From: Adrian Delgado
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comments agenda item #S-5
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 10:24:26 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear City Council Members and City Staff,
I am writing in support of Agenda Item S-5, which calls for a transparent community process in hiring an Arts and Culture Manager and for meaningful improvements to the City of Richmond’s arts grant process.
Last year, I applied to the Community of Richmond Funding program as a community-based artist. My work centers on documenting and uplifting Richmond workers and vendors— people whose labor and presence are foundational to this city. I applied for funding to support this work and to make critical repairs to my studio so I could continue serving the community through my practice.
During the process, I received a call about housing assistance programs for roof repairs that I did not qualify for, followed later the same day by a call informing me that my application was not accepted. The stated reason was that my proposed project did not sufficiently demonstrate community inclusion. When I tried to explain how my work is deeply rooted in community documentation, representation, and dignity, the process felt dismissive and demoralizing.
This experience left me feeling devalued as a Richmond-based artist and raised serious concerns about how community engagement is defined, evaluated, and communicated within the grant process. I know I am not alone in this experience.
For these reasons, I strongly support Item S-5 and urge the City to:
- Develop a transparent, accountable process for hiring the Arts and Culture Manager. - Engage directly with Richmond artists and the Arts and Culture Commission. - Improve grant requirements, contracts, and evaluation criteria so they reflect the lived realities of working artists and genuinely support community-based work.
Richmond’s artists are an essential part of the city’s cultural and economic fabric. We deserve processes that are clear, equitable, and rooted in respect.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Adrian Delgado
Richmond-based Artist
Let me know if you need anything else.
Best,
Adrian
From: Brian Conery
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Agenda item #S.5
Date: Monday, December 15, 2025 8:39:13 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
I support the agenda item S.5 to have a transparent process in hiring the Arts and Culture Manager. We need the
challenges of artists regarding public art projects to be addressed and to work with the artist community as a whole.
Thank You
Brian Conery
Deputy Director
Visual Artists of Richmond/ Richmond Open Studios
From: Bruce Kaplan
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: [email protected]; Andrew Butt; Pam DeWitt; [email protected]; Michele Seville Subject: Public comments agenda item #S-5
Date: Monday, December 15, 2025 3:34:36 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
To the City Council and City Manager,
As a ceramic artist, musician, arts presenter, and longtime Richmond resident and homeowner, I join the Visual Artists of Richmond in urging the City to institute a robust and transparent program to encourage, support, and promote public art and Richmond artists in Richmond.
I would also like to underscore that the performing arts are a vital part of this ecosystem and deserve equal consideration.
As a co-producer of Point Richmond’s Summer Concert Series, we have seen firsthand the benefits of sustained support for the performing arts. Our concerts regularly draw hundreds of people, creating a welcoming public space where neighbors gather to talk, listen, and dance together. These events strengthen community ties, improve perceptions of the city, and generate tangible economic benefits—employing Richmond artists whenever possible and bringing new customers to nearby local businesses.
Other organizations, such as the Masquers, provide similar cultural, social, and economic value to the community.
For these reasons, I respectfully request that, as the City fills the next Arts Manager position, it prioritize hiring an experienced and visionary arts administrator—someone with a strong background in arts management and a clear understanding of how public art and the performing arts can serve Richmond and its residents.
Thank you for your consideration.
Bruce Kaplan
Point Richmond
Check out the music at www.claudiarussell.com
From: Carmen D. Meléndez Lugo
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comments agenda item #S-5
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 8:52:10 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Artist impact statement
Re: Public comments agenda item #S-5
My name is Carmen Meléndez-Lugo and I have been a resident of Richmond for more than 7 years. I have been a practicing artist on and off for all of my adult life. Due to the high cost of living in the Bay Area I have worked in different professional paths and currently am working towards retirement a couple years from now. I feel like i am on the verge of finally being able to do art full time after waiting my whole life. This would include, of course, finding opportunities of generating income through my art.
When i hear the horror stories from other fellow artists at VAR, from the high cost of insurance to the delays in payments from the City, I feel disheartened. My dream of finally doing and living off of what I love looks more and more distant.
I have worked hard all my life and we are happy to call Richmond our home after the high cost of living in San Francisco drove us out. The prospect of uprooting ourselves one more time to go to somewhere more affordable but without the vibrant arts scene here and the income opportunities that come with it is heartbreaking.
As an elder, a woman of color and as an emerging artist I call on my city’s government to do what’s right and make the process of applying for arts grants, commissions and such more transparent and doable for those of us who haven’t had a chance to get exposure as artists. Thank you.
