Public Art Steering Committee Regular Meeting – March 25, 2025

The Napa Public Art Steering Committee (PASC) convened on March 25, 2025 at 5:30 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The committee approved prior meeting minutes, received a report on the 2025 Napa Lighted Art Festival, discussed the 2nd Street Pavement Art Corridor project, and heard updates on other public art projects. Key actions included unanimous approval of the 16 finalists for the pavement art corridor and feedback on the draft request for proposals.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: The committee unanimously approved the minutes from the January 28, 2025 PASC Special Meeting and the January 28, 2025 PASC/PRTAC Joint Meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public addressed the committee during the public comment period.

Presentations

• 2025 Napa Lighted Art Festival Report: Public Art Coordinator Sarah Winsky presented the festival report. The festival ran from January 16 to February 18, 2025, featuring 14 installations from artists across five countries and six U.S. states. Total visitorship reached 70,000 unique visitors, with 125,000 total visits; 36% of visits were from Napa residents, with the remainder from the broader Bay Area. New events included a Glow Party (estimated 1,500–2,000 attendees) and an Artist Meet and Greet. Committee members praised the festival’s growth from 40,000 to 70,000 visitors, noted strong local engagement, and discussed opportunities to increase outreach to Bay Area and Napa artists for future editions.

Discussion Items

• 2nd Street Pavement Art Corridor Project (Item 6A): Staff reported that the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) phase concluded with over 100 applications. An art selection panel of four community members (Zen Hunter-Ishikawa, Julie Eppich, Laura Corallo Titus, and Ken Prosser) selected 16 finalists—12 for bulbout intersections (Type A) and 4 for the pedestrian scramble at Second and Main (Type B)—based on portfolio, letter of interest, and qualifications. The committee discussed the selection process: some members expressed concern that the RFQ did not specifically require pavement art experience, leading to a perceived similarity among finalists’ portfolios. Staff explained that pavement art is an emerging form and that the RFP phase would require concept designs. The committee also provided feedback on the draft RFPs, requesting clearer language about the projects being “pavement art” and emphasizing constraints like the six-color limit and viewing angles.
• Public Art Project Updates (Item 6B): Staff gave an oral update: signage for the roundabout and 29 undercrossing murals is expected to be installed in April 2025; the Soscol Medians project (artist Jacques Lessec) has a construction kickoff meeting this week, with fabrication beginning locally. Committee members suggested considering public fabrication site tours to generate excitement.

Key Outcomes

• Motion 1 (Approved): The committee voted unanimously to support staff’s recommendation of the 16 finalists and move forward with receiving conceptual design proposals from them.
• Motion 2 (Feedback only): The committee discussed and provided feedback on the draft RFPs for both bulbout and pedestrian scramble designs. No formal vote was taken; staff will incorporate the feedback (e.g., adding explicit references to “pavement art” and specific constraints) before releasing the RFP by April 2, 2025.
• Next Steps: Finalist artists will submit proposals by May 16, 2025; the art selection panel will review them, and recommendations will come back to PASC. Additionally, the Soscol Medians project is progressing toward installation.