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 reproduced for the program. The art designs will be printed as vinyl wraps for the utility boxes and on banner material.

Read the latest Community Updates including a list of the recommended artists and see examples of their artwork:
Castro Valley Community Update, June 2023
Lewelling Boulevard Community Update, June 2023

The final approval of the recommended artists will be reviewed by the Alameda County Public Art Advisory Committee, the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council, the Eden Area Municipal Advisory Council, the Members of Alameda County Arts Commission, and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.

The Alameda County Arts Commission manages the County’s Utility Box Art Program which is funded by the Alameda County Public Works Agency. The Arts Commission coordinates the art designs for the Streetlight Pole Banner Program which is managed and funded by the Alameda County Economic and Civic Development Department.

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, read the June 2023 Community Update HERE

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.

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.

Architect's rendering of parking garage with Phillip Hua's artwork on the glass storefront.

Artwork design by artist Phillip Hua on building rendering.

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.