Commission finalizes Hands on the Arts sun collage, outlines materials and volunteer shifts

The Sunnyvale Arts Commission confirmed a sun‑collage project for the upcoming Hands on the Arts event after staff showed prototypes of the activity.

Kristen, an arts staff member, said the project will use construction paper, tissue paper, magazine pages, poster board, glue sticks, pens and a decoupage mix; staff will supply materials at city expense. "It's fun," Kristen said while describing the planned supplies and prototypes. She said decoupage used on the projects typically dried in less than an hour in her test and that parents could hang pieces in designated drying areas.

Commissioners discussed volunteer time and logistics. Staff asked commissioners to commit to two‑ to three‑hour shifts on the event day; Kristen estimated a minimum of 10 hours of commissioner time per commissioner to help pull the project together, with the lead volunteering more time. The commission also confirmed that new t‑shirts are provided each year for volunteers and that a new logo and color are planned for the anniversary year.

Commissioner Filley asked about participant selection for other festival components; staff said a juried process was used for vendor/artist selection this year and that the jury "leaned into projects that were not something that had been done before," eliminating duplicate projects. Staff reported the juried process involved approximately seven jurors and that four high schools were specifically invited for an earlier utility‑box art project.

Kristen encouraged commissioners to share material ideas and said staff had contacted community partners such as Fabmo in previous years to source free paper and supplies. The commission took no formal vote on the Hands on the Arts activity at the meeting; staff will follow up with email requests for volunteer shift commitments.