As a community matures, the community turns toward the greater rewards it can provide for its citizens. Typically, a community will turn toward increased cultural activities.
Pleasanton is maturing and becoming more aware of the value of its cultural environment, particularly public art, for its citizens to enjoy.
As stated by the National Endowment for the Arts, "Our need to make, experience, and comprehend art is as profound as the need to speak. It is through art that we can understand ourselves and our potential...and it is through art that we will be understood and remembered by those who will come after us."
Therefore, the city accepts a responsibility for expanding experience with public art.
(Ord. 1676 § 1, 1996)
A. 
The purpose of this art in public places chapter is to promote the acquisition, construction and installment of works of public art in Pleasanton that will foster creativity, engender civic pride, encourage a sense of community, and enrich the lives of our citizens.
B. 
Major goals of this chapter include the creation of a civic arts commission to:
1. 
Review and recommend action on public art projects;
2. 
Encourage commercial, office, and residential projects to incorporate art within the project design;
3. 
Promote art within the city;
4. 
Work with artists and the Pleasanton cultural arts council;
5. 
Oversee the development of a city of Pleasanton cultural plan;
6. 
Recommend policies and action regarding the city of Pleasanton's civic arts program;
7. 
Guide the future direction of cultural enhancement of the city; and
8. 
Develop facility needs, including the exploration of the need for a performing/visual arts center and gallery.
(Ord. 1676 § 1, 1996)
"Annual public art projects plan"
means a prioritized list of public art projects with budgets.
"Art in public places"
means any visual work of art displayed for two weeks or more on city property in an open city-owned area, on the exterior of any city-owned facility, public areas, lobbies or public assembly areas, or on any non-city property if the work is installed, financed, either wholly or in part, with city funds, or grants procured by the city.
"City capital project"
means any capital improvement project paid for, wholly or in part, by the city of Pleasanton to construct or remodel a building, decorative or commemorative structure, park, street, sidewalk, parking facility or utility or any portion thereof, within the city limits.
"Civic arts commission"
means a qualified citizen committee as established by Chapter 2.39 of this code to provide recommendations regarding the administration of the city's civic arts program and the art in public places program, and to recommend scope of projects, artworks and artists for the public art program.
"Public art"
means original visual works of art which are accessible to the public and/or public employees, including, but not limited to:
1. 
"Paintings"
of all media, including both portable and permanently affixed works such as murals.
2. 
"Sculpture"
which may be in the round, bas-relief, high relief, mobile, fountain, kinetic, electronic, etc., in any material or combination of materials, including sound and performance.
3. 
"Other visual media"
including, but not limited to, prints, drawings, stained glass, calligraphy, mosaics, photography, film, video, ceramics, fibre and textiles.
4. 
"Other works"
of a wide range of materials, disciplines and media which are of specific duration, including installation and performance arts, and which are documented for public accessibility after the life of the piece has ended.
5. 
"Functional art works"
which possess practical, functional qualities as well as aesthetic ones.
6. 
"Collaborative design projects"
which involve artists and other design professionals.
7. 
The following items are not to be considered public art works for the purposes of this chapter:
a. 
Directional elements such as super graphics, signage, or color coding except where these elements are an integral part of the original art works.
b. 
Art objects which are mass-produced from a standard design such as playground equipment, commercially produced fountains, flags, or banners.
c. 
Unsigned or mass-produced reproductions of original artworks.
d. 
Decorative, ornamental, or functional elements which are designed by the building architect as opposed to an artist commissioned for the purpose of creating artwork.
e. 
Landscape architecture and landscape gardening except where these elements are designed by an artist and are an integral part of the artworks by an artist.
f. 
Services or utilities necessary to operate or maintain the artwork over time.
g. 
Performing arts events which would normally be considered a part of the traditional performing arts, i.e., dramatic and theatrical productions, musicals, dance, ballet, music recitals and concerts, etc.
"Public art collection"
means any public art owned by the city of Pleasanton.
"Public art administration appropriation"
means any appropriation from the general fund for educational activities and administration of the public art program.
"Public art fund"
means a separate account for the acquisition, construction and installation of public art.
"Public art in private places"
means artworks located and financed by private developers within public view or access.
"Public art maintenance appropriation"
means any appropriation from the general fund for regular routine maintenance of the city public art collection.
"Public art restoration and conservation fund"
means a separate account established by the city for the extraordinary restoration and conservation of artworks in the city public art collection.
(Ord. 1676 § 1, 1996)
A. 
Uses of Public Art Fund. Monies from the public art fund shall be used in accordance with the public art project plan and may be used for expenses connected with artists' design concepts, acquisition, purchase, commissioning, placement, installation, rental, lease, exhibition, and/or display of artworks. Artworks may be permanent or temporary, may be integral to the architecture, or may be incorporated into the city construction project.
