San Francisco Arts Commission re-elects Collins, approves Union Square snake sculpture and arts initiatives

The San Francisco Arts Commission on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, unanimously re-elected Chuck Collins as president and Janine Chioda as vice president, approved a temporary snake sculpture to mark the Year of the Snake in Union Square and reviewed a range of director and committee reports on public art, exhibitions and conservation work.

The actions occurred at the commission’s regular meeting in City Hall’s Room 416 during an agenda that emphasized strategic planning as the commission and staff prepare for a mayoral transition. Director of Cultural Affairs Ralph Remington gave a report summarizing 2024 highlights, staffing changes and upcoming programs; committee chairs presented recent Civic Design Review and Visual Arts Committee work; and the commission approved its consent calendar.

Why it matters: the items approved affect public art installations, artist selection pools and pipeline projects that shape what residents and visitors see across the city — from Union Square to the San Francisco Public Library and the airport. Commissioners also framed the commission’s work within the agency’s land-acknowledgement statement and discussed opportunities to incorporate indigenous histories into future civic art.

The meeting opened with a roll call and the commission’s land-acknowledgement statement. The nominating committee, chaired by Commissioner Seth Brenzel, recommended re-nominating Collins and Chioda; the commission voted to approve those nominations unanimously after a committee report and brief commissioner remarks praising the pair’s leadership.

In his director’s report, Ralph Remington highlighted the commission’s second annual year-in-review video for 2024, employee recognitions, and upcoming public events. He announced the Arts Commission’s 2025 annual convening on Feb. 20 at Herbst Theatre and a Constitutional Conversations town hall focused on the Second Amendment scheduled for March 18. Remington also said the strategic-planning consultant AMS has been conducting stakeholder interviews and will host two in-person open houses and a webinar in March. "This staff," Remington said, "is the best staff that I've ever worked with. By far." He also announced that Tyra Fennell joined the agency on Jan. 6 as a digital/media engagement specialist to expand communications capacity.

Committee reports described ongoing and early-stage projects. The Civic Design Review committee reported on two large utility-campus projects — the Southeast Plant operations/maintenance buildings (phase 2 review) and the Moccasin Engineering and Records Building (phase 1). Commissioners urged studying facade transparency, lighting and ways to integrate the city’s water story and indigenous histories into any public-art investment connected to those projects; Commissioner Abby Schneier said a site visit to Moccasin "kind of rocked my world" and argued the projects present a rare opportunity to pair civic design review with meaningful Indigenous collaboration.

The Visual Arts Committee highlighted the 2025 plan for an "Art on Market Street Poster Series, 1992 through the present," the San Francisco Public Library temporary atrium mural RFQ (deadline Feb. 3, 2025) to partner with the Ramaytush Ohlone, and conservation work completed on the Santerio Sanctuary mural at San Francisco International Airport. The commission received the visual-arts report without objection.

On a discrete public-art item, the commission considered a temporary public sculpture proposed by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce for Union Square to mark the Year of the Snake. Tony Lau, parade and festival director for the Chinese New Year event, described the installation as an extension of the post‑COVID "zodiac parade" program that brings photo-friendly artworks into public space. Commissioner Michelle Liu raised concerns about sponsor-driven color choices and cultural integrity, saying the "commercial element should not replace the totality and the integrity of the culture itself." The commission referred those concerns to staff and voted to approve the temporary installation; the commission record states the sculpture will be displayed in Union Square from Jan. 18 through March 2, 2025, and maintained by the sponsor.

The commission also approved a consent calendar that includes artist pools and project plans for public artworks (including additions to Terminal 3 at SFO). Commissioners clarified that the consent calendar establishes a pool from which staff will draw as specific RFPs and project needs arise.

Votes at a glance: - Approval of minutes (Agenda item 2). Motion by Commissioner Beltran; second Commissioner Schneier; outcome: passed unanimously. - Election of officers (Agenda item 4). Nominating committee recommended Chuck Collins as president and Janine Chioda as vice president. Motion moved by Commissioner Hakimi; second not specified in the record; outcome: motion passed unanimously. - Temporary Chinese New Year Snake Sculpture, Union Square (Agenda item 6.202). Motion to approve moved by Commissioner Walker; second by Commissioner Schneier; outcome: passed unanimously. Motion record notes location would be determined by Recreation and Park (Rec & Park) and that the project sponsor will maintain the work and follow comments raised by commissioners. - Consent calendar (Agenda item 7). Motion moved by Commissioner Beltran; second Commissioner Hakimi; outcome: passed unanimously. The consent calendar included artist lists and multiple project approvals; staff confirmed the lists create pools that will be used for subsequent RFPs and placements.

What commissioners asked staff to follow up on: several commissioners asked staff to consider stronger, earlier coordination between Civic Design Review and Visual Arts for large infrastructure projects so the agency can tie 2% for art investments to meaningful storytelling (including Indigenous histories); staff was asked to report back on sponsor-related design details for the Union Square snake sculpture and to ensure cultural integrity concerns are addressed. Commissioners also requested that staff continue outreach for the strategic-plan open houses and the SFPL mural RFQ.

The meeting ended after the consent calendar and a round of commissioner announcements about upcoming arts events in January and February. The commission adjourned with no additional votes recorded.