Council OKs $100,000 for aquatic‑center mural; artist to incorporate community‑submitted words

WOODLAND, Calif. — The Woodland City Council on July 15 authorized a $100,000 appropriation from the city’s Art and Public Places Fund and directed the City Manager to enter an artist agreement with local artist Brian Valenzuela to create a large mural for the new Woodland Aquatic Center.

Communications Strategic Policy Manager Spencer Bowen described a multi‑stage selection process: the city solicited qualifications, a subcommittee narrowed five applicants to three finalists, and the committee recommended Valenzuela’s concept for a large tile mural at the pool entrance. The artist’s technique uses painted plywood panels scanned at high resolution and reproduced on porcelain tiles; mockups show a roughly 17‑by‑26‑foot mural made of 1‑foot tiles.

Bowen said Valenzuela often composes a central black‑and‑white figure whose shading is formed from handwritten words or short phrases. The artist and staff plan to solicit community responses to a prompt about memories of swimming and summer; Bowen said the community submissions will be incorporated into the work after screening for appropriateness. The funding source is developer public‑art in‑lieu fees paid into the city’s Art and Public Places Fund.

Council approved the artist contract and appropriation 5‑0. Mayor Landsberg and Council members said the mural will be a prominent public artwork at the new facility and directed staff to widely publicize the community prompt and submission process.