B. 
Uses of the Public Art Restoration and Conservation Fund. Monies from the public art restoration and conservation fund shall be used in accordance with the annual public art projects plan. Monies from the public art restoration and conservation fund shall be used for the extraordinary restoration and conservation needs of the city public art collection.
C. 
Public Art Maintenance Appropriation. The city's general fund operating budget may include an annual appropriation to cover the routine, regular cleaning and maintenance needs of the city public art collection.
D. 
Public Art Administration Appropriation. The city's general fund operating budget may include an annual appropriation to cover the administration and educational programs of the art in public places program.
(Ord. 1676 § 1, 1996)
A. 
The city strongly encourages private individuals or corporations to participate in the public art in private places program by placing original works of art in publicly accessible areas in new commercial, office or industrial developments.
B. 
The public art in private places program is optional to developers with commercial, office or industrial projects in the city of Pleasanton. During the development review process, developers of major new projects are encouraged to provide appropriate art, commensurate with the scale of the proposed building(s), which would complement and enhance their projects. The civic arts commission shall review and make recommendations regarding any public art which is proposed as part of a development.
C. 
Developers may choose to:
1. 
Acquire and install original works of art in publicly accessible areas of their developments.
2. 
Make a cash contribution for a city-sponsored public art project; make a sponsorship matching contribution for a work of art, if the city approves; or
3. 
Make a cash contribution to the city's art in public places fund.
D. 
It is not intended that an agreement on the part of a developer to provide artwork will slow or delay processing the development application. During the development review process, an applicant may indicate a willingness to provide such artwork, or may provide a conceptual drawing of the artwork; however, the proposed artwork shall not be reviewed by the civic arts commission until after the project has received all necessary discretionary approvals, except if the proposed artwork were an integral part of the building or site design. In this case, as soon as it is identified that such artwork is proposed to be included as part of a development project, the civic arts commission would be called to review the artwork portion of the project as soon as is practical. A special meeting of the commission may be called to keep the development project on schedule.
E. 
The civic arts commission will be available to developers, the community development department and other affected city departments to provide policy guidelines, advice, expertise and assistance for public art in private places projects.
(Ord. 1676 § 1, 1996; Ord. 2000 § 1, 2009)
A. 
The city strongly encourages private and public not-for-profit foundations, service clubs, and arts and cultural organizations to propose and fund art in public places.
B. 
Organizations may choose to:
1. 
Propose and fund a specific project, approved by the civic arts commission;
2. 
Make a cash contribution to a specific city-sponsored public art project;
3. 
Make a cash contribution to the city's art in public places fund; or
4. 
Match a grant for the acquisition of a public art project.
C. 
Organizations proposing a specific project should provide a one-time contribution for installation and long-term maintenance and conservation of the artwork.
D. 
The civic arts commission should work closely with the organization and affected city departments in order to provide policy guidelines, and expertise regarding any proposed project.
E. 
The civic arts commission shall review any proposed project as to artistic merit, site appropriateness, installation, maintenance, long-term conservation and funding requirements.
F. 
Upon completion of the review, the civic arts commission shall make its recommendation to the city council regarding the acceptance or rejection of the proposal.
(Ord. 1676 § 1, 1996)
A. 
The civic arts commission shall review any proposed donation or loan of public art for artistic merit, site appropriateness, liability questions, and installation and maintenance costs and considerations. The review shall include consultations with all affected city departments.
B. 
Upon completion of its review the civic arts commission shall make its recommendation for acceptance or rejection of the offer to the city council.
C. 
A donor who wishes to make an offer of a gift of public art shall provide for review:
1. 
Documented materials for the artwork being offered for donation including photographs, slides, renderings, descriptions of size, weight, medium, title, year of creation, and a resume of the artist, if possible;
2. 
Documentation establishing the donor as the clear and unencumbered title holder of the artwork.
3. 
A release letter by the donor should the city decide to deaccess the artwork in the future.
D. 
The city will acknowledge receipt of the donated artwork without valuation for tax purposes. The donor must find other means of establishing the value of the artwork.
(Ord. 1676 § 1, 1996)
Periodically the city, through its mayor, city council, or various agencies, receives gifts of public art from official representatives of other cities, states, and governmental agencies. All such "gifts of state" shall be referred to the civic arts commission for its recommendation as to site appropriateness, installation, maintenance, long-term conservation and funding requirements. Upon the review of these considerations and the overall circumstances of the gift, the commission shall make a recommendation to the city council as follows:
1. 
Install the public art at a commission-recommended site;
2. 
Store the public art until more favorable conditions arise for its installation; or
3. 
Decline the public art.
(Ord. 1676 § 1, 1996)