OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Arts Commission Regular Meeting - July 20, 2026

City CouncilMonday, July 20, 2026
BodyWalnut Creek, California
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, July 20, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

I'm Peter Magnani, Chair of the Arts Commission.

0:08

Welcome to the July 20th, 2026 Arts Commission regular meeting.

0:12

The Arts Commission is conducting this meeting from the City Council Chambers and via teleconference from the lobby of Wild Goose Meadows RV at 18920 Highway 395, North Lakeview, Oregon, to accommodate Commissioner Curland, who is attending remotely due to a previously scheduled trip.

0:33

Please refer to the end of the agenda to review options for participating in the meeting.

0:38

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

0:44

YouTube Live, Comcast Cable Channel 28, Rossmore Channel 1082, Astound Channel 31, and ATT Uverse Channel 99, or live stream online on the city's website.

1:00

Before we get to the roll call, I'd like to officially introduce and welcome our newly appointed Commissioner Sherry Curland, who as I say is with us remotely to this, her first Arts Commission meeting.

1:12

And Commissioner Curland, uh maybe you want to say a few words about yourself and uh why you decided to uh join the arts commission.

1:21

Okay, thank you very much.

1:22

I decided because I was invited by the the folks that head the commissions in Walnut Creek, and I've been a resident of Walnut Creek for over 30 years, and I attended the Citizens Institute, which was a wonderful way to get introduced to the workings of Walnut Creek City.

1:40

And when the Arts Commission opening came up, I applied and was thrilled to have gone through the interview process and um be chosen to be on the board with you all.

1:51

Um I am uh I'm retired, I am a practicing ceramicist.

1:57

Um let's say I practice a lot and I um enjoy I love Walnut Creek and I love public art and I love the options when we're able to walk downtown and see fresh new things that beautify our our environment.

2:15

So happy to be here and thank you very much for having me.

2:18

Welcome.

2:19

Uh Commission Secretary Chris Farrow, please take the roll.

2:25

Good evening.

2:26

Commissioner Perelman's absent.

2:28

Commissioner Ballitzars, absent.

2:31

Commissioner Dresser.

2:32

Present.

2:33

Commissioner Curlin.

2:37

She's here.

2:39

Thank you.

2:40

Vice Chair Teslay.

2:41

Here and Chair Magnani.

2:43

Here.

2:44

Thank you.

2:45

Next on the agenda is public communications.

2:48

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

2:52

Under the ground 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.

3:06

Do we have any public comments?

3:09

All right.

3:10

Seeing no speakers, uh, I'll close the public communications portion of the meeting.

3:15

Next on the agenda is the consent calendar.

3:18

Does any commissioner wish to pull any item for discussion?

3:22

Uh does any member of the public wish to comment on an item on the consent calendar?

3:27

Seeing none.

3:29

Uh I'll ask uh commissioners if anybody would like to make a motion on the consent calendar.

3:36

This would be a motion to approve the calendar.

3:39

I move that we approve the consent calendar as presented.

3:44

And do we have a second?

3:46

I second that.

3:48

I second that motion.

3:50

We have a first and a second.

3:52

Both Commissioners Perelman and Ballats are absent.

3:55

Commissioner Dresser.

3:56

Yes.

3:57

Commissioner Curlin.

4:04

Yes.

4:05

Thank you.

4:06

Vice Chair Tusfey.

4:07

Hi.

4:08

And Chair Magnani.

4:09

Yes.

4:10

Passes.

4:11

Thank you.

4:12

And next on the agenda is item 4A, consideration of artwork to be deassessed from the city's permanent public art collection.

4:20

And I'd invite uh public art manager Mariah Nelson to give us a presentation.

4:32

Hello.

4:33

Good evening, Arts Commissioners.

4:35

Mariah Nelson, Public Art Manager.

4:38

Happy Summer and Welcome, Commissioner Curland.

4:43

Nice to see you reporting live from the RV RV park.

4:48

Happy to have you join us.

4:51

So tonight, tonight we have a single item on the agenda for your consideration.

5:00

Currently, there are 21 artworks in the city's collection presented to you for de-accession approval.

5:08

Can I have a slides up?

5:12

The slides will help.

5:16

So deaccessioning is the formal process by which artwork is removed from a collection.

5:26

And is recognized as a legitimate form and an essential aspect of collection stewardship and management.

5:40

So in 1978, the city adopted admin policy number 78-2, which is the acquisition of artworks.

