To: PUBLIC ART COMMISSION
From: GARY MARGOLIS, CULTURAL ARTS MANAGER ELIZABETH HAUSE, INTERIM COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
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DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE UTILITY BOX ART PROGRAM
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Between 2015 and 2023, the City of Redondo Beach and the Public Art Commission have "wrapped" 26 utility boxes with digitally printed original designs by, in most cases, professional artists. This item continues that process with the selection of up to ten additional original designs and boxes (two per council district).
BACKGROUND
With the Public Art Ordinance in place providing a source of funding and a Master Plan that included a goal to install artworks onto utility cabinets and boxes throughout the city, the City of Redondo Beach Public Art Commission launched the city's first ever Utility Box Public Art Pilot Program in 2015. The original plan was to wrap up to 25 utility boxes located throughout the city. The goals of the program were, and still are, to use public art to contribute to the vitality and attractiveness of the city's streetscapes and bring free and accessible art to unexpected places.
On May 27, 2015, the Public Art Commission approved a sub-committee to explore locations and policies for a pilot program, and on March 22, 2017, the Public Art Commission formed a second sub-committee to prepare a draft of the Utility Box Program Guidelines. At the July 26, 2017 Public Art Commission meeting, the commission approved the Utility Box Program sub-committee's Pilot Program Application and Guidelines, and subsequently they were released publicly on the city's website. From among over 50 submissions, the Public Art Commission recommended the first five box locations and corresponding designs for city council approval on April 3, 2018 at a total cost of $5,000 with $350 for each box going to the artist and $650 going to a company that did the fabrication and installation. Those first five vinyl wraps a...
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