Summary of Issue / Why This Matters
Richmond is losing its artists, art commissioners, and the trust of its residents as it neglects issues that can be addressed by working together.
Excessive City and Costly Grant Requirements
• The NPA program’s requirements, contracting process and reimbursement policy are driving artists to other cities and discouraging them from working in Richmond. Artists have observed that no other Bay Area city has such onerous requirements.
• Richmond is requiring artists to have several different types of insurance for an entire year before a contract is executed. The cost of these requirements sometimes surpasses the cost of the NPA award.
• Artists are doing 80% of the work before even getting a contract signed.
• Artists were paid up front until 2021. Now they have to go into credit card debt to afford the application process. Because of City delays, projects take more than a year for artists to complete, so artists pay twice for insurance and licenses.
Lack of Staffing in the Arts and Culture Division
• There is not enough City staff to do the work of sending out Requests for Proposals and Requests for Qualifications to access the money that the City has budgeted for art.
• Less than 10% of the budgeted Percent for Art Funds were spent in the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year. This is not because of a lack of need, but because there is no path for artists to access the funds.
Public Art in the City is Neglected
• Public art already in place (primarily murals) has been neglected and some are in serious need of repair. Artist John Wehrle has had to pay for maintenance of his own murals out of his own pocket for years.
• Richmond still does not have a public, searchable artist registry or an artist-in-residence program, and artists have to pay to fund their own artist registry.
Examples of What Artists Could Say
Artist In Support of Prompt Payment
Good evening, I am an artist based in Richmond. It is an open secret that the City takes a long time to process payments to artists. I wonder what can be done to expedite this process because it is discouraging talented people from submitting their public art designs. I have colleagues who have sworn they will never again apply for funding here. And that should not be. I am asking that City staff get together with artists to figure this out.
Artist Newcomer to Our City
Hello, my name is ________ and I have been a city resident for ___ years. I am here tonight because other artists have asked for my support, but also because I cannot believe that this city has the longest list of requirements in the East Bay. That has certainly not been my experience applying for funding in other Bay Area cities. Times are tough and every time you fund one of these projects you contribute to the local economy. There is a percent for Art Fund, but it is my understanding it has been barely used. Is there a way that we can streamline this process so that more artists can create public art?
Artist Who Has Never Applied to the NPA Program
I am speaking in support of this group of artists who have decided to come forward to ask for the opportunity to overhaul our NPA program.
I have not yet applied to the NPA grants because I am concerned with the amount of requirements and the cost of applying. I also fear that the reimbursement process will take too long for my finances to recover.
Ours is a small community and word gets around. My request is that you pay the NPA grants upfront so that more artists like me can apply.
Non-Artist in Support of Hiring Staff
I am not an artist and I am normally not involved in these matters. I love our city though, and feel that we have a lot of talent right here in the city. Public art brings so much to our quality of life. I was surprised to hear the City has so much money it can spend on maintaining its public art, because I drive by John Mehrle's murals every day and see that they have not been maintained in years. There are more tags every day and that is a shame.
Our public art program should have enough staff so that our public art can be maintained. Our artists should not be spending money out of pocket to clean or repair their own work. Please, hire the staff our Arts and Culture program needs.