5:50

But before this, before the adoption of this policy, there were no formal procedures in place to guide the acquisition of donated artwork.

6:00

And consequently, there are artworks in the city's collection that were accepted without a clear strategy for proper care, display, or storage.

6:11

And as a result, there is a substantial amount of artwork that we have in the city's collection that is currently being stored.

6:20

And it would be not potentially acquired today under today's standards.

6:27

And under the criteria established by the acquisition policy.

6:34

So let me move forward on these slides.

6:37

So the ask tonight is to move to approve the DX Daccession of 21 city owned artworks from the public art collection.

6:49

And we defined this already.

7:20

Or the work is not suitable for office or common spaces and is currently utilizing storage space that is required for other needs.

7:28

And the city itself is not a collecting institution like a museum, and as a responsible practice, should not retain artwork that it does not intend to display.

7:39

It would better be served out there in the world where people could see it.

7:45

So removing this artwork from the collection enables staff to refine and strengthen and ensure it remains relevant.

7:54

The collection remains relevant and is aligned with city's objectives.

7:59

So the artwork presented tonight for deaccession.

8:03

All of it is currently in storage with the exception of one piece.

8:08

You've probably reviewed in your packets.

8:10

It's the masca, the outdoor three-dimensional mural, which is currently installed on the wall at Assembly Hall.

8:18

And you'll see that unfortunately it wasn't really intended to be a long-term work of art, and that it is this mural that had changed locations and it's endured many years of exposure to the elements, and it's falling apart, unfortunately.

8:36

So you will find a complete list of artwork in your packets.

8:42

So following procedures outlined by the de-accessioning policy, which is attachment C in your packets, all 21 work cited in the list and in attachments A and B were reviewed and approved by the public art committee staff and the city attorney.

9:01

And they're all in favor of deaccessioning the work.

9:06

And I don't know if you guys have any questions about any of the pieces that were there, or if you want to see any of the artworks, we have a PDF here if you don't have a printout of it.

9:34

But if you have any questions, let me know.

9:37

Or any comments.

9:40

So this is the one piece that is currently on display in pub in the public.

9:46

And this photo is a great photo, and it's a great piece.

9:49

It's just that it's beyond repair at this point.

9:57

Do you want us to go through them all?

9:59

Do you have questions?

10:01

Are we comfortable we've seen them in the package before the meeting?

10:06

I don't mind go like we don't necessarily have to go through every one of them but it would be nice to have some visual just as a refresher I have seen them I'm okay with that but we don't necessarily have to go through every single piece.

10:21

So you'll see in the in the table that we had drafted there we kind of listed all of the criteria and then we labeled it ABC and and then you can see which pieces meet which criteria so the first two the masca and then this David Ruth unfortunately this is glass that has been broken.

10:38

So these are the two pieces that just meet the broken broken beyond repair criteria and the rest of them they're just in storage with no real place to display Mariah could you talk a bit about what happens to the pieces when they leave us or how they leave sure yeah so the city we ensure that we follow the Visual Artist Rights Act which is an act that was passed by Congress that it ensures that artists are made aware that their artwork is being deassessed from a collection in the case that the artist is no longer living we would contact the artist's estate or the person or people that gifted the work to the city so we definitely do our due diligence to ensure that people are aware we're not just taking the artwork out of the collection and we definitely adhere to those strict guidelines and we have that formally outlined in our de-accession policy which is also in the in the packet the guidelines that we follow um we just we make sure that we're we're doing everything properly um I know from the packet that uh one of the places these potentially will end up are is sort of at as an auction is an another option can you talk a little bit about what that's like so if the artwork um does go to auction any proceeds from that sale would then go directly toward the public art fund which as you probably are aware the money in that fund can only be used to maintain the work in the current collection or to acquire new artwork for the collection so it would definitely go toward um enhancing our collection whether through maintenance and care or new acquisitions.

