Arts Commission Meeting: 10-19-2020 Item: IV.E.1 Page 1 of 6

OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS (OCA) REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2020 Selected activities organized by goals in Cultural Connection: San Jose’s Cultural Plan

Due to COVID-19 and local fire risk, the City of San Jose has activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The majority of OCA staff have been deployed to the EOC working in various capacities including the Community and Economic Recovery Branch of the EOC, supporting the resiliency of the arts sector. The Santa Clara County Health Department has now issued that the County has moved into the Orange Phase, which will involve the gradual reopening of some business activity.

Support Diverse Cultural Spaces & Places Throughout the Community

Due to Shelter-in-Place orders and the prohibition of mass gatherings, City-owned cultural facilities have been closed for approximately six months. The Santa Clara County Public Health Department has issued new guidance that allows indoor museums to open at 25% capacity under certain protocols. San Jose museums are developing reopening plans.

The School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza is partnering with the City and Second Harvest Food Bank to provide free food distribution on the first and third Mondays of every month from 10 am to noon Mexican Heritage Plaza. The School is committed to supporting communities most vulnerable in the pandemic. A year-long program, the School will provide over 10,000 boxes of food, feeding over 43,000 people. It is also a COVID-19 test site.

In spring 2020, the City Council approved a fifteen-year contract with San Jose State University to operate and maintain the Hammer Theatre Center.

Integrate High Impact Public Art & Urban Design throughout the Community

3rd Street Parking Garage - The artist completed the mural in August 2020. Due to COVID- 19, no dedications or public events are planned at this time. The signage is in production.

Airport Art

• Feature Wall: Contract amendment to adjust the schedule and compensation is in process. Construction Documents have been submitted to the City’s Structural Engineering Division and are currently awaiting comments. Airport’s required Form B review is ongoing.

• Holding the Moment: On September 9th a diverse selection panel met to review 143 artists submitted 327 artworks. On October 6th, the Public Art Committee reviewed the 96 recommended artworks by 77 San Jose artists. Staff is working with exhibition designer Cynthia Cao on curating the exhibition groups, collecting the artists’ media files, and editing narratives. The first of six months of exhibitions is scheduled to begin in November 2020 and run through April 2021. The artworks and narratives will also appear on City social media accounts. Arts Commission Meeting: 10-19-2020 Item: IV.E.1 Page 2 of 6

Anti-Graffiti Mural Project - Four local artists, Lila Gemellos, Jet Martinez, Jesse Hernandez, and Carlos Perez were selected from the pre-qualified artist roster. Two other local artists, Brian Eder and Cherri Lakey, currently have a Right of Entry agreement with the City for artwork on utility boxes. Fifteen community meetings were conducted prior to the March shelter-in-place orders. Artist designs were presented to the PAC on August 4, 2020. All murals except for Lila’s are currently in production. Lila is not able to begin work until the new year.

Berryessa Community Center Mural Restoration - The very large Valley of the Hearts Delight trompe l’oeil mural created by artist John Pugh in the early 2000s is undergoing a major restoration. The project will be completed in Fall 2020.

Convention Center – Bay Area Artist Mona Caron has completed her 3,300 square foot mural titled Limonium at the Parking Garage. The artwork has received significant press exposure. The lighting component for this project is near completion.

Environmental Services Department (ESD) Projects • CoGeneration - Installation of artist screens were completed in late February 2020. Lighting installation is still pending. Staff is in communication with ESD project management for regular updates.

• The Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge and Guadalupe River (DENWR) and Children’s Discovery Museum (CDM) - The DENWR project is almost complete. Due to COVID, the Guadalupe River Park/CDM project has experienced major delays. Completion of the project is now forecasted for 2021.

End of Watch Police Memorial – Artist Gordon Huether’s final design development for the memorial element was approved by the PAC in March and subsequently his construction documents have been approved. Contracting for fabrication and installation is in final negotiations. Collaborating landscape architect vanderToolen & Associates has fully developed the site plan for the memorial which is under technical review by Public Works after which the final design for the memorial and site will be shared with key City officials and stakeholders.

