Title
Recommendation to Accept the Public Art Biennial Work Plan
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Public Art Commission
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
October 16, 2023, the Public Art Commission (the “PAC”) accepted the Public Art Master Plan draft and recommended that City Council approve. On December 19, 2023, the Alameda City Council adopted the Public Art Master Plan (the “Plan”, Exhibit 1). The Plan provides consistent policy guidance and allows for the effective pursuit of medium and long-term public art priorities in Alameda. This staff report outlines the Plan’s Five-Year Action Plan, its relationship to actual Public Art Program activities, and proposes a Biennial Work Plan for the next two years, a required action of the Plan. The aim of the Biennial Work Plan is to balance limited staff capacity and resources with the demand for continued, often multi-year administration for both cultural arts and physical art grants.
BACKGROUND
The City of Alameda’s (City’s) Public Art Program (the “Program”) began in 2003 with the adoption of Alameda Municipal Code Section 30-98 (the “Ordinance”, Exhibit 2), which requires commercial, industrial, and municipal development projects costing $250,000 or more to devote one percent (1%) of building development costs for public art in the City. As development has come online over the years, the Public Art Fund (Fund) balance has grown, increasing Program activities. To date, the Program’s core activities include but are not limited to:
• Issuing and administering grants for cultural arts programming and physical art,
• Facilitating the review of on-site public artwork,
• Managing and maintaining the public art collection,
• Staffing the Public Art Commission (the “PAC”), and
• Other activities such as disseminating Public Art updates via an email newsletter, writing talking points for Commissioners, developing Program materials and resources.
In December 2020, Base Reuse and Economic Development Department (BREDD) staff facilitated a working session of the PAC to identify upcoming public art priorities. The PAC identified the development of a Public Art Master Plan (“Plan”) as a priority to guide the implementation of the City's Program, in alignment with the vision and goals of the City Council, PAC and Alameda community. Given the variability of Fund revenues, limited staff capacity, and Public Art Commission turnover, juxtaposed with multi-year efforts required to realize public art projects, the objective of the Plan is to provide consistent policy guidance and allow for the effective pursuit of medium and long-term public art priorities in Alameda.
With the aid of a public art consultant a draft Plan was created and reviewed by the PAC and Planning Board. On October 17, 2023, the PAC voted to recommend to the City Council adoption of the Plan. On December 19, 2023, the Plan was adopted by City Council. Calendar year 2024 is considered the first year of the five-year Plan.
The Plan is a comprehensive guide to promoting and supporting public art in the City and ensuring that limited resources and staff time are being used to support the most important and impactful public art projects. The Plan establishes policies and procedures that will help the City to effectively manage its Public Art Program and collection, prioritize public art funding, and create a cohesive approach to public art that is accessible and inclusive. The Plan includes a Five-Year Action Plan, delineating the future activities that staff and the PAC should engage in to implement the Plan.
DISCUSSION
The City’s Public Art Program is administered by staff from the Base Reuse and Economic Development Department. This Department oversees a variety of responsibilities including Citywide Economic Development initiatives, and the staff administering the program also implement the City’s Façade Improvement Program, regularly conduct business engagement activities, and advance other economic development initiatives. Public Art is considered an integral element of the City’s Economic Development program, creating activated spaces, placemaking opportunities, and opportunities for community and business engagement.
Staff are expected to allocate time across the initiatives described above, and as such, are expected to work roughly ten to 12 hours per week on Public Art initiatives on average. The Plan is designed to help focus limited staff and PAC resources on the Public Art programs that are the highest priority for the City. For this reason, the Plan’s Five-Year Action Plan is instrumental to guiding staff’s work. The Five-Year Action Plan Program activities are described below.
PUBLIC ART MASTER PLAN FIVE-YEAR ACTION PLAN
Below are the actions listed in the Public Art Master Plan Five-year Action Plan:
YEAR 1:
1. Build resources based upon the updated Public Art Policy Guidelines and Public Art Procedures documents to assist artists, developers, community members, Staff, and PAC in the public art process.
2. Attend to the condition of artworks in the public art collection.
3. Release a grant application for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming & Administration.
YEAR 2:
1. Select a site and release a grant application for physical artworks.
2. Simplify the grant process for all grants.
3. Start a Biennial Work Plan.
4. Release a grant application for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming & Administration.
Of note, Year 2 details the need to create consistency in grant opportunities year after year; offering Cultural Arts and Arts Programming grants every year and physical artwork grants every other year. These activities have been added to each year.
YEAR 3:
1. Prioritize and select sites for upcoming projects.
2. Release a grant application for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming & Administration.
YEAR 4:
1. Develop initiatives and/or materials for advocacy, marketing, and visibility of the Public Art Program.
2. Release a grant application for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming & Administration.
3. Select a site and release a grant application for physical artworks.
If there is further capacity:
o Continue to build upon the Public Art map on the City of Alameda’s Public Art website to help visitors and residents discover Public Art throughout the city. The online map could be made available as a printed brochure.
o Share information about the process to apply and be selected for serving on the PAC. Encourage members of the community to apply who have traditionally not been a part of civic processes.
o Identify other partners that could assist with amplifying the visibility plan. This could include the Alameda Chamber and Economic Alliance, business associations, local arts and culture organizations, and other City departments such as the Alameda Recreation and Parks Department and the Alameda Free Library.
o Develop a process for celebrating new artworks. See Appendix G (Plan) for a potential structure for unveiling celebrations.
