Title
Recommendation to select either Washington Park or the Aquatic Center as a location for a future physical Public Art RFQ.
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Public Art Commission
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda Public Art Master Plan (2023) called for the identification and prioritization of sites in the City for Physical Public Art to be commissioned by the City and funded by the City’s Public Art Fund. In spring 2024, Jack Denham Conroy, a CivicSpark Fellow, began supporting the Public Art Program. Over the course of two years, his project work was centered on identifying and prioritizing these sites. The research study focused on documenting the location of existing Public Art in the City, both private and public artworks owned by the City, administering community surveys about Public Art, and developing a methodology to prioritize sites across the following criteria; visibility, accessibility, environmental suitability, safety, and community input.
In 2024, over 300 Alamedans responded to a City-wide poll on the location for future physical public art in the City. These survey responses informed a short list of five primary sites for future physical public art. Of the five primary sites, the PAC selected three top sites: Washington Park, Neptune Park, and the Main Street Ferry Terminal. Due to sea level rise, flood inundation and discontinuation of ferry service, both Neptune Park and the Main Street Ferry Terminal were ruled out as potential sites for physical art. Washington Park was deemed the most suitable and was selected as the location for the City’s next physical art grant call and staff dedicated time and resources to prepare to launch the RFQ in November, 2025.
However, the RFQ was not released, as the Public Art Commission remained interested in the Alameda Aquatic Center as a possible location. At the October 20, 2025 PAC meeting, Vice Chairperson Platzgummer motioned to pause the Physical Public Art RFQ process a...
Click here for full text