MY APPRECIATION FOR THE BREADTH OF THE LOCAL ARTS COMMUNITY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCED BY MY SIX YEARS ON THE COMMISSION.
and administer public art. A decade earlier, I served as a community member on a selection panel for public art that now appears on the water tower on Alhambra Boulevard in East Sacramento. Sacramento’s nationally renowned Art in Public Places program was also established in 1977 to expand visual artwork in public spaces. Sacramento’s most iconic public art pieces—including the giant red rabbit at the Sacramento International Airport and the Jeff Koons’ sculpture at the Golden 1 Center—get most of the media and public attention. But the APP collection now includes more than 650 artworks, of which more than 60 percent are by local and regional artists. APP is managed through SMAC, and funded by 2 percent of eligible city and county capital-improvement project budgets that are set aside for the commission, purchase and installation of artworks. For the past couple of years, I chaired the public art committee, which oversees and approves projects and artist selections. For all but smaller budget projects, a panel is assembled of community members, artists and project representatives to select
artists for specific projects and review their plans with the entire commission for approval. In the early decades, public art was restricted to paintings, sculptures and murals. But in recent years, it has grown to take a much broader approach that includes functional or utilitarian urban components, such as benches, bike racks, tree protectors and flooring elements. While public art is easily the most visible to the community, SMAC also does significantly more. The commission’s arts education program provides access to, and engagement in, learning experiences for regional residents of all ages. Arts and cultural organizations are also offered grant opportunities to encourage their growth and to broaden their contributions to the community. Earlier this year, the commission established a community task force on cultural equity to ensure that the policies and procedures of SMAC lead to grant awards that reflect the rich diversity of our community. SMAC’s gallery program also provides visual art experiences in public locations, including the gallery in the lobby of City Hall and
at the SMUD headquarters. These free public exhibitions showcase the artistic and cultural resources of the region. This month, if you are traveling, you may be lucky enough to hear the Holiday Music Series that brings high-quality, diverse performances to the airport. In recent years, Supervisor Peters also presented holiday music performances at shopping centers in the county. In addition, SMAC administers the Sacramento Poet Laureate Program designed to bring the spoken word to our community through the power of poetry. I believe one of the most impactful programs that SMAC manages is the Sacramento365.com website. The site features comprehensive listings of music, theater and dance performances, museum and gallery exhibitions, film screenings, poetry readings, cultural festivals, kids' activities and much more, showcasing all things artistic that Sacramento has to offer. When I joined the commission in 2011, the arts community was still reeling from the recession. Donations were down, and arts and cultural organizations were on life support.
Funding for the commission is based upon apportion of the city’s hotel tax. As city budgets were slashed, funding for the commission was severely cut, as were funds for staff, programs and grants. In recent years, a good portion of the budget has been restored. As a commissioner, I was asked to attend monthly public meetings and arts events in the community. I have always loved the arts, but frankly my appreciation for the breadth of the local arts community was significantly enhanced by my six years on the commission. In addition, our business developed a program to sponsor the cost of advertising for a number of arts organizations. My goal during my tenure was to bring as much attention to the local arts community as we could through our publications’ coverage. When I stepped off the commission in August, I felt confident that I succeeded in fulfilling that goal. And we look forward to continuing—and further expanding—our coverage well into the future. Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com. n
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