OverviewThe County of Alameda is working on a corridor improvement project along Hesperian Boulevard between the I-880freeway overpass and A Street in San Lorenzo. The intent of the corridor improvement project is to make the streetsafer for people walking, biking, and driving, to revitalize and beautify the Hesperian corridor, and increasecommunity pride. The Alameda County Arts Commission is working alongside the County’s Public Works Agency toinclude public artwork in this project.

NEW! - Project UpdateThe Alameda County Arts Commission is pleased to announce that artist Vanessa Marsh has been awarded thepublic art contract for the Hesperian Blvd Corridor Improvement Project. Marsh was selected from a group of 6semifinalist artists by the Artist Selection Committee, comprised of San Lorenzo community members. Marsh’scontract was approved by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on June 30, 2020.

Marsh is currently working on the artwork designs that will be incorporated throughout the project site. A total of 7designs will be utilized for stencil-sandblasting onto 7 areas of the sidewalks along Hesperian Blvd. See next pagefor information about the locations. Marsh is also creating 10 designs that will wrap utility boxes as well as 2-4designs to be printed on street banners. Preliminary designs are in progress. It is anticipated that the designs will becompleted in early 2021.

Public Art on Hesperian BlvdAlameda County Arts Commission

in San Lorenzo!

July 2020

Example of preliminary designs for sandblasted areas (two images on left), utility box (right), and banner (far right)created by artist Vanessa Marsh. Marsh is in the process of creating more images as part of this series. All designswill be completed in early 2021.

NEW! - Project Update (continued)The Arts Commission anticipates that the 7 locations for stencil-sandblasted public art will be located on the eastern side of Hesperian Blvd betweenPost Office Rd and Via Mercado at the corners and along the sidewalks. In these areas, the concrete color will be a light tan. The public art design willbe expressed in a sandblasted texture which will appear to be a medium tan color.

On the western side of the Hesperian Blvd from Paseo Grande to Via Mercado and in front of the Lorenzo Theater the sidewalk corners will beaccented with the landscape architect’s design which is a grid with a checkboard-like pattern. The two colors of the checkerboard will be light tan anda medium tan expressed through the surface treatment. The two colors will look similar to the way in which the stencil-sandblasted art designs areexpressed.

Stencil-Sandblasting Placement Plan

Example of two-color concrete no longer included in this project.

Note: In the previous information communicated to the public, the checkerboard-like pattern was expressed in two colors: light tan and dark brown. In the current design, the light tan and dark brown are replaced by the two colors of light tan and medium tan to more closely match the effect of the sandblasting which will create a more harmonious appearance for the overall project. Two-texture concrete w/ grid pattern.

NEW! - Project Update (continued)The overall theme of theartwork is “The Sky Above andBelow” and connects theinherent natural beauty of thearea to the commercialcorridor along Hesperian Blvd.Marsh’s designs will be basedon photographs she will takeof San Lorenzo’s trees, plantsand birds. She will createdrawings from herphotographs. The images willbe translated into digital filesto fabricate the stencils andfor the sandblasting of theimage onto the concrete.

Project BackgroundCommunity involvement and engagement are at the core of this project. Community members have been involvedthroughout the project by serving on the artist selection committee, contributing to community surveys about SanLorenzo, participating in a community roundtable as well as community meetings. The Artist Selection Committeemet on September 17, 2019 to review the qualifications and past work of the artists in the Project Pool. The ArtistSelection Committee selected 6 artists as semi-finalists and 2 alternates. The artist semi-finalists were invited tocreate proposals for the project. The artist semi-finalists were reviewed and approved by the Alameda CountyPublic Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) and the Members of Arts Commission.

On October 16, 2019, a Community Roundtable was held with the artist semi-finalists at the San Lorenzo Library.During the Roundtable, community members had the opportunity to share thoughts about the specialcharacteristics of San Lorenzo and how those characteristics should be reflected in the proposals for the public art.Community members also contributed ideas through an online survey. The artist semi-finalists considered thecommunity survey and Roundtable comments when developing their proposals.

The proposals were on display for community members to view in-person at the San Lorenzo Library and onlinefrom December 20, 2019 – January 30, 2020. Community members were encouraged to submit commentsdescribing why each of the artists’ proposals may or may not be a good match for the community. All of thecomments were shared with the Artist Selection Committee and the Committee was asked to consider thecomments when making a recommendation of which artist to select for the project.

The Artist Selection Committee reconvened on February 4, 2020 to review the proposals and interview the semi-finalists. At that meeting, the Committee recommended that artist Vanessa Marsh receive the design contract forthe project. On February 27, the Alameda County Public Art Advisory Committee reviewed and approved Marsh asthe recommended artist.

On March 10, the Eden Area Municipal Advisory Council (Eden Area MAC) reviewed and approved Marsh as theselected artist. To read the report to the Eden Area MAC about the Hesperian Blvd public art project, visit:http://www.acgov.org/board/bos_calendar/documents/DocsAgendaReg_3_10_20/GENERAL%20ADMINISTRATION/Regular%20Calendar/Item_1_artists_recommend_3_10_20.pdf#page=9

Example of preliminary designs for utility boxes (left and right) createdby artist Vanessa Marsh. Marsh is in the process of creating moreimages as part of this series. All designs will be completed in early 2021.

Project Background (continued)Additionally, video footage of the meeting can be found on the Eden Area MAC’s Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/pg/edenarea/videos/?ref=page_internal

The selection of Marsh was presented to the Members of the Alameda County Arts Commission on May 13 forapproval. Marsh’s contract was approved by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on June 30, 2020. Marsh iscurrently working on the artwork designs for the project.