Carmen D. Meléndez-Lugo
[email protected]
From: Cheryl Maier
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment S-5
Date: Monday, December 15, 2025 3:09:06 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear City of Richmond Manager and Councilmembers,
I have given my time as a volunteer to many events, sponsored
by many organizations.
Among these are to support artists who for very little, contribute very much.
I served as fiscal
sponsor
for the Iron Triangle Neighborhood Council.
During COVID, artist Fred
Franklin
from the Iron Triangle, as African American senior living at Triangle Court, designed and hung banners reminding folks to stay 6 ft from each other, wear a mask, take a COVID shot.
In this and other
cases, we had to front the money to get the banners printed because of requirements from the City's Arts Manager, Ms. Winifred Day.
We had arranged for
Public
Works to hang the Banners at City Hall and down Macdonald to the Iron Triangle.
Ms.
Day then required us, after the grant had been approved, to come up with a traffic mitigation plan for safety.
When Fred explained
that the City's staff were hanging the banners she got
irritated.
Mr. Franklin indicated that surely the Public Works department
knew how to hang
banners safely and she ;literally threatened to stop the project.
He had to ask the PubicWorks
people to call her and assert that they knew what they were
doing.
She was extremely
uncooperative throughout
the project. Her attitude made the project less about warning the community and more about her control.
On another grant, she was insistent that we have a public gathering so that commissioners, council members, and the public could attend.
We arranged and paid for food out of our own
pockets and only one commissioner came to the unveiling of our crafts work.
Again, money
spent from our own to make an event that much nicer and no thank you.
She never attended
any of our artist
events
Cheryl Maier
From: Cheryl Maier
To: City Clerk Dept User
Date: Monday, December 15, 2025 3:12:52 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Richmond Arts and Culture Manager and Commission
Please MR. MAYOR,
DIRECT the city manager to develop a transparent community process on hiring an Arts and Culture Manager and to report back to the arts community and City Council on the results of the hiring process; and DIRECT the city manager to meet and work with the Richmond artist community, Richmond Arts and Culture Commission, and city council liaison to address the challenges presented tonight and to develop a plan on how to improve the whole grant process, including contracts and requirements that the City asks of artists –
Thank you in advance
for your attention to this matter.
Cheryl Maier, 4559 Fran Way,
richmond 94803
From: Fred F
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comments agenda item #S-5
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 12:00:12 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
The Arts & Culture manager stated on 10-1-25 at the last applicants’ meeting that the application process was intentionally made difficult in order that applicants would self eliminate. This philosophy hardly seems conducive for finding the best art projects via inclusion.
If The City of Richmond is sincere about finding the best public art projects for the beautification of the City, then the Arts & Culture public arts application process needs to be more artist friendly.
Frederick Franklin
Sent from my iPhone
From: Gayle McLaughlin
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: Claudia Jimenez; Sue Wilson; Eduardo Martinez; Doria Robinson; Soheila Bana; Cesar Zepeda; Jamelia Brown Subject: Public comments agenda item # S.5
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 12:09:01 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Mayor Martinez and Councilmembers:
I am writing today in support of Item #S.5 which addresses the need for a transparent community process in hiring an Arts and Culture Manager, as well as addressing the complicated processes and requirements that the City has in place for contracting and accessing grants that artists and arts organizations have encountered.
I am honored to have participated in Richmond Art Advocates (RAA), though I haven't been able to participate as much as desired due to my graduate program. However, I can
testify
to the fact that they are incredibly dedicated artists and art advocates who have been profoundly engaged in seeking solutions to the problems and challenges of our Arts and Culture Division for some time now. They deserve your attention and respect. The arts in Richmond will grow and prosper as a result of your partnering with RAA and with VAR (Visual Artists of Richmond).
I also want to say that the arts have an enormous role to play in social justice and environmental justice, values that I know this Council holds near and dear. It's time to make it easier for artists and art organizations to help move Richmond forward! And that requires staff to engage directly with these organizations and with the Arts and Culture Commission.
Thank you for giving this your attention.
Best wishes to all and happy holidays,
Gayle (McLaughlin)
From: Kathryn Sibley
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Agenda Item S.5
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 10:38:44 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
To the Mayor and City Councilmembers:
I am writing in support of agenda item S.5, scheduled for this evening's agenda. As a former Richmond Arts & Culture commissioner and Public Art Advisory Committee member, I am deeply concerned about the state of the City of Richmond's support of the arts. Please include this email in the public comments for this item.