12:57

And is that something that art commissioners are involved in or is that done by who handles that kind of stuff the the auction itself so that would be something staff would do staff would staff would do that and as commissioners and as city employees none of us would be eligible to purchase or bid on that artwork um yeah and then of course with regards to the public art fund that is something that we would always bring any time we're going over our budget you know we which we'll do every two years we bring all potential projections for budget um to the commission for review and approval other questions comments well seeing no uh public comments I would uh ask if we have a motion to approve the deaccession I move that we approve the deaccession of all the art that has been presented in the packet today second I second I second I second the motion thank you we have a first and a second commissioner perelman and ballots are absent commissioner dresser aye commissioner curlin yes vice chair tesley test aye and chair magnani aye passes thank you thanks Mariah um next on the agenda is report on projects uh and uh at this time I'd invite staff to provide any updates and um is that you as well Mariah that's me I'm just waiting for the I'm waiting for the PowerPoint because this is the I gotta go over here this is the fun the fun part where you actually where we actually have things to show you all right so we have recently um exception so speaking of acquisitions and um this is the one of the most recent acquisitions it's a donation from the family of Ed and Gwen Regalia and this um painting emerging towers um

15:00

I'm just waiting for the waiting for the PowerPoint because this is the fun, the fun part where you actually where we actually have things to show you.

15:10

All right.

15:11

So we have recently um exception.

15:15

So speaking of acquisitions, and um this is the one of the most recent acquisitions.

15:21

It's a donation from the family of Ed and Gwen Regalia, and this um painting Emerging Towers uh created by the artist Jack Lake Hawks is um currently now installed in the second floor of the library.

15:38

Um so we found we found a wall for it, which is great.

15:42

Well it's got all three pieces in that one picture.

15:45

I know.

15:46

Yeah, it's cool, shows off shows off some more of the artwork.

15:49

So that has been assessed into the collection and um up for all to enjoy, and we have a wall label up there that you know um lists the family and details about the art so that people can see.

16:08

Next, um, we just recently had this work restored.

16:13

This is uh on Locust Street outside the garage near the Leisure Center, and this is a um Dan Dyke sculpture entitled Wings, so it's an abstract interpretation of a bird.

16:26

Jill, I'm sure knows much more about it than given that she's the public art walking tour docent.

16:32

Well, he was one of my neighbors and moved away, so I don't know that much more about it, but I always love knowing that one of my neighbors' art pieces was downtown, and there was a piece on the street for a long time too.

16:44

It looks great.

16:45

My question here is if I can interject.

16:48

Um my walkers noticed that the planting area had been cleaned up this weekend, but I didn't notice I was busy walking by it.

16:55

Have we thought about taking getting all the plants out of there and starting over with maybe some grasses?

17:00

It has been a discussion.

17:02

Um, oddly enough, so the city owns the artwork.

17:05

The city does not take care of that is not within our jurisdiction of plants, so it's a conversation with the business owners there.

17:16

Um but we would love to also see it have some different plants that are maybe a little lower because um correct.

17:24

There were some plants that were growing up into the artwork.

17:27

It's bronze, so it's a sturdy material, but it's also prone to scratching, and we did have it completely, it was a very thorough, so you can see some before and afters here, which I thought you might think find interesting.

17:41

Um so it underwent a really deep cleaning, the weep holes were really full of accumulated debris and leaves, and um, so that was all drained and the leaves came out of it, and then it received multiple layers of wax.

17:57

So um it's now on a cycle for maintenance and care um to ensure I think that it hadn't been maintained in quite some time.

18:09

So I think that this was a bigger undertaking than it should be going forward if we have it on a more regular rotation for me.

18:17

It looks great, but yeah, it does look really really nice, and it was really fun watching the conservationists out here doing their work.

18:25

Um, if you happen to have walked by, it took them a few days to do all of the work.

18:32

Um next we have this this work out at Heather Farm Park, which is strata by Bruce Johnson, and back in the fall, um, we'd had this work completely restored, and also you know, the the bronze or I'm sorry, not bronze, it's copper, um, cleaned and the wood was oiled.

18:56

So at the time they recommended that we have a fumigation um pest control company come out because there were some little creatures detected in the wood, and so in order to preserve the work um with the hopes that it remains intact and around for years to come.

19:16

We um had a professional fumigator come out and tent the work, and our maintenance uh team out there was really helpful in uh putting up the fence to ensure nobody interrupted or got into the work while it was tented, and um it is like new.

19:37

So that's we're we're happy to report that.

19:39

It looks really great if you haven't seen it.

19:41

We recommend taking a look at it, and then we also noticed it hadn't had a plaque somehow, and so now it also has a plaque out there identifying the work, and that that looks really good too.

19:55

And last but not least, the mural grant that everybody on the commission approved not too long ago.

20:02

Well, it feels like a long process because I believe that Trent ABG Art Group was out here and at the October meeting last year, and uh finally they have just been working the first couple of weeks in July, and it's kind of funny because at first it was you know cold and freezing and windy, and then you know, really hot, and that is part of the life of a public art muralist working in the outdoor elements, but they've had a great team.

