City's Next Public Art: "Functional Artworks" at Recycling Center

The El Cerrito Arts and Culture Commission tonight, Wednesday, will review a new plan for the city's next public art project – $24,000 worth of "functional artworks," including shelves, gates and shelters at the .

City's public art law

Under the city's Art in Public Places law, adopted by the City Council in 2005, new city or private projects costing $250,000 or more must devote at least one percent of the development costs to public art. (It is Chapter 13.50 in the city's Municipal Code.)

Previous public art project

The previous project funded under the law, , has seen major delays, in large part because the arts commission to install large colorful images of people and objects.

That $100,000 project by Berkeley artists Jonathan Russell and Saori Ide is the public art component of the San Pablo Avenue Streetscape Project and is back on track with a plan to mount a dozen abstract copper forms that move with the wind. Also on the arts commission agenda tonight is further review of where to place those sculptures.

New public art for Recycling Center

Now that the new Recycling Center is , the city is preparing a "Call to Artists" for the public art requirement for the facility. According a city staff report prepared for tonight's meeting, the project will offer a $24,000 commission to "a visual arts professional to create and install functional site-specific artworks for various locations and uses at the Project site, specifically:

• shelves in the community exchange area
• gates in the bulk materials (compost, sand, planters) area
• protective shelters for operational equipmenta
• as well as other visual and functional pieces as the budget allows."

The artworks are to be constructed from recycled or reused materials and are "envisioned to add to the educational aspects of the Recycling Center, by demonstrating that 'scrap' materials can be reused in visually interesting and functionally relevant ways," the staff report says. (The report is attached to this article.)

Prominent use of recycled items was a goal expressed by the city’s Design Review Board in its review of the Recycling Center's design, the report notes.

Arts commission role

The reports says the arts commission tonight is being asked to review four items:

• Provide input to staff regarding if there should be a preference for local artists
• Provide input to staff regarding outreach for the Call to Artists/RFQ
• Select two ACC members to participate on the selection panel
• Review and provide any feedback on scope of work in draft “Call to Artists”

Selection of artist

According to the staff report, the selection panel will likely include

• Melanie Mintz, Environmental Services Division Manager, City of El Cerrito
• Garth Schultz, Environmental Analyst, City of El Cerrito
• 1 additional member of the Project Management Team
• 2 Arts and Culture Commission members
• 2 Design Review Board members