San Pablo Icons Back on Arts Commission Agenda

Editor's note: This article has been revised to correct an error and include some clarifications. See details at the end.

What would be the city's largest public arts project — dozens of large icons mounted on streetlight poles along San Pablo Avenue — is back on the agenda for the city Arts and Culture Commission, a month after the proposed by the artists commissioned to do the work.

The icons are up for discussion only, not commission action, said Karen Pinkos, assistant city manager. The commission, which meets once a month, will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall.

The panel voted 5-0 last month to reject the icon designs that the two Berkeley artists, Jonathan Russell and Saori Ide, had spent months developing. The artists' colorful, simple images of people and objects had been criticized as resembling "clip art" and not representative of El Cerrito.

The city sponsored a competition for the $100,000 contract to design and install the icons as part of its multi-year San Pablo Avenue Streetscape project. The original timeline called for the icons to be installed last summer.

After last month's arts commission meeting, the artists said they hoped to return with new designs at this month's meeting, but later Pinkos said city staff is seeking an opinion from the City Attorney about whether the commission's action is consistent with previous city decisions and agreements with the artists. She said the artists too are consulting an attorney.

Assistant City Attorney Inga Lintvedt, who works on contract for the city and who has been advising the city on the icons project, will join city staff in discussing the project with the commissioners Wednesday, Pinkos said.

The icons item is not an action item, and any further action by the commission would be at a future, publicly noticed meeting, Pinkos said. The agenda item says, "Presentation by City Staff regarding background and status of the project and options for next steps."

Also on the agenda is review of artists' proposals for exhibitions at the .

Correction and clarifications:

The original version of this article had the wrong title for Assistant City Manager Karen Pinkos. It has been corrected.

The article also said attorney Inga Lintvedt has been engaged by the city to look at the issue. Lintvedt is designated as the Assistant City Attorney and works under contract. She has been advising the city on the icons. The article also said it's not clear if any action is contemplated by the commission. Pinkos told Patch that the icons item is not an action item and that any action by the commission would come at a future meeting. The article has been revised to incorporate these clarifications.