20:30

Um they worked pretty quickly to get these murals all up, and um they have a mural celebration planned for next Thursday, July 30th.

20:44

The time is still to be determined, um, but I just wanted to give you a heads up if you're around on that date.

20:50

It would be great to um have have you there.

20:52

But here's just an image of all of the artists at work.

20:55

So there's four different murals that were realized.

20:58

Um in part due to the funding they received through the mural grant, which you all approved.

21:07

So thank you.

21:09

Yeah, and they look really great.

21:10

They are actually they've been completed, but I don't have pictures of them yet.

21:14

So any questions or comments about will we get a heads up sooner than later about when the date is on not the just a date, but the time for the as soon as I know, and I'm anticipating I should know by tomorrow.

21:27

I was hoping I would know today.

21:29

Um it's all been a this has been a really interesting project because there are so many um it was a big undertaking with all of the different artists involved and then all of the different business owners involved, and um so there's just been a lot of a lot of cooks in the kitchen and communication and then waiting, and people are on vacation, and so you know waiting, but I will certainly send out um we're working right now, our marketing team is actually working right now on just send uh designing a graphic to send out through social media and the email list.

22:05

Um we won't print an invitation, we don't have time for that.

22:08

So we'll just send that out, and you will certainly get an invitation for that.

22:13

And just to clarify, we're just one of many funders, so it's actually not a city event.

22:18

Um the downtown association is taking the lead as kind of a representative for all of downtown and the business owners, um, and then it's a collaborative effort of all of the partners that were involved.

22:31

So that's why we don't have all the information.

22:34

It's not our event, but we're happy to participate and support our artists that we help fund.

22:41

And and it's it's the inaugural time we've ever done a project like this, realized, you know, a grant to create art, and then so many parties, like you said.

22:51

So it's just a new experience for us all.

22:56

Do you have an update on the uh aquatic center murals?

23:02

So the you mean the one that we had discussed the going inside.

23:06

Has anything happened since so to the fact that the Aquatic Center will probably not be fully completed until I would say 2028, I think is the latest I've heard, spring of 2028.

23:21

We um we certainly haven't forgotten about it.

23:25

We were just discussing that for budget projections that we will be ensuring we have the funds, you know, using funds from the public art fund um to do an interior mural.

23:36

Um that would be one.

23:39

And if you're referring to the outside, when we had initially issued the RFQ and then the RFP for the public art that is being done in conjunction with the building of the new facility, um, one of the artists who um will no longer be moving forward with with the project had proposed the outdoor mosaic mural, if that's what you're referring to, um, on that very long exterior wall at the front entrance to the new facility.

24:12

That is going on to the um RFP that we will be reissuing per, I believe it was maybe the January Arts Commission meeting um where the commission had voted to reissue that RFP to the top qualifiers, which was not just the the five but the ten, but really it's eight um artists and artist groups.

24:38

So we will be, and it was at that time determined that site one, the primary site for art at Heather Farm Park is going to be on that corner where North San Carlos meets Heather Drive, and so that corner there.

24:53

So we have those measurements.

24:55

We're actually almost done writing the RFP.

25:00

Um, and then the alternative or additional site is the long exterior wall to the changing room of the new facility.

25:08

Um so we've been in close colo you know communication with the architect and um just to get all of those measurements, make sure that we have everything we we need for the RFP, but um that is a secondary and an optional site per the commission's voting back in January.

25:31

Thanks.

25:34

Uh just Mariah, do you have more to talk about Mariah?

25:38

I don't think so.

25:39

Oh, now I'll ask a question.

25:40

When do you think the RFP will be out for the n those eight artists?

25:46

We the goal would be to have it out by maybe by fall, end of summer.

25:52

Okay.

25:53

It's it's pretty much drafted, ready to go.

25:57

So likely we'll know more the October meeting.

26:00

Yeah.

26:01

And I know we have an art commissioner selected for that, the arts the panel.

26:06

Have others been selected to sit on that art selection panel yet?

26:11

Well, we had a pre-approved list from when we first had brought this to the commission, so we would be going to that list.

26:21

Yeah.

26:26

Uh fixed on the agenda is uh staff announcements and brief reports on activities.

26:34

Sure.

26:35

I have a couple items to share.

26:37

Um, so one, um, as you know, we uh concluded Jagged Little Pill, highly successful.

26:43

I hope all everyone got out to see it.

