2025 Public Arts Master
Plan Update
CITY OF SANTA MARIA, CA
Presented by:
Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, LLC
2211 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04102
207.541.2200
Art Thatcher
Manager | Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, LLC
[email protected]
Chad Snow
Principal | Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, LLC
[email protected]
Submitted On:
10/7/2025
Sandra Kay Johnson
Table of Contents
Online Engagement ................................................4 Introduction .....................................................................4 Survey ................................................................................. 5 Budget Prioritization ....................................................7 Ideas Wall .......................................................................... 8 Interactive Map ...............................................................9 Community Engagement ......................................10 Introduction ...................................................................10 Leadership Interviews ..................................................11 Community Engagement Results ............................11 Focus Group Sessions .................................................12 Community Workshop Sessions .............................12 Conclusion .......................................................................14 Where do we go from here? ................................14 3 PUBLIC ARTS MASTER PLAN UPDATE
Online Engagement
Introduction
This summary highlights a condensed version of a broader engagement report developed for the City of Santa Maria. It focuses specifically on feedback relevant to public art and the Public Art Master Plan. The City utilized Social Pinpoint, an online engagement tool featuring a survey, interactive map, and budget prioritization exercise, to collect community input from December 17, 2024, to April 15, 2025.
Wayne Healy, East Los Streetscapers
Briana Zacarias
Clement Renzi
Diane Smith
4 CITY OF SANTA MARIA—RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT
ONLINE ENGAGEMENT
Survey
The Social Pinpoint site featured a short, eight-question survey for community members.
Two questions of the survey were specific to public art.
Question 4 of the survey asked respondents how familiar they are with public art in the City. Most respondents reported at least some awareness of public art in Santa Maria, with 70% indicating they are somewhat familiar (31%), familiar (22%), and very familiar (17%), while a smaller portion, 30%, said they were unfamiliar (19%) or not at all familiar (11%).
Figure 1: Question 4 – How familiar are you with public art in Santa Maria? Somewhat Familiar
31%
Familiar
22%
Unfamiliar
19%
Very Familiar
17%
Not at all Familiar
11%
Kym Cochran and Jonathan Smith, The Environment Makers, Inc 5 ONLINE ENGAGEMENT
PUBLIC ARTS MASTER PLAN UPDATE
Question 5 asked respondents how much they support additional public art displays in the City.
The majority of respondents (71%) expressed support for additional public art display areas in Santa Maria, while only a small fraction (4%) indicated opposition.
Figure 2: Question 5 – To what degree would you support additional areas of display for public art in Santa Maria?
Definitely Would
Support
37%
Would Support
34%
Neutral
25%
Would Not
Support
3%
Definitely Would
Not Support
1%
Paul Anderson
6 ONLINE ENGAGEMENT
CITY OF SANTA MARIA—RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT
Budget Prioritization
The budget feature gathered insights on how stakeholders would prioritize funding for key facilities, amenities, and programs. Participants were given a virtual budget of $100 to allocate across various items. A total of 180 responses were received, resulting in a combined budget allocation of $17,077. The budget categories highlighted in purple are relevant to public art with $3,310 of funds being allocated to expanding special events and culture activities, $2,944 for building an outdoor entertainment venue, and $2,440 for installing additional public art.
Figure 3: Budget Responses Summary
$4,645
$3,310
$2,944
$2,374
$2,340
$1,464
Expand youth
and teen
programs
Expand special
events and
cultural activities
Build an outdoor
entertainment
venue
Expand adult
programming
Install additional
public art
Expand active
living/senior 50+
programming
Yahaira S. Tovar
7 ONLINE ENGAGEMENT
PUBLIC ARTS MASTER PLAN UPDATE
• Make public art more accessible through
community-led mural projects and
designated graffiti spaces.
• Concerns were raised about overly strict
qualification criteria for utility box art, which
may have limited participation.
• The eagle sculpture in front of Abel
Maldonado Center was criticized; there’s a
call for more diverse public art, especially
along Main Street.
• There’s a need for more adult-focused
creative programs, including opportunities
to contribute to public art and city
beautification.
