Public Art Community Updates

Utility Box Art Program and Streetlight Pole Banner Program
Castro Valley & Lewelling Blvd

The Alameda County Arts Commission is launching a new phase of art designs for the Utility Box Art Program and the Streetlight Pole Banner Program. The new designs will be installed on County-controlled traffic signal utility boxes and streetlight pole banners in the unincorporated community of Castro Valley and along the Lewelling Boulevard corridor. The overall goal is to help support a positive and welcoming environment. The new designs will replace the current designs and will be installed beginning in 2024. Existing artworks created by Alameda County artists who are currently in the Alameda County Artist Registry will be licensed for the program.

Submit your Interest to Serve on a Selection Committee by March 30, 2023
The Alameda County Arts Commission is seeking community members to serve on two committees to select the new art designs for the Utility Box Art Program and the Streetlight Pole Banner Program for Castro Valley and the Lewelling Boulevard corridor. The goal is to assemble two separate committees, one for each community, that includes people who are involved in the community, have diverse experiences and perspectives, and are interested in contributing to the success of the programs. No experience is necessary!

Potential committee members must:

live, work, or own a business in Castro Valley (For the Castro Valley Artist Selection Committee);
live, work, or own a business in San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, or neighboring areas (For the Lewelling Blvd Artist Selection Committee);
work cooperatively with other committee members and staff;
consider opinions beyond their individual interests and take the greater community into consideration when making recommendations;
be interested in art (prior experience evaluating artwork is not necessary); and
be able to attend two Zoom meetings.

To submit a Selection Committee response form, click HERE.

Share Your Feedback through the Community Survey by April 14, 2023
Community members from Castro Valley and from the communities surrounding the Lewelling Boulevard corridor such as San Lorenzo, Ashland and Cherryland are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas for this new phase of art designs! Your responses will be shared with the Artist Selection Committee and will help influence the final selected artworks.

To complete the Community Survey, click HERE.

Hesperian Blvd Corridor Improvement Project Ribbon Cutting Event

Alameda County celebrated the completion of the Hesperian Boulevard Corridor Improvement Project in the San Lorenzo Community with an official Ribbon Cutting Event on Saturday, February 4.

The Hesperian Boulevard Corridor Improvement Project extends from the I-880 freeway overpass to A Street in the San Lorenzo community in unincorporated Alameda County. Motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and residents in the San Lorenzo community will enjoy a revitalized, safe, and accessible commercial corridor.

Artist Vanessa Marsh was selected through an open, competitive process by a Selection Committee of community members who live and work in San Lorenzo. The overall theme of the artwork is “The Sky Above and Below.” The artwork references the connections and shared experiences of the local natural environment of San Lorenzo. Marsh’s designs are based on her photographs of San Lorenzo. Using the photographs, Marsh created handmade silhouette paintings of plants and birds common to San Lorenzo including hummingbirds, hawks, blackbirds, gulls, sandpipers, and sycamore, olive, and honey locust trees. The silhouetted paintings were then digitized and used to make metal stencils for sandblasting on the concrete sidewalks along Hesperian Boulevard and featured on street banners and utility boxes. For more information, see the Public Art Brochure.

The Public Artwork for the Hesperian Boulevard Corridor Improvement Project was managed by the Alameda County Arts Commission in partnership with the Alameda County Public Works Agency. The funds are provided through the “Percent for Art” Ordinance established by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. In addition, the artworks are featured on the street banners through a partnership with the Alameda County Economic & Civic Development Department. The utility box art program is made possible through a partnership with the Alameda County Public Works Agency.

Image at right: Stencil sandblasted artwork designs created by Artist Vanessa Marsh along Hesperian Boulevard. Photos by Vanessa Marsh.

Artist Vanessa Marsh at the Hesperian Boulevard Corridor Improvement Project Ribbon Cutting Event. Photo by artist Paul Kuroda.

