Title
Recommendation to Review and Provide Feedback on Staff Proposal to Develop and Implement Community Engagement Strategy for Selecting Locations for Future Physical Public Art
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Public Art 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 will present his first report to this commission on March 25, 2024.
This is an informational report to collect feedback on how to proceed on community outreach and how best to receive feedback from the public.
The proposed outreach process will be to hold three meetings between April 2024 and June 2024 open to the public in order to receive feedback from community members on where to locate physical public art in Alameda.
Staff is recommending that the Public Art Commission (PAC) review and provide feedback on the proposed community engagement plan.
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, 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”.
After conducting public outreach and receiving feedback from the Public Art Commission 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.
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 will be to hold three community meetings over the next two months on April 11th, April 26th, and May 9th to receive feedback on where the people of Alameda want to see physical public art.
The current ideas for physical public art locations from the Plan, as well as additional site selection research will be presented at each meeting. Additionally, the framework excerpted below will be presented and discussed. Google Forms will be used to gather feedback from community members and materials will be offered at meetings to receive thoughts and comments that were not gathered in the polling. Data will be gathered on locations that the public believe to be ideal locations for new physical art.
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 Rec & Parks Department (ARPD) as a partner in locating physical public artwork in parks. “Gateway to California,” “Rock Spinners,” and “Beken” were all installed in Jean Sweeney Open Space Park with the assistance and partnership of ARPD.
Best practices 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 commission for consideration. The process for community engagement will be replicated in future processes.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and provide feedback on staff proposal to develop and implement community engagement strategy for selecting locations for future physical public art.
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