Update on Community Engagement Plan for Future Public Art Site Selection
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Recreation and Parks Commission
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Jack Denham Conroy was selected as a fellow through the CivicSpark program to create a process for public outreach related to physical art site selection. This process is the capstone project of his fellowship. He presented his first report to the Public Art Commission on March 25, 2024. The commission gave feedback on the process and suggested additional locations for review.
This is an informational report to detail the methods that have been used to gather and analyze potential locations and to explain the process of community outreach that has been used to receive feedback from the public.
At the time of writing, one community outreach event has taken place with two more set to occur this following week prior to the Recreation and Park Commission meeting on May 9, 2024. These events are open to the public and intended to generate feedback from community members on where to locate physical public art in Alameda.
Staff is informing the commission on this process and recommending that Recreation and Parks Department provide any additional input for future site selection processes.
BACKGROUND
In December of 2023 the City of Alameda (City) adopted the Public Art Master Plan (Plan) to guide the implementation of the City of Alameda’s public art program, in alignment with the vision and goals of the City Council, Public Art Commission (PAC) and Alameda community. The Five-Year Action Plan included in the Plan, which outlines actionable tasks associated with seven key recommendations to be taken over the next five years, identifies the need to “develop a process for identifying sites for public art in the future.” Furthermore, the Plan identifies as a priority action item in Year 2 of the Five-Year Action Plan to “select a site and release a grant application for physical artworks”.
As a part of the development of the Plan, Public Art Program staff engaged with Recreation and Parks Department staff, along with staff from other City departments, to identify potential sites for future public art. The culmination of this effort is presented in Exhibit 2.
After conducting public outreach and receiving feedback from the PAC to inform physical art site selection and future site selection processes, Public Art Program staff plan to release a competitive request for proposals (RFP) for physical art by the end of 2024. The RFP will include a pre-identified site(s) for physical art. There is currently approximately $772,000 available in the Public Art Fund for physical art.
On March 25, 2023, Jack Denham Conroy presented a site selection process and community engagement plan to the PAC. This presentation detailed how the Plan informed the creation of an outreach survey that aims to gather feedback from people who work and/or live in Alameda on where they want to see future public physical art. The PAC approved the process and suggested that sites suggested in the 2012 “Synergy: Public Art for Alameda” assessment (Synergy) be considered along with sites suggested in the Plan.
DISCUSSION
The Plan describes the need to take “into consideration the cultural context, existing infrastructure, community involvement, and potential impact on the surrounding environment.” The process for community involvement consists of three community engagement survey events on April 21st, May 4th, and May 5th. to receive feedback on where Alamedans want to see physical public art.
The survey was used to gather feedback from community members and data has been collected illustrating which locations the public believe to be ideal locations for new physical art.
The survey instructed participants to rank twelve (12) potential locations in Alameda. Those locations were selected from a thirty-nine (39) potential sites suggested in the Plan and the Synergy report. Using a framework derived from criteria from the Plan, the locations were scored and ranked. The top twelve scores were used in the public outreach survey.
The framework developed in the Plan is as follows:
1. Identify upcoming municipal development projects. Identify and prioritize opportunities within these projects to include Public Art, and then carry those projects over to the Biennial Work Plan. For example, the upcoming roundabout projects.
2. Consider Alameda Recreation & Parks Department (ARPD) as a partner in locating physical public artwork in parks. “Gateway to California,” “Rockspinners,” and “Beken” were all installed in Jean Sweeney Open Space Park with the assistance and partnership of ARPD.
Criteria highlighted in the Plan include:
● Consider visibility: Choose locations where the artwork will be highly visible to the public, such as in busy pedestrian areas, public parks, or near public transportation.
● Evaluate accessibility: Ensure that the location is accessible to all members of the community, regardless of physical abilities, and consider factors such as curb cuts, sidewalks, and other accessibility features.
● Equitable geographic distribution: Consider the existing locations of physical public artworks and ensure artworks are geographically distributed throughout the City of Alameda.
● Consider community input: Involve the community in the process of selecting locations for Public Art, through public meetings, surveys, or other outreach efforts. Listen to their opinions and suggestions and take their feedback into account.
● Assess suitability of the environment: Evaluate the physical environment of each potential location, including factors such as climate, exposure to water, animals, birds, light exposure, wind patterns, and existing landscape features, to determine if they are appropriate for the artwork.
● Consider historical significance: Take into account the historical and cultural significance of the location and ensure that the artwork complements and enhances the area’s existing cultural heritage.
● Evaluate safety: Ensure that the location is safe for both the artwork and the public, considering factors such as traffic patterns and natural hazards.
● Evaluate maintenance requirements: Consider the long-term maintenance requirements of the artwork and ensure that the location can accommodate these needs, such as access to electricity and water.
● Evaluate funding and budget constraints: Consider budget constraints and funding sources when selecting locations for physical public art, as this may impact the type of artwork that can be commissioned and the number of locations that can be considered.
Based on the feedback from the community, between two and four locations for physical public art will be selected and presented back to the PAC for consideration. The process for community engagement will be replicated in future processes.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and provide input for future public art location selection processes.
Respectfully submitted,
Walker Toma, Community Development Manager
Secretary, Public Art Commission
By,
Jack Denham Conroy, CivicSpark Fellow
Exhibits:
1. Map of current public art locations in Alameda
2. Map of potential public art locations in Alameda