26:45

It was so good.

26:46

Um, but really um great feedback, um, great attendance, really excited with that show.

26:52

Um, and drum a roll.

26:54

We've made the season announcement um for center up for the coming year.

26:59

Um, so we will be producing uh glass menagerie, Dracula, a comedy of terrors, a Christmas Carol.

27:08

You've cordially been invited to the end of the world and Bat Boy the Musical.

27:13

So really excited for a fun season.

27:16

Um that's done a great job with programming.

27:19

Um Summer Sounds, we've got two concerts that have passed already, and our last one's coming up on July 30th.

27:25

Uh that'll be Alpha Rhythm Rhythm Kings, um, 5 30 at the plaza in front of Leisure.

27:31

And then our annual juried exhibition Kaleidoscope Evolving Reflections of California is at the Bedford through September 13th.

27:39

So lots of exciting stuff in the world of arts.

27:44

Questions, comments.

27:47

Uh so we'll call on commissioners then for uh any announcements and brief reports on activities.

27:54

I always have lots to say and we have a lot of time.

27:58

Um I just finished, I think, doing four or five public art walking tours in a row.

28:03

The only one I haven't done is art tour walk number one, but from the library tour uh up till Saturday, which is number four, we've had a busy spring and summer of walking tours.

28:16

The only tour that was not wonky, but the numbers were a little strange was our pride tour in June, because there were some maybe issues with um ticket ordering.

28:27

We think somebody ordered 10 tickets, and that's what I was gonna ask you about, Mariah.

28:31

If we ever found out what happened with a person ordering 10 tickets and being a no-show.

28:36

So yeah, the numbers were very interesting for that June tour.

28:42

Yes.

28:42

So I've spoken with Jeremiah, who's in charge of ticketing, and he said that unfortunately, um, yes, it looks like sometimes this ha they've caught previous actions like this when people overbuy tickets and he thinks it's almost like a scalper or something like this.

29:02

Um, and so going forward, we've changed that so that we've limited the amount of tickets that can be sold per household to mitigate that happening.

29:11

And then of course we're we are still keeping um a handful of tickets that are available first come, first serve for the morning of um, so we're hoping that will help.

29:22

And then also we did receive um your helpful feedback.

29:26

You know, we'll be sending out reminder emails, confirmation emails.

29:30

Um, so I think that all of the box office staff will be going through ticket sales ahead of time as general practice, not just for our public art walking tours, but for all of our events um to ensure that we don't have no shows because you're right, they've been so popular and it's really great, and then it's really unfortunate when these ticket spots get taken, and then people don't show up because they they think it's totally filled to capacity.

29:57

So we're trying to get around that because we really do want to ensure that everybody can participate.

30:02

These tours are awesome.

30:04

And so thank you for leading them.

30:07

My only other suggestion that might be doable is that we don't start selling tickets for each tour maybe until three weeks before the tour or tour, the tour just finished.

30:18

So we just finished tour four.

30:20

Maybe now we would open it up to sell tour one.

30:23

Because I know tour four was sold out two months ago.

30:26

And I think people buy tickets to things, whether it's free or donation or whatever, for something like this, which is a pretty low entry price.

30:33

And they forget, or something else comes up, like, oh well, I only gave them ten dollars.

30:38

No big deal if I don't show up.

30:40

But maybe if the ticket sales opened closer to the date, people would be more invested in the date that they've selected.

30:49

That would be my only addition that I've thought of that ticket sales are I see when I see it sold out two months in advance.

30:54

I know, okay, how many no shows are we gonna have?

30:58

Um I I think the um walkers really enjoy being able to walk up and buy tickets.

31:02

Um had a chat with my group this week, and and I'd say half of them were walk-ups to buy tickets at the last minute.

31:08

And they say they get very concerned when they see it says sold out.

31:12

I'm like, don't worry about it, just get here at quarter to ten.

31:15

There will be tickets available for you.

31:18

Yeah.

31:18

So we had a lot of walk-ups um this weekend, and I think Lisa, your wife had quite a few walk-ups that came to hers.

31:26

My group left first.

31:28

Um, I'm starting to take my group, my group's back to wind fins on the Neiman Marcus building, and that's been a big hit the past two tours, because people don't even know that that exists.

31:39

I asked my group um after my tour what their favorite piece of art was.

31:44

I warned them I was gonna do this.

31:46

And every person had a different piece of art that they saw, which I thought, okay, that's a successful walking tour.

