8L
Date: September 15, 2026
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Cultural Arts Commission
Ted Stevens, Community Services Director
By: Cyndy Rosell, Supervising Administrative Assistant, [email protected] Subject: Cultural Arts Commission and Community Services – Accept and File 2025-26 Cultural Arts Commission Annual Report. Expenditure: None.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation of the Cultural Arts Commission and Community Services Director that City Council accept and file the 2025-26 Cultural Arts Commission Annual Report.
FUNDING
None required.
DISCUSSION
The 2025-26 Annual Report, which summarizes the Cultural Arts Commission’s activities from July 2025 through June 2026, is attached for the City Council’s information and review. The Cultural Arts Commission approved this report at its meeting on July 20, 2026, and moved to request that it be accepted by the City Council.
ATTACHMENT
1. 2025-2026 Cultural Arts Commission Annual Report
1 Commissioners:
The Cultural Arts Commission completed the year with discussions about
different programs
and projects. Here is a summary of their meetings and activities:
P
ublic Events:
Cultural Arts Commissioners have been actively engaged in and ha ve participated in a variety of
events throughout this year. During Commission meetings, there are consistently positive comments regarding attendance at exhibitions at the Torrance Art Museum, productions by the Torrance Theatre Company, concerts during Torrance Summer Nights, the Cherry Blossom Festival, the Bunka Sai Festival organized by the Torrance Sister City, the Officials’ Night hosted by the Rose Float Association, events by TOCA at the Cultural Arts Center, Destination Art events, and many other
arts
-
related performances, exhibitions, and festivals in the South Bay and Los Angeles. The Cultural Arts Commission works in conjunction with the Cultural Services Manager to present the annual Excellence In Arts Awards Ceremony, which has developed into a unique opportunity to highlight the diverse artists in Torrance through enjoyable artistic displays, performances, and demonstrations. Additionally, the Commission assesses, approves, and recommends artworks for murals and utility boxes, which are integr al
components of the City’s largest public art initiatives.
Standing Committees:
The Cultural Arts Commission has the following standing committees: Excellence in Arts
and
Facilities.
The
Excellence in Arts Committee
was comprised of Commissioners
Carrasco
,
Klinenberg
, and
Polcari
.
The
E
xcellence in
A
rts
A
wards are given to individuals
and organizations who
make
outstanding contributions to the arts in Torrance.
The committee aims to be innovative and
establish unexpected and enjoyable artistic links fo
r the awards, exemplified by the Torrance
Bakery and an event featuring a Blindfolded Cookie Decorating Competition.
The
Facilities Committee
was not required during the
year 202
5 -
202
6 .
Andres Cabrera
Keila Carrasco
Sacha Duncan
Randy Klinenberg
Ed Candioty
Michelle Polcari
JULY 2025 to JUNE 2026
ATTACHMENT 1
Steven Hsiao
2 Highlights:
• The Commission reviewed the 42 new artworks submitted for the Utility Box Public Art Program, Phase Two.
o Recommended 12 artworks to be submitted to the City Council for consideration, 10 of which were chosen by the Councilmembers for their districts. o Submitted the additional 30 Phase-two artworks along with the remaining 78 Phase-One artworks for Councilmember review.
• The Commission reviewed the application and artwork on January 26, 2026, and approved both for recommendation to the City Council. The City Council accepted the recommendation and approved the application and artwork on February 2, 2026. • The Commission hosted the 4 7th annual Excellence in Arts Awards Ceremony on Saturday October 18, 2025. Recipients were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the arts in Torrance. Receiving awards w ere Sjaan Trowbridge in Dance ; Sasha & Ryan Miller in Literary Arts; Chris Tiernan in Drama and Theatre Arts; Bradley Hampton in Music; Brainstorm Productions in Visual Arts & Design; Visions of Unity for the Katy Geissert Award for Outstanding Dedication to the Arts.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________
Michelle Polcari, Chairperson
CONCUR: Cultural Arts Commission
________________________
Monica Harte
Cultural Services Manager
3