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Public Art Committee selects Adrian Arias for Lucchese Skatepark mural
Summary
The Petaluma Public Art Committee voted Feb. 26 to award the Lucchese Skatepark mural commission to artist Adrian Arias after reviewing roughly 34 proposals and narrowing a top-five shortlist. Staff said the project will place murals on 14 vertical locations totaling about 335 square feet and that selected artists must avoid painting skateable surfaces.
The Petaluma Public Art Committee on Feb. 26 selected artist Adrian Arias to design and execute the public-art program for the Lucchese Skatepark.
Chair Diggs opened the meeting and invited Public Art Specialist Melissa Abercrombie to present the recruitment and review process. Abercrombie said the project’s request for proposals opened in December 2025 and was extended to Feb. 4, 2026 after applicants reported difficulties uploading files. "To start this conversation, I wanna first thank the 34 applicants that applied for this project," Abercrombie said.
Abercrombie described the site and scope: the skate park covers roughly 23,000 square feet and includes 14 vertical mural locations that together total about 335 square feet. She emphasized that artwork must be durable and suitable for permanent outdoor placement, and that "there's no paint on the surfaces" intended for skating; staff and the committee said designs must avoid skateable surfaces to preserve safety and skateability.
Committee members reviewed a staff-compiled shortlist (staff had tallied a top 16 and highlighted the top 10) and discussed strengths and concerns for each finalist, focusing on artistic excellence, skate-culture relevance, appropriateness for small vertical surfaces, and proposed community engagement plans. Members repeatedly raised the need for the work to feel accessible to local skaters and to hold up visually across many small panels. Several members said they wanted direct input from the skate community in the final design phase.
After discussion and a collective ranking exercise, Chair Diggs made a motion to select Adrian Arias for the commission; a committee member seconded the motion and the committee recorded affirmative votes to approve the selection. Committee members also discussed naming a backup candidate in case the winner is unable to proceed; Jared Benson was identified by several members as a commonly acceptable secondary option.
Abercrombie said staff will follow up with reference checks and contract steps before finalizing any award and will post meeting materials and a timeline update on the city website.
The committee’s decision follows the public-art program rules the city described in the project materials: applicants must be California-based artists or teams age 16 and over, submit concept drawings or maquettes, provide references and non-AI original work samples where required, and agree to city insurance and liability requirements if awarded the contract.
The committee closed discussion on the Lucchese Skatepark item and moved on to subcommittee reports. Next steps include staff outreach to the selected artist and scheduling community engagement sessions during the project’s design phase.