31:52

If every person has picked something different.

31:54

So I really see the momentum picking up.

31:56

I asked people where they're from.

31:58

A lot of people come from outside of Walnut Creek.

32:01

Uh for most people, this was their first tour, also, which I found very interesting.

32:06

I only had one person who was a repeat person from any other tour.

32:11

So I think the reach from marketing, again, I always thank the marketing person at the Leisure Center.

32:16

They're doing such an amazing job on these tours.

32:19

Um it's the marketing's reaching a lot of people, and people are loving the Saturday morning.

32:25

Let's go for a walk.

32:26

We we went till almost 11:30.

32:28

That's great.

32:29

I think your wife did as well.

32:31

Yes, it was a long tour.

32:33

Um, other than that, um, I would just have there's some great shows it's in San Francisco at the museums.

32:39

Um, MoMA's got a phenomenal reimagining the Fisher collection on the 10-year anniversary of uh the Fisher Collection opening at SF Mama, and it's three floors of really well done uh and curated pieces that I I really recommend.

32:55

The art commissioners and the public um go see.

32:58

Um yeah, go see some art in San Francisco and all on the waterfront.

33:02

There's some phenomenal sculptures that have been put up.

33:04

Um San Francisco's been a great destination to go see some more public art because there are not that many cities that have a better public art collection than we do.

33:13

Just just saying.

33:15

But San Francisco's up there.

33:17

Thank you.

33:17

That's what I've been up to.

33:19

Thank you.

33:22

Sherry, um, I have not seen the Bedford Galleries um show, the new one.

33:28

The calescope?

33:30

I forgot the cell, yeah.

33:32

I can never say that word out loud.

33:33

I'm looking forward to it, but I just wanted to promote that in case if you folks are out there who are traveling or summers at a tough schedule, so get out there and see it when you can.

33:44

I plan to else.

33:50

I've got a couple of things.

33:52

Um about Rossmore.

33:55

Um Rossmore is a wonderful place in a whole lot of ways.

33:58

One of the best being that they published the uh biggest newspaper in Contra Costa County.

34:04

Um it's a good read.

34:07

And last week on page one was a fascinating article uh about uh the ceramic club at Ross Moore uh building a mural.

34:17

Uh it's a big one five, three five and five and a half square foot panels of ceramic tiles.

34:23

Uh and it's gonna be in the wall of their of their studio in Rossmore.

34:29

Um but what's even more interesting than than the mural itself is the process by which they're doing it.

34:36

Uh they're they're doing the whole thing themselves, uh, even raising the money by uh creating tiles to little border the mural, and you can buy those tiles.

34:45

You can buy bricks going up to it.

34:47

Uh and um it's just a whole community effort.

34:51

They're promoting it to organizations and clubs inside uh in in inside Rossmore.

35:00

Um they're partnering with uh professional artists to sort of lead the project.

35:02

They're partnering with UC Davis Art Department, uh who's very experienced in murals, another great mural city, by the way, or public art city.

35:11

Uh and they expect to be finished in the Paul in the fall.

35:14

It just strikes me as so organic.

35:17

Um it's it's like a project being done by a medieval village, and for me, it just sort of enriches the whole concept of of a site-specific work.

35:27

It's site-specific on a on a whole bunch of levels.

35:30

Um anyway, uh if you get a chance to read the crossboard news, there's a lot of good stuff in there.

35:37

And then uh secondly, um with this meeting, um Sasha Prolman's term as student commissioner in.

35:45

Um she couldn't be here tonight because of a family issue.

35:49

Uh, but I want to acknowledge your service over the past year and thank her for her contribution.

35:55

She's uh going off to college in the fall, and I hope that the knowledge and insights she might have gained by participating with us in local government will serve her well at university and beyond.

36:07

So, Sasha.

36:09

Uh Dios.

36:12

Uh and unless there's anything else.

36:14

Sherry have Sherry?

36:16

Yes, I would like to report that I attended the opening of Kaleidoscope and it was fantastic.

36:23

Um the attendance was really great.

36:27

A lot of people was very energetic.

36:29

I love the pieces that uh the Bedford Gallery chose to put there.

36:34

I think it's very um well it it displays a lot of regional artists, one of whom I met that very day at the Ceramics and Glass exhibition in Palo Alto that same weekend.

36:50

Um so that was wonderful to have that connection and also to see the exhibit in Palo Alto.

