July 14, 2026
Agenda Item No. 5
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
Melissa Hartson, Library Services Director - 949-717-3801, [email protected] PREPARED BY:
Rebecca Lightfoot, Library Services Manager - 949-717-3819, [email protected] TITLE:
Approval of a Professional Services Agreement with Arts Orange County to Manage Phase XI of the Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park ABSTRACT:
Staff requests City Council approval of a professional services agreement with Arts Orange County in a not-to-exceed amount of $135,080 for coordination, management, installation, and de-installation services for Phase XI of the Civic Center Park Sculpture Exhibition. The rotating exhibition, authorized by the City Council in 2013, has featured 10 phases of sculpture installations since 2014. Phase XI will include a call for entries, review by the City Arts Commission and guest jurors, an online public survey, and final City Council approval of selected artworks.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
a) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and Authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Arts Orange County for Sculpture Exhibition – Phase XI in the Civic Center Park for a total amount not-to-exceed $135,080.
DISCUSSION:
The Exhibition is an ongoing public art display featured in Civic Center Park. The City Arts Commission (Commission) determined that a rotating exhibition was the optimal approach for bringing a variety of sculpture to Newport Beach in a cost-efficient manner. In August 2013, the City Council authorized the Commission to implement an inaugural rotational sculpture exhibit in Civic Center Park. Since 2014, the City has exhibited 10 sculpture phases in the park with Phases IX and X currently on display.
Arts Orange County (ArtsOC) has provided public art coordination and site management services through professional services agreements since the beginning of the Exhibition. ArtsOC was established in 1995 as the nonprofit, countywide arts council of Orange County, California. The organization has been recognized by the California Arts Council as a model agency based on the quality of its work and has served as the officially designated arts agency and state-local partner of the County of Orange since its inception. The ArtsOC project team has successfully managed all previous phases of the exhibition and has strong working relationships with the Commission and City of Newport Beach staff.
At its June 11, 2026 regular meeting, the Commission reviewed and approved a timeline with ArtsOC for Phase XI of the Exhibition. Pending City Council approval, ArtsOC will open the call for entries on August 1, 2026, and close it on September 18, 2026. The Commission and guest jurors will review and rank the received submissions. ArtsOC will present these rankings at the Commission’s October 8, 2026 regular meeting to determine the qualified submissions for the public survey. ArtsOC will launch the online public survey on October 12, 2026. The public, through the survey, will choose the 10 artworks and three to five alternates, which will be presented to the Commission at its December 10, 2026 regular meeting. The most popular pieces, as determined by the online survey, will be selected for Phase XI, pending final approval by the City Council.
Staff requests City Council approval of a contract with ArtsOC for a not-to-exceed amount of $135,080 for Phase XI of the Exhibition. This amount includes both project coordination and management fees in addition to installation and de-installation costs.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The adopted budget includes sufficient funding for this agreement. It will be expensed to the Exhibition account in the Cultural Arts Division of the Library Services Department, 01060603-811059.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
NOTICING:
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
ATTACHMENT:
Attachment A – Professional Services Agreement with Arts Orange County for Sculpture Exhibition Implementation – Phase XI Approval of a Professional Services Agreement with Arts Orange County to Manage Phase XI of the Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park July 14, 2026
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