Art Project Proposed to Celebrate Rohnert Park's 50th Anniversary

As the city nears its 50th birthday, with a celebration planned for Sept. 15,  the Rohnert Park has begun exploring plans to commission a piece of art to commemorate the semicentennial.  

The commission already has a short list of possible sites for the project including the plaza, the community center and city hall.

“It would be seen more in the plaza or [the community center]” Robin Miller, the chair of the commission said.

Called in to explalin the process of creating such a memorial was Artstart, a nonprofit organization based in Santa Rosa and serving all of Sonoma County. The Cultural Arts Commission is currently working with Artstart on the Civic Center Plaza Bench Project.

During their exploratory meeting on Monday afternoon the commission discussed the process of creating a mural or sculpture with Artstart creative director Mario Uribe.

Uribe outlined a process for creating the piece, explaining that the first thing they needed to do was find a site, then come up with a general idea for the piece.

Once a location and theme have been chosen the commission will be able to create a realistic budget for the project. Uribe also explained that a theme had to be decided before the medium for the piece was chosen.

A number of $30,000 was quoted by Artstart for a similar project in another city, giving Arts Commission members a starting point for their budget. The Civic Center Plaza Bench project has a budget of $2,500, and it is still in the fund-raising stage.

"It's a great idea," said community services manager Guy Miller, the city's liaison with the Cultural Arts Commission. "But they are going to have to be some considerations as far as financing and selection [of the artists]," he cautioned. "The city will have no money to give to this project."

One proposal was to fund the project through the sale of memorial bricks which will be installed around the base or used in the project.

The commission will hold a special meeting next Monday, July 18, to tour three proposed sites for the piece.

Artstart works with young artists and teaches them the business of art. “We go out into the community and get commissions, mainly public art,” Uribe explained. "We hire kids depending on how many projects we have. Then the kids compete for the jobs.”

The artists who participate in Artstart are chosen through an application process that includes interviews and submitting juried portfolios.

“It is a real job and a real life situation for them and they get paid,” Uribe said.