36:57

And speaking of public art, I think Palo Alto does a wonderful job with their public artwork, uh, particularly in their library and um open community garden space.

37:06

If anyone has a chance to see that.

37:09

Um it's inspiring.

37:11

Um and then on another note, if I may, I I wanted to open it up that I'm gonna be traveling across the country um by road in the the next month or two.

37:24

And if anyone has ideas about public art they would like me to stop and see and maybe photograph or things of that nature, I'd be happy to do that in the role of uh arts commissioner in Walnut Creek, in case there's any artists or uh works that you're interested in seeing up close.

37:46

So I just put that out there.

37:47

If that's the case, please email me or text me, let me know where the piece is or where the where you think the piece is or where a body of work may be, and I'll be very happy to check it out on our behalf.

38:01

Thank you.

38:01

And that's all I have.

38:03

Anything else?

38:04

Oh, yeah.

38:05

And I also have one more thing.

38:07

You get the last word.

38:10

Oh I wanted to say um we have a I'm the liaison for the community art gallery in the main library in the downtown.

38:20

And we have a wonderful artist showcasing right now, and all of her pieces are the theme is um essential workers, and we have one last week.

38:29

I believe Friday is the de-installation for her, and then we'll have another new artist um installing uh the Monday, the following Monday.

38:39

So we'll these are rotating artists, and um I really recommend uh taking time for uh folks who come to the library, or if you're in the vicinity, just take a look.

38:50

They usually tend to have around 20 pieces, just amazing solo shows.

38:56

They um this is also an opportunity for them to have um a reception, and um it's they really put a lot of effort to this, uh and I would love um for our community to support them.

39:10

And the Bradford Gallery does a great job um highlighting them in their social uh media stories.

39:16

Um but I think just a little love and going in there and saying, you know, just look taking a look, they usually leave their information uh behind as well for either you know people are interested in commissioning or uh purchasing.

39:30

So take a look.

39:31

We'll have rotating art all the time, it's a beautiful space.

39:43

Thank you.

39:46

Yes, this is an exciting thing that I didn't think to mention.

39:50

So many things.

39:51

So we have been in the process of um transitioning from our one walking tour platform that we're currently on, which was a dial up walking tour for self-guided tours, if you're familiar.

40:06

Now you can find us online.

40:09

There's an app called Bloomberg Connects, and it's great because we're using it for the walking tours to do continue self-guided tours.

40:18

But additionally, we have been able to add the gallery up there.

40:22

So now all exhibits are up there and it really gives us an international audience.

40:29

It's great because you can set this app to know where you are.

40:34

So if you pull it up, it will probably pull up Bedford Gallery right away.

40:40

But you can also set it if you're going to be traveling to California or traveling to the East Bay and you know coming from some other place.

40:48

And so our we've had great staff helping.

40:53

And it's a very it's not rocket science, but it's been a tedious process to make sure that everything is photographed, that we um record and talk about everything and then put it up on the site.

41:06

And it's a great um source for gaining insight into kind of behind the scenes and the background of each piece.

41:14

And so we will be continuing for the gallery side to put up the shows online, and then it will be also an archival uh tool to be able to look up past exhibits.

41:27

So yeah, it's a really great interactive um app.

41:33

I'm hoping I didn't forget anything.

41:35

Thank you about that.

41:36

Yeah, thank you.

41:38

Anything else?

41:40

We are adjourned.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Arts And Culture█████████████████████████████████████████████89%
Procedural███6%
Public Engagement███5%
Summary of Proceedings

Arts Commission Regular Meeting

The Walnut Creek Arts Commission held its regular meeting on July 20, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 6:42 PM. Chair Peter Magnani presided, with Commissioners Sarah Baltazar and Sasha Perelman absent. Newly appointed Commissioner Sherry Curland attended remotely and introduced herself. The meeting focused on deaccessioning 21 artworks from the city's permanent collection and receiving reports on public art projects and activities.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The Commission unanimously approved the minutes of the April 20, 2026, meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Deaccession of Artwork: Public Art Manager Mariah Nelson presented 21 artworks recommended for removal from the city's collection. Reasons included damage beyond repair (e.g., a mural at Assembly Hall and a broken glass piece), lack of suitable display space, and storage burdens. The pieces had been reviewed by the Public Art Committee and City Attorney. Proceeds from any auction would go to the Public Art Fund. Commissioner Dresser moved to approve deaccession, seconded by Vice Chair Tesfay, and the motion passed unanimously (4-0).

