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Vacaville arts advisory committee outlines top priorities; staff to fold items into strategic plan
Summary
Arts advisory committee chair Ryan Bates and recreation manager Melody Landau presented prioritized 'now' initiatives from the Arts & Culture Master Plan. The commission supported partnerships, public art in downtown and exploring funding mechanisms; staff said items will be incorporated into the city's strategic planning and CIP processes.
Melody Landau, recreation manager, and Ryan Bates, chair of the Arts Advisory Committee, presented the arts advisory committee’s top five priorities from the Arts & Culture Master Plan’s 1–4 year ("now") action list and sought feedback from the commission.
Staff reminded commissioners the master plan was adopted by the City Council on Aug. 12 and that the plan lists opportunities segmented into near‑term and longer‑term categories. The committee’s prioritized items emphasize stronger partnerships with local organizations (including the Vacaville Art League and downtown business groups), exploring city‑owned spaces for public art, expanding geography and programming, and pursuing funding strategies such as general‑fund allocations, a percent‑for‑art program and developer‑contribution approaches.
Ryan Bates described low‑cost actions the volunteer committee can undertake now — building relationships with arts organizations, displaying art from storage, and piloting public‑facing projects — and said larger capital art projects (for example, the Charter Park project) require city funding. Bates cited one recent capital art cost of about $160,000 as an example of the scale involved in major public‑art installations.
Commissioners and committee members discussed sequencing and staffing: several commissioners urged strengthening partnerships with schools, small art groups and local businesses; one suggested exploring a focused "art week" or themed months rather than overextending a single large event. Commissioners proposed expanding committee capacity and using liaisons to connect partners and reduce staff workload.
Director Mulder and staff said the arts priorities will be included in the city’s upcoming strategic planning process (Jan. 16–17) and incorporated into CIP and budget discussions. Staff recommended continuing volunteer engagement while pursuing modest staffing support or a part‑time arts coordinator to sustain programs and partnerships.
There was no formal vote on funding at the meeting; commissioners expressed support for implementation and suggested staff return with timelines and cost estimates as items are readied for CIP and budget consideration.
