City of Sunnyvale

Meeting Minutes - Final

Arts Commission

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

7:00 PM

Online and Redwood Conference Room,

City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale,

CA 94086

CALL TO ORDER

Chair Veith called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

ROLL CALL

Present: 4 -

Chair Agnes Veith

Vice Chair Kathryn Filley

Commissioner Dawna Eskridge

Commissioner Molly Kauffman

Absent: 1 - Commissioner Winnie Lam

Council Liaison Mehlinger (present)

STUDY SESSION

25-0081

Discuss Commission Projects for 2025

Public Art Manager, Kristin Dance, along with Recreation Services Manager,

Trenton Hill, provided a presentation on the 2025 Projects Discussion. Highlights

included: Hands on the Arts, Arts and Humanities Month and 2025 Suggested

Projects (Neighborhood Association Projects, Dancing and Music at the

Amphitheater, and Community Banners).

Michelle Perera, Director of Library and Recreation, added that music and dance

can be added as a possible project for the commission to consider, but at a small

scale. Additionally, putting out a survey in the next year would be good to see what

the public is interested in.

Commissioners inquired and staff responded.

Can you explain the scale of the "small scale murals?" 4-feet by 5-feet, or 3-feet by

4-feet murals that could be put on blank, city-owned walls throughout the city.

Can we have performers in the amphitheater as well? Yes, but the amphitheater

doesn't have a lot of shade, so we will need to consider the time of day.

Would it be possible to have a spoken word event during Arts and Humanities

month at the amphitheater? Yes.

What would the budget be for at a spoken word event? It depends. For a simple

event, such as a poetry reading, poetry slam, or a reader's theater, performance

fees and staff time would be required. A Shakespeare performance could require

several paid actors and set production costs as well.

What kind of a lead time do we need in order to use the city amphitheater? We

require a minimum of a 60 day lead time for any event, however, depending on the

scale of the event, it could be longer.

Is it possible to have a literary event at the city amphitheater? Yes.

Can we do the canvases at Washington Park in addition to a literary event? Its up to

the commission since they would need to staff both. We already have the process

established for the canvases, and there are people that may be looking forward to it

since they have participated in the past. However, the commission can recommend

additional projects that they want us to focus on.

Are we able to have temporary paintings at City Line? City Line is a private

development and already has a public art plan, so we need to do further research to

see if that is possible.

Would the commission need to write the survey questions? Staff can assist with

writing a survey, but only the projects that require funds from the Public Art Fund

need a survey.

If a neighborhood association wants to do a project, independent of the other

neighborhood associations, would they have to go to a council meeting and do a

presentation in order to access funds for public art in their neighborhood? The

public art fund is for city projects. The neighborhood associations have the ability

to apply for grants for community events, which can include art projects.

Kristin noted that the commissioners should think of projects to bring forward to the

February meeting for a vote.

Commissioner Lam, who attended virtually as a member of the public, mentioned

that some members of the public have expressed interest in painting fire hydrants

around the city.

ORAL COMMUNICATIONS

None.

CONSENT CALENDAR

25-0078

Approve the Arts Commission Meeting Minutes of November

20, 2024

Approve the Arts Commission Minutes of November 20, 2024 as submitted.

Commissioner Kauffman moved and Vice Chair Filley seconded the motion

to approve the Arts Commission Minutes of November 20, 2024 as submitted.

The motion carried by the following vote:

Yes: 4 -

Chair Veith

Vice Chair Filley

Commissioner Eskridge

Commissioner Kauffman

No: 0

Absent: 1 - Commissioner Lam

PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS

25-0079

Rank 2025 Study Issues

Commissioners collectively discussed the study issues.

Staff conducted a random voice vote. See the study issue ranking results below:

1. DPW 24-01 Evaluate Feasibility of an Art Crosswalks Program or Policy

2. LRS 25-02 Aligning Public Art with Sunnyvale's Sustainability Commitment

Commissioner Kauffman moved and Commissioner Eskridge seconded the motion

to approve the 2025 Study Issues ranking, with the recommendation to Council to

drop study issue ESD 25-01.

The motion carried by the following vote:

Yes: 4 -

No: 0

Chair Veith

Vice Chair Filley

Commissioner Eskridge

Commissioner Kauffman

Absent: 1 - Commissioner Lam

STANDING ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF POTENTIAL STUDY ISSUES

None.

NON-AGENDA ITEMS AND COMMENTS

-Commissioner Comments

Chair Veith, thanked everyone for providing input to the questions put forth to

Council for the board and Commission applications for individuals that are

interested in joining the Arts Commission which will have two seats available in

June. Council voted on and approved the following: "What role do think public art

plays in a city?" and "as an Arts Commissioner, how would you prioritize and include

visual, literary, interactive, and performing arts to embody the cultures of our diverse

community?"

Chair Veith also announced there is a seat in The Board of Library Trustees, and

recruitment is underway.

-Staff Comments

Kristin Dance, public art manager, has announced that most of Suns of Sunnyvale

sculptures have been received, and the planning of a formal launch is underway.

Recording Officer Ricky Le, announced the "Point in Time" initiative needs more

volunteers to participate on January 22nd if anyone is interested.

INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS/ITEMS

25-0080

Arts Commission Proposed Study Issues, Calendar Year: 2026

ADJOURNMENT

Chair Veith adjourned the meeting at 8:30 p.m.