Since the City of Richmond incorporated the Richmond Art Center into its innovative Civic Center back in the 1940s, our city has been a Bay Area leader in supporting the arts. This leadership was further solidified in 1987 when the Richmond City Council established its public art program. In the last decade, your Council predecessors further advanced this support and leadership by establishing the 1% for public art in private development to supplement the
1.5% for public art in public projects.
However, in the past four to five years, city staff have let that support slip to the point where public art—and our local artists—have seen a real decline in communications, public art opportunities, and maintenance and care of existing public art.
Artists who have applied for the Neighborhood Public Art mini-grant program have met with escalating demands for burdensome and unwarranted insurance coverage that can cost over half of the amount of the full mini-grant (generally in the $9-10,000 range). To add a further burden, artists must purchase this insurance coverage prior to even getting a signed contract —and they’re not paid a penny of the grant funds until the project is finished (and even then, payment is delayed for an unconscionably long time). This means that the artists, who are not able to carry debt like companies can, are out of pocket for all of the costs of getting that small grant.
As a result, many artists have chosen to turn down their grants due to their inability to cover these upfront costs.
This mini-grant program was established to encourage emerging artists and youth to grow their art and help their neighborhoods/communities become more interesting and attractive.
The current requirements have basically negated the original intent of this program, and there must be a better way found to move forward.
Also, due to the sadly unexpected death of Winifred Day, we recognize that the city must begin a recruitment for a new Arts & Culture Manager. The arts community respectfully requests that a professional, arts-based selection committee be convened to carry out this process. It should include a local artist as well as a representative of Bay Area arts leaders.
Let’s work together to bring Richmond back into a leadership position in the Bay Area arts world. We’ve been there before, and we can resume that status…with plenty of pride and purpose.
Kate Sibley
166 Murdock Street
"Let the beauty we love be what we do."
--Rumi
From: Michele Seville
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment - Agenda Item S-5
Date: Monday, December 15, 2025 11:40:19 PM
Attachments: Public Comments - Agenda Item #S-5.docx
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
To the City Clerk, City Council Members, Mayor and City Manager:
I would like to comment on item S-5 on the December 16th agenda. As a long- time resident of Richmond, and as former Arts & Culture Manager, I am personally saddened to observe the
current state of public art in Richmond.
Mini-grant recipients are reporting problems, contracts aren't being paid in a timely
manner, public art maintenance is delayed for months and even years, and the Art Commission's membership has declined.
Richmond has for decades been nationally celebrated as one of the leading cities in public art. Former Arts & Culture Commissioners and I were once so
proud of Richmond's reputation. But over the past 5 years the arts community has expressed that it feels unheard and unsupported. Despite a $2M Public Art Fund, calls for new projects have ground to a
halt. There may be
reasons for these developments,
but the result has had a chilling effect on the
arts in our city. Surely, we can come up with a better solution.
With the sudden and unfortunate passing of the Arts & Culture Manager, what we are hoping for is a place at the table where community members, artists, and those with institutional knowledge about the arts can collaborate with City staff to help find a knowledgeable and dedicated replacement for this vacancy. We need someone with strong public art experience, an enthusiasm for working with the community, and an eagerness to begin new projects. And we ask the City to be transparent and open to finding a new way forward. I am confident that this is possible and look forward to helping make it happen.
Thank you,
Michele Seville
From: Nichole Talbott
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comments agenda item #S-5
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 12:26:29 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Hello,
I am writing
on behalf of myself
as an artist, small business owner who facilitates
community
arts programming in Richmond and as a constituent
of the city to express my concerns
regarding
the state of the
Richmond Arts and Culture Manager and Commission.
specifically
around lost time, money spent, payment delays, conflicting directives, confusing contracts, lack of communication, lost partnerships, expensive requirements put on artists and more. But this is a problem that goes beyond any individual. It isn't only about funding, or about the processes set up by City staff.
I would like these issues (agenda item # S-5) be addressed with the council and the art community representative tonight at the
meeting.
We are requesting
1. For the city manager to develop a transparent community process on hiring an Arts and Culture Manager and to report back to the arts community and City Council on the results of the hiring process;
2. For the city manager to meet and work with the Richmond artist community, Richmond Arts and Culture Commission, and city council liaison to address the challenges presented tonight and to develop a plan on how to improve the whole grant process, including contracts and requirements that the City asks of artists.
