Public Art Commission approves Alma Landeta concept for temporary King Plaza installation

At its March 20, 2025 meeting the Palo Alto Public Art Commission approved artist-in-residence Alma Landeta’s conceptual design for a temporary sculptural installation on King Plaza that will incorporate archival imagery, reflective stainless-steel surfaces and an anonymized audio component sourced from a “Queries Hotline.”

The installation will be a polished stainless-steel spiral roughly 7 feet tall and about 8 feet across at its widest point with a benched interior and a non-functioning payphone receiver that plays recorded, anonymized voices collected by the artist. City staff presented the conceptual design and Commission members asked questions about audio content, maintenance, public safety and technical details before voting to approve the design.

Landeta described the piece as a “proof of concept” that draws on interviews, archival imagery from a local queer archive and anonymous voicemail responses to the prompt, “What do you wish residents knew about your experiences as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in Palo Alto?” She said the reflective surface is intended so “visitors of the site can actually see themselves reflected in the work along with those bold black contour figure drawings.” The artist told the Commission the hotline currently holds “about an hour, maybe a little over an hour of audio” of unedited material and that the plan is to anonymize all files and keep the hotline open for additional submissions while the work is installed.

Commissioners asked several practical and safety questions. Commissioner Wolcak asked whether metal surfaces would become too hot in summer and whether children could be burned if they touched the bench or shell; Landeta said she would consult fabricators about cushions, shade placement and other mitigations. Commissioner Miyagi and others asked about the hotline’s content and moderation; Landeta said callers heard a disclaimer when they left a message and that staff had discussed initial screening with her so that recordings with identifying details or overt hate would be removed. When a recorded voicemail from a parent played to the Commission—“My little girl was so stressed out. She ended up in a hospital for over a month…”—staff noted they would place resource information adjacent to the artwork and make that information available on the city website.

Commission members also raised the risk of vandalism and of outside actors targeting the installation. Landeta and city staff discussed coating and maintenance strategies, monitoring plans and the installation’s prominence near city hall; staff said the location and their maintenance practices should help mitigate damage and that the city would “be carefully monitoring it, maintaining it.” Landeta described vandalism as a possible site of community dialogue and said her approach has been to treat incidents as a prompt for further engagement and outreach.

The Commission voted to approve the conceptual design as presented. The motion was moved and seconded on the record and passed by roll call. Yes votes were recorded from Commissioner Wolcak, Commissioner Miyagi, Commissioner Gordon, Commissioner Stern and Commissioner Smith; Commissioner De La Garza was recorded as not present. The vote text on the agenda read: “Approve Alma Landeta’s conceptual design for temporary artwork at King Plaza as presented.”

City staff said detailed design will proceed with additional attention to fabricator recommendations, content handling and maintenance logistics. Staff and the artist also said the Queries Hotline content and technical delivery (how new recordings will be added and how often) remain to be determined; Landeta said weekly updates are ideal but frequency may be monthly depending on technical workflow.

Commissioners and staff indicated they will return to the Commission with final design details and maintenance plans as the project moves into fabrication and installation.