DATE:
October 21, 2025
TO:
LaTanya Bellow, City Manager
FROM:
Chadrick Smalley, Community Development Director
SUBJECT:
Resolution Of The City Council Of The City Of Emeryville Accepting The Donation Of Murmuration’s, An Original Art Work by Emeryville Artist Salma Arastu
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council of the City of Emeryville accept the donation of Salma Arastru’s Murmuration’s for installation in City Hall.
BACKGROUND
In June 2025, Salma Arastu was commissioned for a Rotten City Cultural District (RCCD) residency at RCCD headquarters and gallery at Bay Street. At the end of her residency, Ms. Arastu offered the artwork completed during her residency to the City’s Art in Public Places program as a donation. Ms. Arastu currently serves on the Public Art Committee (PAC) as an Emeryville resident and has a studio in Berkeley. She received a grant from the City’s Visual Arts Grant program in 2024, prior to joining the PAC. The sculptural work commissioned under that grant is located at the Senior Center. Her portfolio can be seen here: https://salmaarastu.com/, and career is highlighted on Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salma_Arastu
DISCUSSION
On the following page is an image of the piece under consideration for acceptance. The piece is 46 inches by 35 inches. The light weight of the work allows it to be hung by adhesive on the south side of the elevator shaft’s wall in City Hall, which allows visibility from the main stairwell from the 1st to 2nd floor. This is a long vacant location for lack of appropriate scaled and sized work. The PAC does not recommend the artwork be placed under glass or a vitrine and recommends a location that would avoid potential damage from the general public. The height of the installation proposed minimizes these concerns.
FISCAL IMPACT
Should the piece require maintenance in the future, the Art in Public Places funds could be used for the costs of such maintenance if the artwork remains in a public location. Maintenance or reframing is estimated to cost a few hundred dollars over the life of the artwork.
According to Administrative Instruction No. 111, the acceptance of any donations to the City valued at over $250 must be approved by resolution of the City Council. The donated work is valued at more than $250 and therefore requires City Council approval to accept.
STAFF COMMUNICATION WITH THE PUBLIC
On September 11, 2025, the PAC considered the proposed donation and unanimously recommended the acceptance of the artwork and expressed gratitude for the RCCD residency resulting in the gift of such an accomplished artist.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends the City Council adopt the attached resolution accepting the donation of Murmuration’s by Emeryville artist Salma Arastu.
PREPARED BY: Amber Evans, Economic and Community Development Coordinator II Approved and Forwarded to the
City Council of the City of Emeryville:
LaTanya Bellow, City Manager
Attachments
Draft Resolution
Donation of Murmuration’s
City Council Meeting | October 21, 2025
City of Emeryville
CALIFORNIA
MEMORANDUM