Public artwork by Artist Vanessa Marsh for the Hesperian Boulevard Corridor Improvement Project

Hesperian Boulevard Corridor Improvement Project - Community Leaders

From Left to Right:
Daryl Camp, Superintendent San Lorenzo Unified School District
Mimi Dean, Vice-Chairperson of the Eden Area Municipal Advisory Council
Tyler Dragoni, Chairperson of the Eden Area Municipal Advisory Council
Diane Wydler, Councilmember of the Eden Area Municipal Advisory Council and President of the San Lorenzo Village Homes Association
Daniel Woldesenbet, Director of the Alameda County Public Works Agency
Barisha Spriggs, Alameda County Democratic Central Committee Member
Michael Freed, Councilmember of the Eden Area Municipal Advisory Council
Vanessa Marsh, Artist for the Hesperian Boulevard Corridor Improvement Project
Donald Clowser, San Lorenzo Community Member and Former Member of the Eden Area Municipal Advisory Council
Rachel Osajima, Director of the Alameda County Arts Commission

Photo by artist Paul Kuroda.

From Left to Right:
Grace Karr, Alameda County Arts Commissioner
Rachel Osajima, Director of the Alameda County Arts Commission
Diane Wydler, Councilmember of the Eden Area Municipal Advisory Council and President of the San Lorenzo Village Homes Association
Randy Waage, San Lorenzo Community Member and Arts Supporter
Danielle Wilson, Irvington Library Manager and Artist Selection Committee Member
Christine Dowell, Artist Selection Committee Member
Scott Miner, Public Art Advisory Committee Member
Barisha Spriggs, Alameda County Democratic Central Committee Member
Vanessa Marsh, Artist for the Hesperian Boulevard Corridor Improvement Project
Donald Clowser, San Lorenzo Community Member and Former Member of the Eden Area Municipal Advisory Council
Eileen Dalton, Director of the AC Economic & Civic Development Department and Alameda County Arts Commissioner
Halimah Anderson, Public Information Officer, AC Public Works Agency

Photo by artist Paul Kuroda.

Public Art by Artist Vanessa Marsh for the Hesperian Boulevard Corridor Improvement Project

Artwork designs created by artist Vanessa Marsh were used to make metal stencils for sandblasting on the concrete sidewalks along Hesperian Boulevard and featured on street banners and utility boxes.

Public Art for Hesperian Boulevard Corridor Improvement Project

Dublin Transit Center Parking Garage
Public Art Project

The County of Alameda is building a new parking structure adjacent to the Dublin-Pleasanton BART station. The parking structure is intended to limit vehicle miles for commuters and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Dublin-Livermore-Amador Valley area and supports the County’s vision for accessible infrastructure and a healthy environment. The County is funding the public art project for the parking structure. Artist Phillip Hua was selected to create a design that will be printed on the 5-story glass walls surrounding the stair tower at the corner of Campus Drive and Martinelli Way. To learn the latest updates about the Public Art Project for the Dublin Transit Center Parking Garage, click HERE

The public artwork is a collaboration with community members! Dublin community members are invited to submit ideas and photos of animals, birds, insects and plants to include as small elements in the future public artwork for the Dublin Transit Center Parking Garage. Artist Phillip Hua would like to collect over 100 ideas from the Dublin community. All ages are encouraged to participate. Watch a short video and share your ideas online HERE.

Response form open through Dec. 14

About the Artwork
The artwork features birds flying together through the sky, symbolizing movement and transportation in a natural form. This idea celebrates community members who are in motion, using the parking garage and traveling throughout the Dublin community and beyond. The design features a different bird on each floor including: hummingbirds, northern flickers, great horned owl, red-tailed hawks, and egrets. The images shown here are from the preliminary design and will be further developed. The smaller elements within the overall design will be images submitted by Dublin community members.

From a distance, viewers will see an image of birds in flight. As they get closer, they will see that the image is made up of dots. As they get even closer, they will see the smaller images of animals, birds, insects and plants representing the ideas submitted by Dublin community members.

Artist Phillip Hua_Preliminary design on building rendering

Top image: Artwork proposal by artist Phillip Hua on building rendering.

Right image: Close-up images of the artwork. The smaller elements of the design will feature images of animals, birds, insects and plants submitted by Dublin community members. These are proposal images. The artwork is in development.

Artist Phillip Hua_Preliminary design close-up

Public Art Program in Ashland

The Alameda County Arts Commission is happy to announce the completion of the public artwork by artist Miriam Klein Stahl for the East 14th Street Corridor Improvement Project in the Ashland community of unincorporated Alameda County. The artwork is in the form of cut metal art panels placed in the street medians and along the sidewalks, on seating, and featured on street banners and utility boxes. To learn more, view the public art brochure here.