Agenda Item Wording:
title
Consideration of a Mural Application request from Valley Oak Credit Union for one mural proposed on the south-facing facade of the commercial building located at 600 West Main Street.
body
Deadline for Action: 8/15/2022
Submitting Department: Community Development
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Brandon Smith, Principal Planner, (559) 713-4636, brandon.smith@visalia.city <mailto:brandon.smith@visalia.city> Paul Bernal, Community Development Director, (559) 713-4025,paul.bernal@visalia.city
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends, based on the recommendation of the Mural Panel, that this mural application for the proposed mural located at 600 West Main Street be approved as shown in Attachment 2, with wording as depicted in the image revised to read “Rooted in Visalia”.
Background Discussion:
The City of Visalia received a mural application on July 27, 2022, from Valley Oak Credit Union for a mural to be painted on a south-facing wall panel of the building located at 600 West Main Street. The building is owned by Valley Oak Credit Union and functions as a branch location of the financial institution. The mural would be visible from Main Street and to the northbound traffic on Willis Street. The mural application (see Attachment 1), a rendering of the original mural submitted by the applicant (see Attachment 7), and a location map and photo of the existing wall (see Attachments 3 and 4) are attached. The objective of the mural is to provide visual relief to a blank wall façade, following an extensive remodel and update to the building. The proposed rendering is the winning entry of a mural contest hosted by the financial institution for the purpose of selecting a mural for the wall.
The proposed mural, measuring approximately 10 feet wide by 10 feet tall, is designed by Joseph Cabello, a local artist and tattooist business owner in Tulare. The mural looking toward Main Street depicts a black and white monochrome picture of two different aged hands passing an orange-colored California poppy. The mural design provided by the artist uses stock images of the hands and poppy that the artist has purchased the rights to replicate for the final display. The mural as submitted includes the phrase “Rooted in your Growth” at the bottom of the mural. The mural can suggest a narrative of a commitment toward investment, maturing, and nurturing in the community and a passing of knowledge through the generations, and to present an artistically inspired image that portrays Valley Oak Credit Union’s contribution to the community, though it is possible for other narratives to be derived from the image. Materials to be used for the project will consist of acrylic and aerosol paints.
Work on the mural is expected to begin upon receiving approval from the City Council. Valey Oak Credit Union is the owner of the building and subject site, and the mural will be maintained by the owner with assistance from the artist in the case of any major vandalization. As stated on the mural application, the artist is a freelance artist that works with many different mediums and specializing in portrait work.
Initial Review of Compliance with Mural Guidelines:
Valley Oak Credit Union’s initial rendering for the south façade utilized the proposed image along with wording at the bottom of the image reading “Rooted in your Growth” (see Attachment 7). This rendering was distributed to the Mural Panel for their scheduled review of the item on August 2, 2022. Upon learning that the phrase is a trademark affiliated with the financial institution, staff indicated to the applicant that the mural appeared to conflict with the City’s adopted Guideline No. 2, which states:
2. Murals shall not contain copy, lettering, symbols or references directly to the promotion of any product, business, brand, organization, service, cause or place. Murals may contain limited commercial elements so long as they are not considered commercial speech with the purpose of promoting a commercial transaction. For those mural applications that may contain limited commercial elements, the Mural Panel will ask the question - “If the business on which the mural is located were to move, would the mural still be good quality art and something the community would want to remain?” If so, the mural is not considered commercial speech or advertisement but rather pure art.
The applicant indicated that they would be open to revising the wording, if necessary, in order to meet the City’s mural guidelines and that this could be discussed further with the panel. The rendering together with the phrase was presented to the Mural Panel as proposed by the applicant.
Mural Panel Review:
In accordance with the City’s Mural Guidelines and Procedures, the Mural Panel consisting of a representative from the Arts Consortium (Ampelio Mejia Perez), Arts Visalia (Alison Schlick Miniaci), and a mayoral appointment (Walter Deissler) convened to review the application. The purpose of the Mural Panel is to assure compliance with local ordinances and the mural guidelines, and to determine whether the artist has the ability to produce a quality piece of art. All members of the Mural Panel together with the applicant and artist met on August 2, 2022, to discuss the mural.
The Mural Panel was provided with the application materials, the rendering included in Attachment 7, and access to the artist’s personal website (http://www.jcabelloart.com) that provides a profile, samples, and social media links. The Mural Panel was favorable to the artwork and concluded that the artist’s portfolio of work demonstrated the ability to produce the mural with a high level of definition and artistry. To address the mural guideline compliance, the applicant suggested the alternate phrases “Rooted in Visalia’s growth” or “Rooted in Visalia”. The applicant further indicated that the inclusion of a phrase on the mural was desired as a driving factor of the mural, and that the mural could be approved with no words if ultimately desired. The panel further considered the proposed phrases by asking the question “if the business on which the mural is located were to move, would the mural [with wording]… be something the community would want to remain”.
The Mural Panel concluded that the mural with the phrase “Rooted in Visalia” was most consistent with the City’s Mural Guidelines, consistent with other downtown murals and their usage of “Visalia” in the wording, and that the mural does not promote any particular commercial transaction. The Mural Panel determined that the mural represented good quality art and could remain on the building even if Valley Oak Credit Union were to move from the site. On this basis, a motion was made to recommend that the City Council approve the mural with the phrase “Rooted in Visalia”, and the motion was approved by all members of the Mural Panel. A revised mural to conform to the motion was subsequently submitted and is included as Attachment 2.
Mural Agreement:
The City’s Mural Guidelines requires that the property owner and applicant enter into an agreement that identifies the terms and conditions under which the mural will be applied. A draft of the mural agreement is attached to this report as Attachment 5, should the City Council elect to approve the mural application.
Fiscal Impact:
No fiscal impact to the City. The applicant and artist are responsible for the installation, maintenance, and removal of the mural.
Prior Council Action:
No prior Council action related to mural proposals on this site.
Alternatives: None.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to approve the mural application for a mural on the south façade of the building located at 600 West Main Street as shown in Attachment 2, with the phase reading “Rooted in Visalia”.end
Environmental Assessment Status:
The mural is considered Categorically Exempt under Section 15311 of the Guidelines for the Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as amended, due to the project being a placement of minor structure accessory to existing facilities including but not limited to signs.
CEQA Review:
The mural is considered Categorically Exempt under Section 15311 of the Guidelines for the Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as amended, due to the project being a placement of minor structure accessory to existing facilities including but not limited to signs.
Attachments:
Attachment 1: Application.
Attachment 2: Proposed Rendering.
Attachment 3: Elevation of building prior to mural.
Attachment 4: Location map.
Attachment 5: Draft Mural Agreement.
Attachment 6: Mural Guidelines.
Attachment 7: Original Rendering.