Public Art Commission - October 6, 2026

At its October 6, 2026 special meeting, the City of Palo Alto Public Art Commission unanimously approved the final public art plan for the 3415 Hillview Avenue private-development project. Updates included reducing Oleg Lobikin’s sculpture to 7 feet while retaining its composition, using wood for seating elements with a developer-provided maintenance schedule, and adding campus parking and wayfinding signage as part of construction. The commission also approved, unanimously, a request for up to $375,000 for projection-mapping artwork for the 2027 Code Art festival. Staff plans to seek competitive proposals from multiple vendors and explore a larger City Hall projection and a possible second downtown site. The commission recalled that the 2025 projection-mapping effort was authorized for up to $300,000 and cost $275,000.

The commission also reapproved a Code Art 2027 action item described as allocating up to $70,000 from the CIP fund; discussion referenced an additional ongoing $50,000 allocation for related costs and an estimated overall event spend of about $500,000, with the intention of spending less. That item passed unanimously. A separate action item was approved with Commissioner Tran recused for a potential professional conflict. The commission also voted to accept two donated artworks; the transcript does not clearly capture the complete vote. No competitive award or named vendor was announced.