Vice Chair Dalia Vidor and commission staff presented a years-old inventory of Vallejopublic art and discussed next steps after a resident urged the commission to seek reinstallation of large works currently in storage.

The inventory, presented during the Sept. 22 meeting of the Vallejo Commission on Culture and the Arts, lists titles, artists, locations and known donation dates for many pieces and identifies several items as missing or in storage. Vice Chair Dalia Vidor said the inventory "includes the title of the piece, the artist, the location, the date of the gifting if we have it...There are several pieces of art that are missing." Staff member Steph Taylor told the commission the packet included the inventory compiled "a couple of years ago" for new commissioners to review.

The discussion matters because the commission said artworks in storage have no realized value until installed, and some pieces are large and costly to move. Resident Doug Darling urged the commission to ask the city to relinquish three monuments stored by the city so a local agency could reinstall them, saying, "I'm here tonight to talk about the art in storage." Commissioners discussed storage at Mare Island (identified in the discussion as Building 535 for at least one piece), the feasibility of reinstalling monolithic works, and the need for a loan and gift policy to allow legal transfer or reassessment of city-owned art.

Key details discussed: Vice Chair Vidor said several large pieces originally part of the Georgia Street plaza (including works titled in the inventory as Space Daisy, Silent Company and others) are missing or in off-site storage. Commissioners and members of the public identified Silent Company as stored on Mare Island and said Space Daisy is missing. The inventory also noted a number of public murals and decorated utility boxes; the commission confirmed the utility-box project had been funded via the cityparticipatory budgeting process.

Commissioners flagged security and theft concerns: Vidor and others said individual bronze or metal works had been targeted previously, and one bust (identified in the meeting as "Benezia") was stolen and may be recast. Commissioners emphasized that reinstalling stored pieces could help tourism and waterfront activation if paired with park improvements: Staff Taylor cited an existing $369,000 participatory-budgeting allocation intended for redevelopment of a South End waterfront park as an available funding source that could support related work.

No formal motion or vote was taken on the inventory item. The commission agreed to include inventory and storage issues in its forthcoming work plan and to explore next steps, including arranging a site visit to Mare Island so commissioners can inspect stored pieces and better estimate costs. Commissioners discussed forming an ad hoc subcommittee later in the process to develop specific recommendations.

The commission also noted a legal step remains unresolved: multiple speakers said a city gift/loan policy is needed to deaccession or reassign stored pieces. Staff Taylor said the city attorney and other city offices are aware of draft policies but that legal questions remain.

The commission asked staff to help organize a Mare Island site visit in the coming months and to fold storage/inventory items into the work-plan discussion scheduled later in the meeting. No timeline for reinstallation was set.

Ending

Commissioners said addressing storage and a loan/gift policy is a near-term work-plan priority but cautioned that reinstalling large works will require funding, legal review and coordination with other city departments and outside partners such as the Vallejo Recreation and Park District (GVRD).