San Mateo City Council
November 20, 2023

Study Session for City
Art Exhibit Policy
11 -
20 -
23 James Moore
City Librarian
1 Background
• City's Art Exhibit Policy has been in place for nearly two decades • The Policy outlines the process, rules, and restrictions, for selecting artwork that will be displayed at City facilities
• City Art Gallery Spaces
• Main Library
• City Hall
2 Why are we proposing to amend the policy?
• So that staff, artists, and stakeholders have a clear guide as to how art is selected and displayed at City facilities
• So that the policy is up to date with current best practices of municipal art galleries
• So that the City can display art that enriches the experience of our facilities for visitors and staff while respecting the diverse perspectives of our stakeholders
3 First Thoughts
• Tonight is the initial review of the proposedamended
Policy by the City Council
• Proposed amendments are based on:
• Contextual information provided by City staff
• Review of municipal art gallery best practices
• Feedback from the Library Board
• Detailed review and discussion between the City Librarian and Library Art Coordinator of the policy and practices of the Art Advisory Committee
4 What We Learned
• The existing policy needed to be updated based on the established policy review schedule
• The existing policy needed to be more specific regarding the purpose of gallery and display spaces
• The existing policy had gaps in procedures and practices of the art committee
5 Key Recommendations
• Clarification that galleries are areas of City expression and not public forums
• Update policy to reflect organic evolution of selection practices since the last update of the Policy
• Clearly state types of art that will not be displayed at City facilities and explain why
• Coordinator and Advisory Committee to view representations of specific pieces of individual art works for display consideration • Designate City Librarian and City Manager or their designee to give final approval of any pieces of art to be displayed at City facilities 6 Next Steps
• Receive City Council feedback on proposed Policy Amendments • Further Policy refinement by Incorporating City Council feedback and direction
• City Manager will update and approve thepolicy at a staff level after incorporating Council direction
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