Fire Station 37 – Artist Sam Tubiolo has developed a concept and design development proposal for tile work and window treatment for the new fire station in Willow Glen and has coordinated it with the Fire Department. A fast-tracked project, artwork fabrication will begin in late summer to align with the base project schedule. COVID-19 orders greatly restricted the community engagement options for the project.

Havana Drive/Midfield Avenue Soundwall mural – This project is pending a CalTrans maintenance agreement and a CalTrans permit approval.

Japan Town Turnkey Park/Plaza Art - San José artist Roger Stoller has worked closely with key community members and developed the proposed artwork concept through design Arts Commission Meeting: 10-19-2020 Item: IV.E.1 Page 3 of 6 development. His design was approved at the August 4, 2020 Public Art Committee meeting.

Lincoln Ave Art - Mural projects are being planned and coordinated with the Willow Glen Business Association and will hire local artists.

Market/San Pedro Parking Garage – A design-only contract with artist Brian Brush has been executed and a re-launch of this project occurred in July 2020. On-going design planning, research, and projects meeting are in process.

Neighborhood Galleries - Murals in District 5 are pending Caltrans permits. The concept design for the mural in District 4 was approved by Public Art Committee on October 6, 2020. The District 4 mural will not be on Caltrans property.

Playa to Paseo - The installation of the bead-covered dinosaur skeleton, Ichiro Sacred Beings, at Children's Discovery Museum (CDM) was installed on February 3 and will be on view until November 1, 2020.

Pellier Park – On August 4th the Public Art Committee reviewed and approved the revised design developed for the storytelling wall. The construction documents are almost completed. Artist Norie Sato is working to collect content for the wall.

Santa Clara County – The City’s Public Art program has been contracted by the County as a consultant to the County to develop guidelines for their public art program and provide other consultation resources as needed, including project management. Outside of guideline and planning development - two large scale projects are in development – Animal Services Center and the Tasman Art Campus.

Sonic Runway – The designs have been approved by Public Works and the contract for the Fabrication/Installation has been executed. Due to safety measures related to COVID 19, installation has been rescheduled to 2021.

Valley Medical Center – The construction documents process was reinitiated this month.

VTA Bart Regional Connection (EBRC) Light Rail – A work plan framing public art at Story Rd. and Eastridge Stations has been approved by VTA staff. Public Art staff is currently drafting RFQ for artist selection.

City Hall Exhibits Program – City Hall continues to be indefinitely closed to the public so there is presently no access to view the exhibits. Exhibits are planned into 2022 and staff will be convening a meeting of the Exhibit Committee to finalize plans for the proposed exhibit schedule.

Strengthen the Cultural Community's Infrastructure

Cultural Funding Portfolio - Investments in Art, Creativity and Culture - City of San Jose Coronavirus Relief Fund: Nonprofit Arts Organizations

Arts Commission Meeting: 10-19-2020 Item: IV.E.1 Page 4 of 6 As part of its designated CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF), the City allocated $2,620,000 in funds support to the individuals and organizations that anchor our vitally important art communities. These funds include administrative fees for implementation by third parties.

CRF allocations will be offered to the arts sector through three distinct programs:

• City of San Jose Coronavirus Relief Fund: Nonprofit Arts Organizations, grants supporting arts and cultural nonprofits with funds totaling $2,320,000; • City of San Jose Coronavirus Relief Fund: Artists, grants supporting individual creative entrepreneurs and sole proprietors with funds totaling $235,000; and • Technical Assistance Program for the Arts, comprised of timely workshops and facilitated cohorts with coaching in the amount of $65,000.

The Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) will oversee grants to arts organizations, with contracting and disbursement administered through the Community Foundation who can disburse funds quickly and efficiently. Grants to artists will be administered and adjudicated by the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI), a trusted intermediary focused on the economic security of people in the arts. Both relief funding programs opened on September 15 with submission deadlines of September 29.

Arts Program staff conducted community outreach for the Nonprofit Arts Organizations program guidelines development via an online survey to stakeholders. The feedback informed the final guidelines, which included an equity consideration to organizations that predominantly serve communities of color disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Arts Program staff provided extensive technical assistance for both programs to arts organizations’ staff and artists. Two information sessions were held for the Nonprofit Arts Organizations program, and one was held for the Artists program prior to the application deadlines. Additionally, individual consultations with a majority of the applicants were provided by staff.