YEAR 5:
1. Review and adopt a deaccessioning policy and process.
2. Release a grant application for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming & Administration & Administration.
ACTUAL PROGRAM ACTIONS
The sequence of the activities in the Plan’s Five-Year Action Plan differs from actual Program activities, which are detailed in the list below. Of note, the site selection research in Year 3 was moved up to Year 1. The City’s Public Art Fellow was hired in January 2024 thus temporarily expanding our Program capacity to complete this critical research and determine the location of future physical art in the City.
The check marks below (✔) denote actions that are complete or in progress, thus meeting Plan expectations. The plus sign (+) indicates actions that have yet to be addressed, not meeting Plan. In Year 1, several actions have been completed or are in process. For example, the City is maintaining an online public art map and is researching ways to simplify the grant process. There are some actions that have yet to be completed, but they will be addressed in future. It is important to note that our Public Art Fellow has contributed significantly to our achievements in Year 1. Based on what is specified in the Public Art Master Plan Five-Year Action Plan and the Actual Program Actions we are currently engaged in; staff recommends the following two-year Program Action Plan:
YEAR 1 STATUS REPORT:
1. 
Build resources based upon the updated Public Art Policy Guidelines and Public Art Procedures documents to assist artists, developers, community members, Staff, and PAC in the public art process.
2. Attend to the condition of artworks in the public art collection.
3. 
Release a grant application for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming & Administration.
§ May 2024 - Distributed $60,000 in Cultural Arts and Arts Programming grants
§ Administration is ongoing
4. Simplify the grant process for all grants. (Year 2)
§ Researching best practices such as the Common Application for Arts Bay Area
5. Start a Biennial Work Plan. (Year 2)
§ Establishing a work plan for the following two years
6. Prioritize and select sites for upcoming projects. (Year 3)
§ Research has been in progress since spring 2024, a site is nearly selected
7. Continue to build upon the Public Art map on the City of Alameda’s Public Art website to help visitors and residents discover Public Art throughout the city. (Year 4)
§ Updates to [www.alamedapublicartwork.com] are ongoing
8. 
Share information about the process to apply and be selected for serving on the PAC. Encourage members of the community to apply who have traditionally not been a part of civic processes. (Year 4)
§ PAC vacancies were announced to the Public Art Updates list, several candidates were interviewed, and new PAC members were provided an orientation
PROPOSED BIENNIAL WORK PLAN
As detailed in the Plan, the Biennial Work Plan lays out priorities for the following two years. The Biennial Work Plan includes a timeline for each year that prioritizes actions for PAC and Staff and considers upcoming construction projects and known In-Lieu Contributions. Of note, the development of the Aquatic Park by the Alameda Recreation and Park Department is a prime example of upcoming development ripe with Public Art opportunities. Further, collaborating with other City departments and leveraging limited resources are primary goals outlined in the Plan.
YEAR 2:
1. Select a site and release a grant application for physical artworks.
Year 2 highlights the following goals: Ensure existing and future Public Art is
accessible and equitably distributed, Collaborate with other departments in the City.
2. Simplify the grant process for all grants.
3. Release a grant application for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming & Administration.
YEAR 3:
1. Prioritize and select sites for upcoming projects.
2. Release a grant application for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming & Administration.
3. Administer the physical art grant. This may include contracting, site work, etc.
The proposed work plan includes necessary actions (as detailed in the Plan) and accounts for continued administration of existing work as well as unanticipated actions such as reviewing and facilitating and reviewing incoming on-site public artwork applications.
Given the variability of Fund revenues and limited staff capacity, staff are proposing a pared down Program over the next two years with the aim of gradually increasing Program actions thereafter. It is important to note that issuing an RFQ for physical art can take on average three to four years to complete. The proposed work plan considers the demand of ongoing, often multi-year administration for both cultural arts and physical art grants as well as unanticipated actions such as reviewing and facilitating incoming on-site public artwork applications.
CONSISTENCY WITH MUNICIPAL CODE, PUBLIC ART MASTER PLAN AND OTHER POLICY DOCUMENTS
The proposed Biennial Work Plan is an action required by the Public Art Master Plan which was adopted by City Council December 19, 2023. Additionally, the Biennial Work Plan considers Public Art activities as detailed in the Alameda Municipal Code Section 30-98.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation to Accept the Public Art Biennial Work Plan.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jackie Keliiaa, Development Manager
Secretary, Public Art Commission
Exhibit:
1. Alameda Public Art Master Plan
2. Public Art Ordinance, AMC Section 30-98
3. Biennial Work Plan Presentation