• Murals and sculptures are suggested
to add color and vibrancy to the city,
countering the industrial appearance of new
developments.
• Outdated bike racks should be replaced
with modern, artistic designs that serve
both function and aesthetics, particularly in
parks and downtown.
• Participants want interactive public art
features, like trails with art elements or
scavenger hunts, to engage children and
families.
• Student art should be showcased in more
public settings outside schools, especially in
areas that feel dull or lacking in color.
• Youth-oriented art installations, such as
those with popular themes, were mentioned
as a way to better connect with younger
audiences.
• Existing murals are appreciated, and there’s
strong interest in seeing more throughout
the city.
• Public art at locations like the Natural
History Museum, such as utility box displays,
was noted as a positive example worth
expanding.
Ideas Wall
Through the Ideas Wall, community members provided
open-ended feedback on public art and recreation
programs in Santa Maria. While the tool featured nine
categories, it did not include a dedicated category for Public Art. As a result, relevant comments appeared
across multiple categories and are summarized below.
8 CITY OF SANTA MARIA—RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT
ONLINE ENGAGEMENT
Interactive Map
The interactive map feature invited community members to share location-specific feedback on public art and recreational spaces in Santa Maria. Participants identified preferred sites for outdoor entertainment, existing recreation areas, potential new amenities, and public art installations. The comments summarized below reflect input specifically related to Public Art. 2811
SANTA
BARBARA
DRIVE
Suggested that public art would enhance a popular walking area along Santa Barbara Drive.
230
EAST
MAIN
STREET
Thought this location would be a good spot for public art. 301
COOK
STREET Recommended adding artwork to the parking lot walls at the mall. 345
TOWN
CENTER W Requested more artwork within the mall area.
1953
VIA
ESTABLO
AVENUE
General call for more public art in the area.
1500
SOUTH
BROADWAY Mentioned this area could benefit from some art. 2124
GARDEN
DRIVE
Noted this entry point into town looks neglected and
recommended public art to improve its appearance.
9 ONLINE ENGAGEMENT
PUBLIC ARTS MASTER PLAN UPDATE
Community Engagement
Introduction
Community engagement is a key element when it comes to planning and development for local governments. It becomes a two-way process between the citizens of the community and the local agency. In most cases, it provides a platform for staff and citizens to share and voice their opinions while hoping to inform the agency of decisions that impact their quality of life.
In most instances, the community engagement processes have the capacity to create a shared vision of the City’s plans, and when successful, help to create an outcome that reflects the community’s values and likely increases their support.
Santa Maria worked closely with the BerryDunn team to hold community focus groups, public workshops, and leadership meetings. Below are comments and priorities from the community engagement that are specific to Public Art.
Riko Rivera Vera
10 CITY OF SANTA MARIA—RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Leadership Interviews
BerryDunn consulting team facilitated leadership interviews with the mayor, city council members, internal partners, and department directors on October 21, 2024. The following is a summary of the conversations and comments received during five leadership interviews engaging City of Santa Maria leaders.
1. What are the key issues or values in the community that should be considered while developing the Master Plan?
• Perception of use of funding (fix potholes vs install public art) • Exposing youth to arts and culture
2. What three things would you like to see as an outcome of this planning process? • Public art in the right-of-way
• Young people involved in the arts
• Provide a broad range of programs, services, and events
3. What do you feel is the role of the City in providing recreational programs, events, and services, and public art?
• Essential (provider/facilitator)
• Must be prioritized in the budget
• Play a key role
• Fundamental to quality of life
4. What do you think the Departments’ priorities should be for leisure services moving forward over the next 5 years?
• Enhance public art
• Dedicate part of enterprise funding to go to public art • Negotiate with developers to install public art
Community Engagement Results
BerryDunn consulting team facilitated community engagement workshops (two sessions) and focus group sessions (four sessions) with a variety of stakeholders representing the community including individuals from the school district, libraries, and community clubs and groups. The following is a summary of the conversations and comments received during the engagement period of January 14, 2025, to January 16, 2025.
11 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
PUBLIC ARTS MASTER PLAN UPDATE
Focus Group Sessions
What are the strengths of the programs and services offered by the Department that should be continued over the next several years?
