Unveiling of Revised Art Plan for Streetlight Poles Postponed

Two artists commissioned by the city to mount the largest public art project in city history — on streetlight poles the length of San Pablo Avenue — had been scheduled to present an alternative to their original proposal tonight to the Arts and Culture Commission, but the meeting has been delayed until Tuesday next week.

The first design by the artists — large colorful icons of people and objects on 50 streetlight poles along San Pablo Avenue — was roundly following a public hearing at City Hall on July 14. No member of the public spoke in favor of the designs.

The two artists, Jonathan Russell and Saori Ide of Berkeley, were awarded a $100,000 contract by a city-selected committee that evaluated 17 proposals received in an open competition.

The commission asked the pair to return in September with a different design. The rescheduled meeting will take place Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

The first proposal had been criticized as resembling clip art and not representative of El Cerrito. The artists said their proposal had followed the guidance they received from the commission over several months, but that they would nevertheless be happy to return with a new approach in keeping with the commission's request for work that is "abstract" and made of copper or metal.

The rejected icons would have been steel plate, painted with boldly colored images.