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Record of Proceedings

Arts Commission Meeting: Mural Grant Approvals and Public Art Funding on October 20, 2025

City Council — Monday, October 20, 2025
BodyWalnut Creek, California
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, October 20, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:33:05

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

Welcome to the October 20th 2025 Arts Commission regular meeting.

0:07

Effective October 17th, 2023.

0:10

Public comments may be made in person or in writing.

0:14

If you would like to view the meeting remotely, you may do so in one of our following ways.

0:19

YouTube Live, Comcast Cable Channel 28, Rossmore Channel 26, Astown Channel 31, and ATT Uverse, Channel 99, or live stream online at the city's website.

0:39

Okay, we'll do the role.

0:40

Commissioner Perrolman here.

0:43

Commissioner Dresser.

0:45

Present.

0:46

Commissioner Clobber.

0:47

Here.

0:48

Commissioner Tessray.

0:50

Here.

0:50

Vice Chair Bangnani.

0:52

Here.

0:52

And Chair Baltazar.

0:54

Presente.

0:59

Next on the agenda is public communications.

1:01

This portion of the meeting is reserved for comment on items not on the agenda.

1:06

Under the Brown Act, the Commission cannot act on items raised during public communications, but may respond briefly to statements made or questions posed, request clarification, or refer the item to staff.

1:21

Are there any?

1:26

Great.

1:29

The next next on the agenda is the consent calendar.

1:34

Does any commissioner have questions on any item on the consent calendar?

1:47

We do not.

1:55

Someone needs to call for a motion, right?

1:58

Oh great.

1:59

Is there any public comment?

2:11

I move that we approve everything on our consent calendar.

2:18

Second.

2:22

Okay.

2:22

Commissioner Perlman.

2:24

Aye.

2:24

Commissioner Dresser.

2:26

Aye.

2:27

Commissioner Quabbert?

2:28

Aye.

2:29

Commissioner Tessway.

2:31

Aye.

2:31

Vice Chair Magnani.

2:33

Aye.

2:33

And Chair Balkazar.

2:35

Aye.

2:35

Motion passes.

2:38

Great.

2:39

Next on the agenda is an item for commission consideration.

2:44

It's item 4A, consideration of the proposed mural sites, concept illustrations, and budget allocations for four mural renderings submitted for the mural grants program.

3:01

At this time, I'm going to invite staff, right?

3:03

Here we go.

3:06

All right.

3:06

Good evening, Commissioners.

3:08

My name is Mariah Nelson, public art manager for the city.

3:12

And first agenda item is to review a mural proposal from Trent Thompson of ABG Arts Group, submitted as part of his grant application.

3:24

I'm just going to do a quick refresher.

3:26

If you'll recall, the grant was first launched in 2023.

3:31

And in the two years that it was open and available, we realized no murals with it.

3:39

So at the January 2025 meeting, the Arts Commission approved a restructuring of the grant.

3:47

So this took effect in January.

3:50

The revised program eliminates the match requirement and instead offers a more accessible grant of up to 30,000 per fiscal year.

3:59

And that is to be distributed at the discretion of the commission.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Arts And Culture█████████████████████████████████████████████74%
Miscellaneous████████████19%
Procedural█2%
Community Engagement█2%
Budget Equity Analysis█1%
Historic Preservation█1%
Public Engagement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Arts Commission Meeting: Mural Grant Approvals and Public Art Funding on October 20, 2025

The Arts Commission convened on October 20, 2025, to review proposals for the mural grants program, discuss the allocation of remaining public art funds for Heather Farm Park, and receive updates on ongoing arts initiatives and events.

Consent Calendar

  • The commission unanimously approved all items on the consent calendar without discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Sean Delfani, part-owner of Zebra Tattoo, expressed support for the mural project at their location and indicated openness to design adjustments based on commissioner feedback.

Discussion Items

  • Mural Grants Program Proposals: Trent Thompson of ABG Art Group presented concepts for four mural sites, highlighting community collaboration and flexible funding requests. Commissioners debated the merits of each wall: Commissioner Dresser opposed wall one due to low visibility and non-native flora themes, while others like Commissioner Tessray expressed excitement for the Zebra breezeway project. Commissioner Baltazar emphasized the need to seize the opportunity to build mural momentum in Walnut Creek.
  • Heather Farm Park Public Art Funding: Staff reported that two previously approved projects were no longer moving forward, leaving $716,000 in budgeted funds. Commissioners discussed whether to invite the top three semi-finalists or a broader group from the original RFP process. Positions varied, with some advocating for starting over to ensure diversity and equity, while others trusted the existing process.
  • Staff Reports and Updates: Mariah Nelson provided updates on successful public art walking tours, the big belly trash can refresh project, and maintenance plans for the 'Strata' sculpture. Emily Enders shared upcoming exhibitions at the Bedford Gallery, including 'Observations of a Still Life' and the upcoming Viola Frey retrospective. Updates from the Lesher Center included new festivals and Center Rep productions.

Key Outcomes

  • The commission approved funding for all four mural proposals, with a total allocation of $30,000 from the mural grants program budget. (Vote: 5-1, with Commissioner Dresser opposing)
  • For Heather Farm Park, the commission voted to invite the top eight semi-finalists from the original RFP to submit new concept proposals, using $40,000 for stipends and leaving $676,000 for the artist budget. (Vote: 5-1, with Commissioner Clobber opposing)

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to the October 20th 2025 Arts Commission regular meeting. Effective October 17th, 2023. Public comments may be made in person or in writing. If you would like to view the meeting remotely, you may do so in one of our following ways. YouTube Live, Comcast Cable Channel 28, Rossmore Channel 26, Astown Channel 31, and ATT Uverse, Channel 99, or live stream online at the city's website. Okay, we'll do the role. Commissioner Perrolman here. Commissioner Dresser. Present. Commissioner Clobber. Here. Commissioner Tessray. Here. Vice Chair Bangnani. Here. And Chair Baltazar. Presente. Next on the agenda is public communications. This portion of the meeting is reserved for comment on items not on the agenda. Under the Brown Act, the Commission cannot act on items raised during public communications, but may respond briefly to statements made or questions posed, request clarification, or refer the item to staff. Are there any? Great. The next next on the agenda is the consent calendar. Does any commissioner have questions on any item on the consent calendar? We do not. Someone needs to call for a motion, right? Oh great. Is there any public comment? I move that we approve everything on our consent calendar. Second. Okay. Commissioner Perlman. Aye. Commissioner Dresser. Aye. Commissioner Quabbert? Aye. Commissioner Tessway. Aye. Vice Chair Magnani. Aye. And Chair Balkazar. Aye. Motion passes. Great. Next on the agenda is an item for commission consideration. It's item 4A, consideration of the proposed mural sites, concept illustrations, and budget allocations for four mural renderings submitted for the mural grants program. At this time, I'm going to invite staff, right? Here we go. All right.

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