Strong collaboration with schools, nonprofits, and local artists enhances public engagement, while the Department’s experienced and communicative staff ensure high-quality services.
What additional programs or activities do you feel should offer that are currently not available? Many stakeholders want more visual and performing arts classes, low-cost or subsidized arts programs, and collaborations with nonprofits to make these offerings more accessible.
What additional public art would you like to see and where? The responses emphasize the importance of integrating public art into everyday spaces, making it more accessible and reflective of the community’s identity. Suggestions include murals, pole banners, and student/youth-created art displayed in high-traffic areas like underpasses, crosswalks, bus stops, and benches. There is a strong desire for a dedicated art center for local artists, functional art along trails, and interactive elements like QR codes with music or art scavenger hunts.
Participants also support incorporating art into urban design, such as painted chairs, flowerpots, and performance-based pop-up events.
During the next 5 years, what should the top priorities be for the Recreation and Parks Department?
Fostering community identity through large-scale events, arts, and partnerships will strengthen local pride and engagement.
Community Workshop Sessions
What new programs/activities do you feel should be offered by the Department? • Visual arts programs and installations
• Festivals
• Investing in culturally competent programming
12 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
CITY OF SANTA MARIA—RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT
How familiar are you with the public art program in Santa Maria? Figure 4: Familiarity with the public art program in Santa Maria Do not know anything
about them
35%
Not very familiar
35%
Somewhat Familiar
15%
Very Familiar
15%
What other types of public art would you like to see in the future? Figure 5: Types of public art community members want to see Building Mural
47%
Murals
21%
Sculpture
Installations
21%
Utility Art Box
11%
Storm Drain Murals
0%
13 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
PUBLIC ARTS MASTER PLAN UPDATE
Conclusion
Based on the responses from the leadership interviews, focus groups and community workshops, participants are familiar (70%) with the public art program currently being administered by the Recreation and Parks Department. City leadership indicated that they felt the role of the city in public art was essential both as a provider and a facilitator. They saw it as fundamental to the community’s quality of life and that the city should play a key role in the installation of public art by prioritizing it in the city budget. However, they did note that they fight a perception of the use of public funds, noting some community members look at fixing potholes vs installing public art.
Finally, leadership felt dedicating part of the enterprise funding and negotiating with developers to install public art into their projects were two ways to help fund the program.
When asked about what additional art the participants in the focus groups would like to see, the responses emphasize the importance of integrating public art into everyday spaces, making it more accessible and reflective of the community’s identity. Suggestions include murals, pole banners, and student/youth-created art displayed in high-traffic areas like underpasses, crosswalks, bus stops, and benches. Finally, when asked about priorities for the next 5-years, participants emphasized fostering community identity through large-scale events, arts, and partnerships that will strengthen local pride and engagement.
Where do we go from here?
The Public Art Master Plan was adopted in 2019 with a set of 7 goals and implementation strategies to address those goals.
Goal 1
Use public art to support Santa Maria’s identity, intertwining culture, people, neighborhoods and ideas to create a memorable urban landscape that respects the past and builds for the future.
Goal 2
Embrace public art as a citywide beautification effort. Facilitate public art and public art partnerships with City Departments, private developers, and arts and cultural organizations.
Goal 3
Celebrate Santa Maria’s unique entries to downtown and its neighborhoods—such as the Carriage District, freeway entrances, overpasses and off ramps—by enhancing (or continuing to enhance) the work of artists.
14 WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE
CITY OF SANTA MARIA—RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT
Goal 4
Employ public art to encourage a more walkable city.
Goal 5
Commission public art that emphasizes parks and neighborhoods.
Goal 6
Create a Public Art in Private Development Program to more actively contribute to Santa Maria’s cultural and economic health.
Goal 7
Support temporary artwork installations and performance-based arts events in areas with strong pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
The Recreation and Parks Department has made great strides in the last 5 years toward implementing the master plan goals. Based on the community and leadership input, the Department should continue to work to implement the goals and strategies identified in the 2019 Public Art Master Plan.
Licet Romero
15 WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE
PUBLIC ARTS MASTER PLAN UPDATE
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