Where Should the Light-Pole Sculptures Go?

El Cerrito's Arts and Culture Commission will conduct a rare daytime meeting and tour tomorrow morning, Tuesday, to consider where on San Pablo Avenue to hang .

The abstract shapes would be mounted high above the sidewalk and move with the wind. Each would be framed by a C-shaped, four-foot-tall partial circle of stainless steel designed to resemble the new bike racks installed by the city on San Pablo.

In a public meeting and tour, members of the five-person arts panel will first gather at City Hall at 10 a.m. for a staff presentation, then tour possible locations for the sculptures and finally return to City Hall for discussion and possible action on the locations. Those who wish to accompany the tour must furnish their own transportation.

The commission will look at three options:

• pairs of sculptures at six locations along the avenue
• groups of four sculptures at three locations
• groups of six sculptures at two locations

Exact locations under each option can be found on the second page of the meeting agenda, which is attached as a PDF file to this article.

Two artists – Jonathan Russell and Saori Ide of Berkeley – were awarded a $100,000 commission in an open competition sponsored by the city to mount what will be the largest public art project in city history as part of the multi-year San Pablo Avenue Streetscape Project. The $6.6-million streetscape project is essentially complete except for the art component, which has been delayed by disagreement over what direction it would take.

The funding results from the city's Art in Public Places Ordinance, adopted by the City Council in 2005, requiring that new 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.

The artists' first proposal – colorful icons of people and objects on 50 streetlight poles along San Pablo – was rejected earlier this year by the commission, which said it wanted to see designs that are abstract and copper.

The Arts and Culture Commission is a volunteer citizens panel appointed by the City Council. It has seven seats, but two have been vacant. Among its responsibilities is the selection of public art works and the rotating art exhibit at City Hall.

For more background on the San Pablo Avenue public art project, you can see our past stories by clicking "San Pablo Avenue Streetlight Pole Sculptures" next to Related Topics below this article. For alerts on future stories on the topic, click the "Keep me posted!" button below the article.