Recall on Call for Artists for Recycling Center

Since El Cerrito received only one qualified artist's proposal for its newest public art project – "functional artworks" to be installed at the city's new Recycling Center – the El Cerrito Arts and Culture Commission decided Wednesday night to refine and reissue the call for artists in hopes of attracting competition.

The city earlier decided that the required public art component of the should be utilitarian and invited artists to submit proposals for a $24,000 commission to create shelves for the re-use items (books, records, tools, toys, etc.) and for a gate to the compost area.

The city received three proposals, two of which were "clearly not responsive to the call for proposals," commission chair Joyce Hawley said at the panel's monthly meeting at City Hall. They were rejected by a city screening committee that included Hawley and fellow arts commissioner Paul Lupinsky.

The third one "was very responsive and very interesting," she said, "but there was pretty much a feeling of discomfort about just saying yes to one person without any other acceptable proposals being submitted."

So the commission Wednesday night voted 6-0 (with Lupinsky absent) to reissue the call for artists more widely and to de-emphasize the first proposal's invitation for optional elements.

The Recycling Center's operations won't be affected by the delay, Suzanne Iarla, city staff liaison to the commission, told the panel. The center will hold its ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house Sunday and will be operations on Monday. Temporary shelving will be used in the , where the re-use items will circulate, Iarla said.

The delay follows the commission's final approval in March of the $100,000 public art project for installing on San Pablo Avenue.

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