Title
Recommendation to Provide Guidance on the Development of a Request for Proposals for a Public Art Master Plan
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Public Art Commission
BACKGROUND
In December of 2020, the Public Art Commission (PAC) identified the creation of a public art master plan as a work priority for the public art program. This effort would update and build upon Alameda’s 2012 Synergy Report: Public Art Program Assessment and Recommendations for the Growth and Development of Arts and Culture in Alameda, and the 2006 Alameda Public Art Policy Guidelines (the Synergy Report). The goal of tonight’s meeting is to hold a more robust discussion of the master plan, to inform the development of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the project.
DISCUSSION
While the Public Art Ordinance provides the general “how” of Alameda’s public art program, a master plan will provide a roadmap with clear and specific guidance for staff, artists, community members and other stakeholders on the vision and goals of Alameda’s public art program, the care and maintenance of the City’s growing public art collection, and the creation of both on-site and grant-funded public art.
The next step in the development of a master plan is to issue an RFP for a consultant to complete the work. While there are several key elements that most master plans include (vision and goals, review of existing documents, community outreach etc.), many elements may vary based on the need and interest of the public art program and the PAC. In February of 2021, staff requested that the PAC review examples of public art master plans from other cities, including the ’City of Palo Altos Public Art Master Plan <https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?t=59163.12&BlobID=66227> (2015), the ’City of Santa Rosas Public Art Master Plan <https://srcity.org/DocumentCenter/View/6678/Santa-Rosa-Public-Art-Master-Plan-PDF?bidId=> (2014), and the City of ’Emeryvilles Public Art Master Plan <https://www.ci.emeryville.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/9459/Published-PAMP-11-29-16?bidId=> (2016), to gain understanding of the breadth of factors which can be addressed.
In order to develop the RFP, staff seeks guidance on the additional elements the PAC would like addressed in the scope of work. Based on a review of other public art master plans, as well as previous PAC and community discussion, staff recommends the following elements, at a minimum, be included in the scope of work:
• Creation of public art policy guidelines for administration of on-site public art and public art grants
• Review and update of deaccession policy proposed in the Synergy Report
• Review and update of maintenance and conservation policy included in the Synergy Report
• A community process to identify new locations for new public art
• Recommendation and prioritization of new public art programming
Staff also recommends that the PAC consider the items below for inclusion:
• Development of a cultural equity statement and/or policy
• Creation of criteria and process for the identification of future public art locations.
• PAC and staff training and capacity building, such as workshops, webinars or other training session formats covering public art best practices.
• Development of guidelines for an Alameda mural program
In addition to the items listed above, staff seeks PAC guidance on any other desired elements or aspects of the plan.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Staff anticipates a budget of $40,000 to $60,000 for the development of a public art master plan, to be funded by the Public Art Fund, with the exact amount to be determined by the scope of work requested. See the table below for a summary of budgets for other Bay Area public art master plans over the last decade. The Public Art Fund currently has approximately $278,000 in available funding.
Selected Bay Area Public Art Master Plan Budgets
|
Synergy Report |
2012 |
$35,030 |
|
Santa Rosa Public Art Master Plan |
2014 |
$60,000 + some donated time |
|
Palo Alto Public Art Master Plan |
2015 |
$55,000 + $10,000 for outreach |
|
Emeryville Public Art Master Plan |
2016 |
$40,000 |
|
San Leandro Public Art Master Plan |
2017 |
$50,000 |
|
Santa Rosa Public Art Strategic Update |
In progress |
$80,000 |
RECOMMENDATION
Provide guidance on the development of a request for proposals for a public art master plan.
Respectfully submitted,
Lois Butler, Economic Development Manager
By,
Amanda Gehrke, Development Manager