Manhattan Beach Cultural Arts Commission
February 18, 2026
1 CITY OF MANHATTAN BEACH
MINUTES OF THE CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION
February 18, 2026
Location: Manhattan Beach City Council Chambers
Hybrid (in-person/Zoom)
1400 Highland Avenue. Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Per Government Code §54953 (b)
Teleconference by Commissioner Ellen Rosenberg – 35 West 15th Street, Unit 12d, New York, NY 10011 & Commissioner Suzanne Karger – 3/177 Edgeware Rd. Edgeware, Christchurch, New Zealand 8013
A. CALL TO ORDER
Acting Chair Patterson called the meeting to order at 4:04 p.m.
B. PLEDGE TO THE FLAG
C. ROLL CALL
Present: (6), Rosenberg (remote), Tokashiki, Colmey, Torrey, Vice Chair Patterson, Chair Karger (remote).
Absent: (1) Dickey
Staff present: Senior Recreation Supervisor (SRS) Eric Brinkman, Senior Management Analyst (SMA) Linda Robb, Recording Secretary Rosemary Lackow
D. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
It was moved and seconded (Colmey/Tokashiki) to approve the agenda, no changes. Motion passed unanimously by roll call: 6-0-1 (Dickey absent).
E. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Cultural Arts Commission Regular Meeting Minutes: January 21, 2026 It was moved and seconded (Torrey/Tokashiki) to approve as submitted. Motion passed unanimously by roll call vote: 6-0-1 (Dickey absent).
F. PUBLIC COMMENTS
Bob Perkins, resident, urged that the city create a Poet Laureate program, in that it will greatly benefit the city, does not require a large amount of funding, is affordable under the art trust fund and will not significantly impact staffing. He disclosed that, while he may be a candidate for the position, his purpose in speaking is strictly regarding the merits of having a Poet Laureate.
Steve DeBaets, board member, Friends of the Senior and Scout House Center, informed that a donor recognition wall is planned to be included in the interior of the new center; the board may be looking to the Cultural Arts Commission for review/direction on that project; ground-breaking is estimated as early as Fall, 2026.
G. GENERAL BUSINESS
Cultural Arts Commission Work Plan for 2025/2026
Manhattan Beach Cultural Arts Commission
February 18, 2026
2 SRS Brinkman, with input from the Commission, provided brief updates.
a. New Art Initiatives
i. Poet Laureate (Patterson, Colmey) Vice Chair Patterson updated: as the County has informed that it cannot adopt the city’s proposed program (as it’s a County not City library), the committee continues to reach out to entities that may assist or be interested such as local bookstores pages and Barnes and Noble. The committee will work on rewriting the proposal and meet soon to discuss; she feels that there is still a lot of enthusiasm in the community.
b. Memorial for the Fallen (Tokashiki, Torrey , Karger ): staff continues to recruit submissions through a “Call for Artists” RFQ, open until February 23rd. Once RFQ closes, submissions will be vetted and prepped for review and he will convene the Ad Hoc committee to discuss the selection process which will be as follows: APPC recommendation short list → to CAC for a recommended short list → to City Council - approval of finalist, allocation of funding through Public Art Trust Fund.
c. Public Art Master Plan (PAMP) Revision (Colmey, Rosenberg) : Commissioner Colmey updated: the committee is meeting, has narrowed a list of potential community members. It is anticipated that the community member selection process will be completed and the PAMP kick-off initial meeting will be scheduled towards the end of March, with a goal of a final recommendation to be presented to City Council in late March/April 2027.
d. Bruce’s Beach Public Artwork (Karger, Patterson): on February 17 city council selected April Banks’ “Building Paradise” as finalist, with direction that the artist and APPC work out and fine -tune the design to address some concerns regarding line -of-sight and materials to mitigate potential vandalism. These minor adjustments will take some engagement, but it is anticipated that the project will start late summer or fall and be completed within a year from now.
Vice Chair Patterson invited public comments; there were none.
H. STAFF ITEMS
Cultural Arts Division updates: SRS Brinkman announced:
• 2/21/26: “Summer Camp Expo” at American Martyrs – families can explore variety of camps, see live demonstrations
• 3/2/26 Spring/Summer camp class sign-ups for residents begins • Summer Clay Camp for kids (new) – 4-day camps hosted at MBAC (end of June through mid - August)
• Stop-motion 4-day animation camp (new) at MBAC, July 27 – July 30 PATF budget update: Public Art Trust Fund: balance of $1.6 million, approx. Approx. $1 million allocated and $591 thousand unallocated.
I. COMMISSION ITEMS
Commissioner Tokashiki gave a status report on the public art brochure project, noting the robust attendance (60) at the January 31st tour of the downtown. The committee will now discuss next steps, whether to expand
Manhattan Beach Cultural Arts Commission
February 18, 2026
3 to other areas of the cit y, frequency, etc . Commissioner Karger thanked all commissioners for making the inaugural tour a success; feels consensus is that the event should occur at least once/year, definitely do again.
Commissioner Tokashiki announced that the Fair Board is looking for volunteers – spread the word! (see www.mbfair.org)
Commissioner Tokashiki asked for an update on the public art conservation/repair work; SRS Brinkman reported that repairs are going forward for the first 6 projects on the list; he will provide an update at a future meeting.
J. ADJOURNMENT
At 4:32 pm it was moved and seconded (Torrey/Colmey) to adjourn the meeting to March 16th , 4:00 pm; motions passed unanimously.