastu
Sculpture
Senior Center clock nook
$6,500
Total additional awards
$50,500
Total w/budget increase
$103,000
FISCAL IMPACT
As outlined above, the total amount of funds recommended for Visual Arts Grants awards is $103,000. The Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Operating Budget includes $50,000 for the Visual Arts Grant Program from the Public Art Fund (Fund 243, Account 87300). An additional appropriation of $53,000 is required to fund the recommendations made by the PAC. Sufficient funds are available for this appropriation due to approximately $300,000 in unexpected revenue to the Public Art Fund in 2023, which was received in connection with the Bayview apartments development (formerly known as the “Nady Site”).
STAFF COMMUNICATION WITH THE PUBLIC
The PAC discussed prospective awardees for Visual Arts Grants for 2024-2026 on March 14, 2024, and made the recommendation as described above.
At the March 14, 2024 PAC meeting, applicant Packard Jennings was present to discuss his application, which proposed three birdhouses, mimicking historical buildings and built with traditional building materials for three outdoor locations to be determined. However the PAC meeting was disrupted by harassing hate speech and Mr. Jennings was unable to reconnect to the meeting when it was reconvened.
Mr. Jennings subsequently expressed to staff that he would like to make comment and be reconsidered by the City Council given the disruption at the PAC meeting and the additional available funds. In the interest of open and fair deliberations, Mr. Jennings, as with all applicants, was informed of the opportunity to make a brief comment to the City Council at the City Council meeting, which could be during public comment or otherwise if supported by the Mayor.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution approving the PAC’s recommendation for selection of Sean Griffin, Joey Rose, Rachel Wolfe Goldsmith (through Fiscal Agent SOA Village Housing DBA Support Oakland Artists), John Patrick Thomas, Salma Arastu, Chris Granillo, and Juan Lopez as recipients of the 2024-2026 Visual Arts Grants; approving the artworks as proposed by the recipients in their applications to the Visual Arts Grant Program; authorizing the City Manager to execute Grant Recipient Agreements with the recipients for the installation of the proposed artworks, and appropriating an additional $53,000 from the Public Art Fund (Fund 243) to the Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 for the Visual Arts Grant Program.
PREPARED BY: Amber Evans, Community and Economic Development Coordinator II
APPROVED AND FORWARDED TO THE
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EMERYVILLE:
Paul Buddenhagen City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Summary of 2024-2026 Visual Art Applicants received Attachment 2: Summary of Sites Considered for Visual Art Grant Awards Draft Resolution, including Exhibit A - Grant Applications Visual Arts Grant Program Awards
City Council Meeting | April 16, 2024
City of Emeryville
CALIFORNIA
MEMORANDUM