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CAC - ACTION ITEM: Consideration of (1) the Neighborhood Representatives’ Recommendation of the Five Artist Finalists for the FY 2025-2026 Culver City: Colorful Communities (CC:CC) Poster Program Awards; and (2) Review, Discuss, and Provide Comments; and, (3) Make a Motion to Approve and Advance the Five Finalists to the Cultural Affairs Commission for Program Commission.
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Meeting Date: January 15, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Sam Lee / City Manager - Office of Economic & Cultural Development
Phone Number: (310) 253-6001
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Public Notification: Meetings and Agendas - Cultural Affairs Commission (01/09/25)
Department Approval: Sally Unsworth, Cultural Affairs Manager (01/07/25)
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RECOMMENDATION
Cultural Affairs Division’s staff requests the Cultural Affairs Commission Public Art Subcommittee (1) to consider the Five Neighborhood Representatives’ recommendation of the Artist Finalists for the FY 2025-2026 Culver City: Colorful Communities’ (CC:CC) Poster Program; (2) Review, Discuss, and Provide Comments; and, (3) Make a Motion to Approve and Advance the Finalists to the Cultural Affairs Commission for Program Commission.
BACKGROUND
In September 2025, the Cultural Affairs Division launched Culver City: Colorful Communities (CC:CC), a pilot poster program that celebrates the City’s diverse neighborhoods through the unique perspective of local visual artists. This program emphasizes the unique, handmade quality of art where new and original two-dimensional artworks are created, showcasing each artist’s vision and highlighting the distinct characters and details of a specific neighborhood. Staff published the Program’s Request for Qualifications (RFQ) (ATTACHMENT 1) on the Arts & Culture page of the City’s public website. The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was open to the public; responses to the RFQ were to be completed and submitted via email to the Cultural Affairs Division’s email. The City’s website was updated with current eligibility, schedule, guidelines, and deadline requirements. During the following weeks, staff continually promoted and invited applications via email, social media, and local neighborhood associations.
Thirty-one (31) artists responded to the Program’s Request for Qualifications; the artists submitted their applications via email by the published deadline of October 6, 2025. Staff reviewed all applications to confirm eligibility criteria and requirements. Twenty-five (25) applications were deemed eligible to advance to the next and final review phase. Six (6) of the incoming applications were determined to be ineligible.
The 2025-2026 CC:CC cycle features the following five neighborhoods:
• Blair Hills
• Culver/West
• Fox Hills
• Lucerne/Higuera
• Sunkist Park
Final artworks will be digitally reproduced and translated into collectible posters. The reproduction of the original artworks may be adapted into other non-commercial applications such as construction wraps, street banners, catalogs, etc. Both the original artwork and printed poster will be on display throughout Culver City-owned locations, making it accessible to the public. Future cycles of the program will showcase other neighborhoods.
In November 2025, the Cultural Affairs Division released a call to solicit five neighborhood representatives, one each from the above-mentioned neighborhoods, to help select the local visual artists who will create original artworks to be translated into posters. The five neighborhood representatives are serving as jurors on the Artist Selection Committee.
In December 2025, the five neighborhood representatives were selected and are listed below:
FY 2025-2026 Culver City: Colorful Communities’ (CC:CC) Neighborhood Representatives include:
• Amali Holl - Lucerne/Higuera
• Priyesh Bhakta - Sunkist Park
• Sandra Cheng - Fox Hills
• Shiran Witt - Blair Hills
• Wei Ling Chang - Culver/West
On December 8, 2025, the five representatives attended a mandatory, virtual scoring orientation and signed a Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Agreement. As non-voting individuals, the CAC Public Art Subcommittee members were invited to join the virtual orientation and to review the applications on their own. The representatives then received electronic access to the twenty-five, eligible applications; the representatives reviewed and scored the artistic work samples, resume, biography, and artist statement. Each neighborhood representative was given a nominal honorarium of $250 for their participation in this program.
The following four scoring criteria, with a possible score of 100 points total, were included in the guidelines and provided to the neighborhood representatives (see ATTACHMENT 2 for full scoring guide):
• Artistic Excellence of Qualifications, Materials, Techniques, and Concepts (Up to 30 points)
• Potential Compatibility of Artist’s Art Practice to Align with Program’s Objectives (Up to 30 points)
• Equity & Inclusion Commitment (Up to 25 points)
• Public Engagement Experience & Approach (Up to 15 points)
The total panel scores were submitted via email to the Cultural Affairs Division by the published deadline of Thursday, January 8, 2025. Staff compiled the scores and determined the top five scores based on the average from the total four criteria of each application.
DISCUSSION
The Cultural Affairs Commission Public Art Subcommittee and staff will review the final scores of the top five finalists. Public Art Subcommittee members will consider many factors including the artists’ qualifications, past work samples, artist statements, artist’s alignment to the program’s objectives, and the potential ability, which is based on style, technique, and experience of the finalists, to successfully produce an artwork that would appropriately reflect the neighborhood of which they are randomly assigned. Public Art Subcommittee members will review and discuss the neighborhood representatives’ recommendation of the five finalists and make a motion to approve and advance the recommendation to the Cultural Affairs Commission for final approval at its February 17, 2026 meeting.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The total budget for the Culver City: Colorful Communities (CC:CC) Poster Program, which is funded by the Cultural Trust Fund, was approved by the City Council at its meeting on May 20, 2025. In addition, staff time will be devoted to implement the program from inception to completion for the FY 2025-2026 cycle.
ATTACHMENTS
1. ATT 1_2025-2026 Culver City: Colorful Communities (CC:CC) Program’s Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
2. ATT 2_2025-2026 Artist Selection Committee Scoring Guidelines
RECOMMENDED MOTION
That the Cultural Affairs Commission Public Art Subcommittee:
1. Consider the Neighborhood Representatives’ Recommendation of the Five Artist Finalists; and,
2. Review, Discuss, and Provide Comments; and,
3. Make a Motion to Approve the Neighborhood Representatives’ Recommendation and Advance the Recommendation to the Cultural Affairs Commission for Final Approval.