Commission pushes to build artist roster, public‑art inventory and online map

Commissioners discussed steps to broaden outreach to local artists and make the city’s public‑art inventory more accessible.

Chair Andres proposed creating a "public art booklet or pamphlet" to highlight public art in South Pasadena and suggested the commission request staff support or a council directive to assemble the resource. Commissioners agreed to form an ad hoc to begin work on an artist roster and outreach strategy.

Staff told the commission the city is updating its website and preparing to migrate permitting software to OpenGov; Planning Manager Jasmine Kim said these tools could enable a visual, interactive inventory and map and allow QR-code links at artwork sites. Tatiana (staff liaison) and the new IT manager were named as leads for web updates.

Budget note: commissioners noted $12,597.50 in the public art fund and discussed whether to spend funds sooner to attract artists. Commissioners also discussed asking Council to allocate staff time or budget for a roster database; staff said such requests should be routed through the council’s annual budget process.

Ending: The commission established an ad hoc group to begin roster and outreach work and directed staff to explore inexpensive database or mapping tools and report options at a future meeting.