Reports on Projects

  • Public Art Report: Mariah Nelson provided updates:
    • A donated painting, "Emerging Towers" by Jack Lake Hawks, has been installed on the second floor of the library.
    • The Dan Dyke sculpture "Wings" on Locust Street underwent deep cleaning and waxing; planting area maintenance is being coordinated with business owners.
    • The Bruce Johnson sculpture "Strata" at Heather Farm Park was restored and fumigated for pests, and a plaque was added.
    • Four murals funded by the mural grant (Trent ABG Art Group) were completed; a celebration is planned for July 30 (time TBD).
    • The Aquatic Center murals: interior mural planning continues; an exterior wall RFP will be reissued to eight top-qualified artists, likely by fall.

Commissioners’ Announcements

  • Commissioner Dresser: Led multiple public art walking tours with strong attendance. Noted a problem with ticket scalping causing no-shows; suggested limiting ticket sales per household and opening sales closer to tour dates. Half of her recent tour attendees were walk-ups. She reported that most participants were first-time visitors from outside Walnut Creek.
  • Commissioner Curland: Attended the Kaleidoscope exhibition opening; highlighted regional artists. Announced a cross-country road trip and offered to photograph public art for the commission.
  • Chair Magnani: Thanked outgoing student commissioner Sasha Perelman for her service. Mentioned a community ceramic mural project at Rossmoor and the new Bloomberg Connects app for self-guided walking tours and gallery exhibits.
  • Commissioner Dresser (also) : Reminded about the rotating art gallery at the main library, currently featuring a show on essential workers.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous approval to deaccession the 21 artworks, following the city's deaccession policy.
  • Staff to issue the new RFP for the Aquatic Center exterior mural and continue maintenance of existing public art.
  • Staff to modify ticket sales policies for walking tours to reduce no-shows.

Meeting Transcript

I'm Peter Magnani, Chair of the Arts Commission. Welcome to the July 20th, 2026 Arts Commission regular meeting. The Arts Commission is conducting this meeting from the City Council Chambers and via teleconference from the lobby of Wild Goose Meadows RV at 18920 Highway 395, North Lakeview, Oregon, to accommodate Commissioner Curland, who is attending remotely due to a previously scheduled trip. Please refer to the end of the agenda to review options for participating in the meeting. If you would like to view the meeting remotely, you may do so in one of the following ways. YouTube Live, Comcast Cable Channel 28, Rossmore Channel 1082, Astound Channel 31, and ATT Uverse Channel 99, or live stream online on the city's website. Before we get to the roll call, I'd like to officially introduce and welcome our newly appointed Commissioner Sherry Curland, who as I say is with us remotely to this, her first Arts Commission meeting. And Commissioner Curland, uh maybe you want to say a few words about yourself and uh why you decided to uh join the arts commission. Okay, thank you very much. I decided because I was invited by the the folks that head the commissions in Walnut Creek, and I've been a resident of Walnut Creek for over 30 years, and I attended the Citizens Institute, which was a wonderful way to get introduced to the workings of Walnut Creek City. And when the Arts Commission opening came up, I applied and was thrilled to have gone through the interview process and um be chosen to be on the board with you all. Um I am uh I'm retired, I am a practicing ceramicist. Um let's say I practice a lot and I um enjoy I love Walnut Creek and I love public art and I love the options when we're able to walk downtown and see fresh new things that beautify our our environment. So happy to be here and thank you very much for having me. Welcome. Uh Commission Secretary Chris Farrow, please take the roll. Good evening. Commissioner Perelman's absent. Commissioner Ballitzars, absent. Commissioner Dresser. Present. Commissioner Curlin. She's here. Thank you. Vice Chair Teslay. Here and Chair Magnani. Here. Thank you. Next on the agenda is public communications. This portion of the meeting is reserved for comment on items not on the agenda. Under the ground 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. Do we have any public comments? All right. Seeing no speakers, uh, I'll close the public communications portion of the meeting. Next on the agenda is the consent calendar. Does any commissioner wish to pull any item for discussion? Uh does any member of the public wish to comment on an item on the consent calendar? Seeing none. Uh I'll ask uh commissioners if anybody would like to make a motion on the consent calendar. This would be a motion to approve the calendar. I move that we approve the consent calendar as presented. And do we have a second? I second that. I second that motion. We have a first and a second. Both Commissioners Perelman and Ballats are absent. Commissioner Dresser. Yes. Commissioner Curlin. Yes.

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