Artist Selection CommitteeThe Artist Selection Committee members for this project are:• Christine Dowell, Community Rep. • Kathie Ready, Community Rep. • Jordan Espinoza, Community Rep. • Marcus Tikotsky, Artist & Community Rep. (Sept. mtg only)• Norman Fobert, Community Rep. • Diane Wydler, Community Rep. • Susan Olsen, Community Rep. • Danielle Wilson, Library Manager, San Lorenzo Library

Project ManagementThe Alameda County Arts Commission staff manages this project utilizing the same approach used for past publicart projects involving community outreach and engagement, an open competitive selection process, and multi-stepreviews and approvals. This process was used in recent public art projects in the unincorporated areas including theAshland/Cherryland Community Identifier, Cherryland Community Center, Cherryland Fire Station, Castro ValleyStreetscape Improvement Project, Castro Valley and San Lorenzo Libraries, San Lorenzo Community Identifier, andREACH Ashland Youth Center.

Main Project Steps• July - Sept 2019 - Community survey & submission of interest forms regarding selection committee• Sept 2019 - Selection Committee meeting and selection of artist semi-finalists• Oct 2019 - Community Roundtable and online survey• Oct - Dec 2019 - Artist semi-finalists develop proposals• Late Dec 2019 - Jan 2020 - Proposals on display at San Lorenzo Library and online for public comments• Feb 4, 2020 - Selection Committee reconvenes to select artist and make recommendation• Feb - March 2020 - Presentations to community groups in San Lorenzo and Eden Area MAC• March - June 2020 - Approvals by Members of the Arts Commission and County Board of Supervisors• June 2020 - Artist under contract as per regular procedure for County public art projects• Mid 2020 - 2021 - Artwork design period • Early 2022 - Estimated completion of project

Get Connected & Stay Informed!Email artscommission@acgov.org to be added to the Arts Commission’s email list about this project.

See next page for information on the Temporary Printed mural for the Lorenzo Theater.

Temporary Printed Mural for the Lorenzo TheaterThe Alameda County Arts Commission, in partnership with the County’s Economic and Civic DevelopmentDepartment will install a temporary digitally printed mural on the Hesperian-facing wall of the historic LorenzoTheater. The temporary mural is part of the Arts Commission’s Public Art Plan for the Hesperian Blvd CorridorImprovement Project. John Wehrle, the artist who created San Lorenzo’s Community Identifier on the I-880overpass along Hesperian Blvd and related utility box art designs, will make the artwork for the Lorenzo Theater. Hewill create the artwork as a medium-sized painting which will become part of the County’s art collection. Theoriginal painting will be photographed and reproduced as a large-scale supergraphic that will be installed like wallpaper, on the theater. The temporary mural will be printed on a material suitable for outdoor applications and willbe on view for approximately 1-3 years. The artist’s sketch of the mural is included below. This is a work in progressand not the final design. The design complements the architectural style of the theater, features sycamore trees,and references elements found in the murals painted by Anthony Heinsbergen that are inside the theater. The planfor the temporary mural was approved by the Lorenzo Theater Advisory Group, the Members of the AlamedaCounty Arts Commission, and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. Final design to be completed in Summer2020. Installation date will be announced to the community.

A L A M E D A C O U N T Y A R T S C O M M I S S I O N(510) 208-9646 | artscommission@acgov.org |www.acgov.org/arts

Digital mock-up of preliminary design by artist John Wehrle to illustrate placement of the temporary mural on theLorenzo Theater. Final design to be completed in Summer 2020. Final installation date to be announced.

About the Alameda County Arts Commission & the County’s Public Art OrdinanceThe Arts Commission was established in 1965 by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. The Members of theArts Commission govern the services of the Commission and act in an advisory capacity to the Board of Supervisorsconcerning the arts and the cultural environment in the County. The Arts Commission is comprised of fifteencommunity members appointed by the Board of Supervisors, and seven ex-officio members representing CountyDepartments and leading educational and cultural institutions. The Arts Commission’s programs are managed by astaff of four full-time County employees.

The Alameda County Arts Commission is dedicated to improving the quality of life in Alameda County by nurturing athriving environment for the arts; promoting economic opportunities for Alameda County’s artists and artsorganizations through services such as arts funding, public art, and arts education; encouraging public participationin the arts and actively advocating for the arts. The Arts Commission supports all art forms including visual,performing, literary, traditional, and media arts. All of the Arts Commission’s services are based on the belief thatthe arts and creativity are an essential part of every successful and thriving community.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors established Alameda County’s “Percent for Art” ordinance in 1994. ThePublic Art Program provides for public art elements connected to capital improvement projects undertaken by theCounty. By ordinance, the Arts Commission Staff are responsible for the management and administration of thePublic Art Program. All aspects of the program are conducted in-house by the Arts Commission Staff. The goals ofthe Public Art Program are to generate positive, uplifting art experiences that create a sense of place, fosterinvolvement with and respect for the regional community and users of the buildings, and promote the economicvitality of the County. For each site, unique artworks are created by professional artists and are integrated into thedesign of the structure or landscaping. Artwork is purchased or commissioned through an open, competitiveprocess. The Public Art Program is administered with guidance from the Public Art Advisory Committee, a body ofnine appointed community members.

A L A M E D A C O U N T Y A R T S C O M M I S S I O N(510) 208-9646 | artscommission@acgov.org |www.acgov.org/arts