Enhance Support for Creative Entrepreneurs and the Commercial Creative Sector

The OCA will work with its partner, the Center for Cultural Innovation, to grant CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds to creative entrepreneurs in San Jose. The grants will be made based on eligible expenses for those whose business was interrupted due to COVID-19.

Support Residents’ Active, Personal Participation in Arts and Culture

San Jose Creates and Connects - Launched in 2016, the San Jose Creates and Connects initiative aims to connect San Jose residents across communities and within neighborhoods through creative, participatory experiences.

With renewed support from the Packard Foundation, OCA will engage five Creative Ambassadors in 2021. The role of the Creative Ambassadors is to champion the power of Arts Commission Meeting: 10-19-2020 Item: IV.E.1 Page 5 of 6 creative expression and engage residents in finding their own creative voice. The 2021 Ambassadors are Cynthia Cao, Demone Carter, Ray Furuta, Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo, and Chike Nwoffiah.

Planning is underway for the 2021 #WeCreate408 challenge, which will take place in April 2021 as part of California’s Arts and Creativity Month. Funding for #WeCreate408 was also provided by the Packard Foundation.

Destination Events in San Jose

Since March, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department has updated the shelter-in- place order to include information regarding outdoor special events. As of August 28, 2020, Santa Clara County has transitioned from the most-restrictive purple tier to the red tier in California’s new monitoring system. However, the State Health Officer still generally prohibits gatherings of all kinds statewide, with limited exceptions for worship services, cultural ceremonies like weddings, funerals, protest activities, and car parades. This is an evolving situation where the County extends and modifies the Order frequently and quickly as they adjust to the existing health of the community and any requirements from the State of California.

According to the latest order, gatherings are only permitted outdoors with a maximum attendee count of 60 at a time. This count includes everyone present, such as hosts, workers, and guests of the event. All gatherings are required to have an identified and designated host who is responsible for ensuring the compliance of all Santa Clara County Order requirements as well as maintaining a list of all event attendees. All event attendees are required to stay 6 feet apart and wear face coverings throughout the duration of the event. Event organizers are encouraged to require reservations to cap attendance.

Throughout the fluctuation of COVID-19 cases and the County’s responses, the special events community continues to seek ways to celebrate safely and the special events team continues to vet their options as quickly as possible with County staff. Event Organizers are encouraged to monitor the Santa Clara County Public Health Department website dedicated to COVID-19 with updates and guidance for workplaces, travel, schools, at-risk populations, and gatherings. The Special Events team will continue to connect with event organizers for status updates on events listing updated information on the events calendar.

Currently, the Downtown Farmer’s Market is underway conducted every Friday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at San Pedro Street between St. John and Santa Clara Streets. The special events team is also assisting in the coordination of SoFa’s Virtual Music Festival Video Shoot in Parque de los Pobladores. After month-long communication with the County, written approval has been received to allow filming for this event and will take place sometime in October.

Community Shows Great Anticipation for Christmas in the Park “Drive-Thru” Event

The beloved holiday event, Christmas in the Park, will return this holiday season with a new twist and location. In light of COVID-19 and Santa Clara County’s shelter-in-place order, Christmas in the Park will be returning this 2020 season as a drive-through event at History Arts Commission Meeting: 10-19-2020 Item: IV.E.1 Page 6 of 6 San Jose. This year’s location features 30 historic San Jose buildings and will include a 125- foot holiday light tower. The entire set will be lit up for the holidays with Christmas in the Park’s annual trees and animated displays. All cars will have the opportunity to drive through a 432-foot light tunnel and more details are still underway.

Christmas in the Park launched their ticket sales this September and have already seen a great demand for their event running from November 27, 2020 – January 3, 2021. Within 2 weeks of their initial ticket sale launch, over 4,000 prepaid reservations were sold in the anticipation of the Christmas in the Park “Drive-Thru Holiday” experience. Many buyers participated in the new “Buy One-Get One” ticket program, allowing the community to donate tickets to those in need through partnerships with SOMOS Mayfair and Catholic Charities. Find more information about the event and ticket sales at www.christmasinthepark.com.