Sunnyvale Arts Commission selects hand‑tracing 'tree' and keeps sunglasses as backup for October festival

The Sunnyvale Arts Commission voted unanimously March 18 to adopt a hand‑tracing 'tree' as its first‑choice project for the Hands on the Arts festival, with foam sunglasses and an optional photo mural listed as a backup.

Staff presenter Kristen told the commission that staff had decided to move the festival to Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, and to combine Hands on the Arts with Arts & Humanities Month events so the city can use new community center spaces and avoid conflicts with other priorities. "We did make the decision to go ahead and move the festival to October 17," Kristen said.

The commission then considered four hands‑on project concepts: oversized foam sunglasses with an optional photo booth and a later photo collage; a service‑workers 'honor wall' made from life‑size cutouts and collages; a hand‑tracing project in which children decorate handprints that form a collective display (the 'tree'); and a large weaving loom using upcycled materials. Kristen said staff plans for about 300 projects per booth on average and that some booths can see up to about 500 children during the day.

Commissioners discussed logistics and visitor experience as they ranked options. Several commissioners favored the hand‑tracing project because of its visual impact and the way it lets children both create and take a keepsake home. "I see that being very successful on a large scale," Vice Chair Philly said of the hand tracings, adding that simpler projects draw long lines and broad participation. Another commissioner said the sunglasses idea could be popular but flagged photo‑release and language‑access challenges.

Staff told the commission that the city already uses photo releases at events and that volunteers and staff would be asked to help with signing and opt‑out procedures. "We do do photo releases at the festival all day long," Kristen said, and staff would work with the city attorney and volunteers to ensure the process is manageable and accessible.

A commissioner motioned to name the hand‑tracing tree the commission's first choice and to designate the sunglasses/photo mural as the second choice if the tree proved impractical. The motion passed 5–0 by roll call.

Next steps: staff will flesh out project leads, volunteer needs and supply orders for the selected project and present follow‑up details to the commission as planning continues. Kristen said staff will also finalize festival logistics tied to the community center improvements and share updates at upcoming meetings.