Concerned community artist,
Nichole Talbott
--
Nichole Talbott
Asé Arts
Founder/Creative Director
http://www.asearts.org/
[email protected]
510.517.9501
"Art is the ability, to tell the truth, especially about one's self.” – Richard Pryor From: Patricia Pintner
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comments agenda item #S-5
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 11:06:49 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Hello, I am a working artist living in Richmond for 20 years. I am surprised to hear of the bureaucracy
that is holding back a vibrant art community from helping to make Richmond a beautiful, inviting place to visit and enjoy.
There appears
to be money in funds to support the
vision of a prosperous artist and city partnership that would be a benefit to the city of Richmond and its artistic community.
Thank you for your consideration,
Patricia Pintner
#S-5
DIRECT the city manager to develop a transparent community process on hiring an Arts and Culture Manager and to report back to the arts community and City Council on the results of the hiring process; and DIRECT the city manager to meet and work with the Richmond artist community, Richmond Arts and Culture Commission, and city council liaison to address the challenges presented tonight and to develop a plan on how to improve the whole grant process, including contracts and requirements that the City asks of artists From: Phoebe Deutsch
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comments agenda item #S-5
Date: Monday, December 15, 2025 1:27:38 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear council members,
I’m writing to express my deepest interest in supporting the action to establish a transparent and inclusive community process for the recruitment and hiring of an Arts and Culture Manager, and to report back to both the arts community and the City Council on the outcomes of that process; and further direct the City Manager to actively engage with the Richmond artist community, the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission, and the City Council liaison to address the concerns raised this evening and to collaboratively develop a comprehensive plan to improve the City’s arts grant process, including contract terms, administrative requirements, and overall accessibility for artists.
Thank you,
Phoebe Deutsch
From: Regina Gilligan
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: Rebeca Garcia-Gonzalez
Subject: public comment for Item 2293, Richmond Arts & Culture manager and arts community Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 11:52:39 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear City Council,
Along with other Richmond Artists I ask, please consider
establishing a better and more transparent process with the arts community from hiring an Arts and Culture Manager and to an ongoing relationship with the city manager where we develop a better plan for grant recipients in relationship to contracts and requirements the city asks of grantees.
I received a mini-grant in 2024 and I had to decline it because of the requirements of possessing permits and liability insurance before receiving my small grant in place for a full year.
(actually needed coverage for 2 weeks need for a
permit and liability insurance). And a small mural for a City owned park
for the benefit of the City should be
covered by the city liability insurance on their property. Please consider projects on city property to be covered by existing city liability insurance.
Thank you,
Regina Gilligan
From: Sadiqeh Agah
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comments agenda item #S-5
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 1:03:30 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
I am a Richmond artist and I want to share my support for public artists receiving better treatment. My understanding is that the operational process needs review, artists are not being paid, and the city is impacting its opportunity to work with current and future public artists.
I am not a public artist but do not feel encouraged to become one because of how this process works. I want that to change! No artist should be dissuaded to explore opportunities just because of operational issues.
Sadiqeh Agah
703-309-4736
sadiqehagahart.com
__________________________________
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From: Todd Gilens
To: City Clerk Dept User
Cc: Claudia Jimenez, Richmond City Council District 6; Rebeca Garcia-Gonzalez Subject: Public comments agenda item #S-5
Date: Monday, December 15, 2025 6:24:13 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on Arts support in Richmond, and the hiring process and responsibilities of an Arts and Culture Manager.
I am a visual artist living in the North and East, and have been a resident in the Bay Area for twenty-four years. I have a studio in south Berkeley and my work is primarily grant supported, temporary public artworks. Over a forty-year
career, I have done projects in the cities of
Richmond, Berkeley, San Francisco, Reno, Philadelphia, and New York. I have worked and traveled with performing artists, curated exhibitions of public art, and served on several
art
advisory panels.
Support for art and artists takes many forms and comes from many sources. And investments in the arts show a remarkable return in both social
and economic value. Civic arts leadership
can set a tone of confidence and value which will multiply the city's investment.
From my perspective, leadership should be competent in several ways:
understand the needs of artists at different career stages and working in different media be nimble in responding to the needs of diverse Richmond communities provide opportunity-appropriate pathways to connect artists with civic support; (i.e. vetting of applicants must be respectful and transparent, with simplified processes for smaller grants)
understand how to leverage the complex of public and private, hard and soft resources articulate long-term vision, including with guidelines such as an arts masterplan, that will attract both funding and creativity from elsewhere. know best practices among cities of similar size and circumstances I thank the Council and urge you to consider this hire as an opportunity
to make the city a
destination for audiences and creatives for years to come.
Thank you.
Todd Gilens
415-309-3584
www.toddgilens.com
fracturedatlas.org