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2025-07-09 CAC Regular Meeting Agenda Packet
CULTURAL ARTS COMMITTEE CITY OF PALM DESERT MEETING AGENDA Wednesday, July 9, 2025 9:00 a.m. Administrative Conference Room, City Hall 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Pursuant to Assembly Bill 2449, this meeting will be conducted as a hybrid meeting and there will be in-person access to this location. To participate via Zoom, use the following link: https://palmdesert.zoom.us/j/83338542730 or call (213) 338-8477, Zoom Meeting ID: 833 3854 2730 • Written public comment may also be submitted to cityclerk@palmdesert.gov. E-mails received by 5:00 p.m. one day prior to the meeting will be distributed to the Committee. Any correspondence received during or after the meeting will be distributed to the Committee as soon as practicable and retained for the official record. Emails will not be read aloud except as an ADA accommodation. • Pages 1.CALL TO ORDER 2.ROLL CALL 3.ELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025-2026 4.NON-AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENTS This time has been set aside for the public to address the Cultural Arts Committee on issues that are not on the agenda for up to three minutes. Because the Brown Act does not allow the Committee to act on items not listed on the agenda, members may briefly respond or refer the matter to staff for a report and recommendation at a future meeting. 5.CONSENT CALENDAR All matters listed on the Consent Calendar are considered routine and may be approved by one motion. The public may comment on any items on the Consent Agenda within the three-minute time limit. Individual items may be removed by the Committee for a separate discussion. RECOMMENDATION: To approve the consent calendar as presented. 5.a APPROVAL OF MINUTES 5 RECOMMENDATION: Approve the Minutes of June 11, 2025. 5.b INFORMATIONAL REPORT ON THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE SAN PABLO PHASE 2 ROUNDABOUT SCULPTURE 9 RECOMMENDATION: Receive and file informational report on the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the San Pablo Phase 2 Roundabout Sculpture. 6.CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER Items removed from the Consent Calendar for separate discussion are considered at this time. 7.BUSINESS ITEMS Items listed in this section are presented for the Committee's review and action. Public comment is allowed on each item, with a three-minute time limit per speaker. The committee may provide direction, request additional information, or take action as appropriate. 7.a CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH GOLDENVOICE FOR TAFFY BY STEPHANIE LIN 21 RECOMMENDATION: Consider a ten-year lease agreement with Goldenvoice for Taffy by Stephanie Lin, including City-funded site enhancements and associated infrastructure at Civic Center Park south of the skate park. 7.b APPROVAL OF THE 2026 STUDENT ART AND ESSAY CONTEST THEME AND VINYL WRAP COMPETITION 53 RECOMMENDATION: Approve theme for the 2026 Student Art and Essay Contest.1. Approve continuation of the vinyl wrap competition as part of this annual program. 2. 7.c CONSIDER PURCHASE OF RISING INVERSION SCULPTURE BY CRISTOPHER CICHOCKI 57 RECOMMENDATION: Recommend that the City Council approve expenditure in the amount of $150,000 for the purchase of Rising Inversion by artist Cristopher Cichocki (cha-house-key), to be permanently installed at Ironwood Park. Cultural Arts Committee Regular Meeting July 9, 2025 2 7.d APPOINT A SUBCOMMITTEE TO STRATEGIZE PUBLIC ART PROGRAMMING 103 RECOMMENDATION: Appoint a subcommittee of up to three Committee members to develop a strategic plan for public art programming. 8.INFORMATIONAL REPORTS The liaisons and City staff may provide updates on projects, activities, or other matters within the committee's scope. These are informational items with no formal action. 8.a CITY STAFF City staff will provide updates on relevant projects, activities, and other matters within the committee's scope. These are informational items with no formal action. 8.b PLANNING COMMISSION LIAISON 8.c ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION LIAISON 8.d CITY COUNCIL LIAISON The liaison provides updates to facilitate communication between the City Council and the Committee. This is an informational update with no formal action. 8.e ATTENDANCE REPORT 105 9.REQUESTS FOR ACTION Committee members may propose future agenda items within the committee's scope. Items that receive support from at least one other member may be placed on a future agenda for discussion and possible action. No formal action will be taken at this time. 10.ADJOURNMENT The next Regular Meeting will be held on August 13, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Cultural Arts Committee Regular Meeting July 9, 2025 3 11.PUBLIC NOTICES Agenda Related Materials: Pursuant to Government Code §54957.5(b)(2) the designated office for inspection of records in connection with this meeting is the Office of the City Clerk, Palm Desert Civic Center, 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert. Staff reports for all agenda items considered in open session, and documents provided to a majority of the legislative bodies are available for public inspection at City Hall and on the City’s website at www.palmdesert.gov. Americans with Disabilities Act: It is the intention of the City of Palm Desert to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in all respects. If, as an attendee or a participant at this meeting, or in meetings on a regular basis, you will need special assistance beyond what is normally provided, the City will attempt to accommodate you in every reasonable manner. Please contact the Office of the City Clerk, (760) 346-0611, at least 48 hours prior to the meeting to inform us of your needs and to determine if accommodation is feasible. Remote Location: Pursuant to traditional Brown Act teleconferencing requirements, the teleconference location must be listed on the agenda and be accessible to the public. Committee Member Flint may participate remotely from La Salina M3, San Rafael, Playas de Rosarito, Baja, CA 22740. AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING I hereby certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing agenda for the Cultural Arts Committee was posted on the City Hall bulletin board and City website not less than 72 hours prior to the meeting. /s/ Monique M. Lomeli, CMC Senior Deputy Clerk Cultural Arts Committee Regular Meeting July 9, 2025 4 CULTURAL ARTS COMMITTEE CITY OF PALM DESERT REGULAR MEETING MINUTES 1. CALL TO ORDER A Regular Meeting of the Cultural Arts Committee was called to order by Chair Hauer on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., in the Administrative Conference Room, City Hall, located at 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, California. 2. ROLL CALL 3. NON-AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENTS None. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR Motion by: Committee Member Boren Seconded by: Committee Member Flint To approve the consent calendar as presented. Motion Carried (4 to 0, Mitze Abstaining) 4.a APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by: Committee Member Boren Seconded by: Committee Member Flint Approve the Minutes of May 14, 2025. Motion Carried (4 to 0, Mitze Abstaining) 5 Cultural Arts Committee Minutes June 11, 2025 2 5. BUSINESS ITEMS 5.a CONSIDERATION OF 2026 CALIFORNIA DESERT PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL SPONSORSHIP Management Analyst Powell, Paulina Larson, of Palm Springs Life Magazine, and Diane Moore, of Desert Plein Air Association, provided a staff report and responded to member inquiries. Brian Boyce, of Skidmore Contemporary Art, spoke in support of the festival. Lia Skidmore, of Skidmore Contemporary Art, spoke in support of the festival. Motion by: Committee Member Mitze Seconded by: Committee Member Boren Recommend City Council approve sponsorship for the 2026 California Desert Plein Air Festival. Motion Carried (5 to 0) 5.b CONSIDER DEACCESSION OF TWO EL PASEO ENTRY SIGNS BY WATER STUDIO Management Analyst Powell provided a staff report and responded to member inquiries. Motion by: Committee Member Flint Seconded by: Committee Member Mitze Recommend the City Council approve deaccession of two El Paseo entry signs by Water Studio. Motion Carried (5 to 0) 5.c CONSIDERATION OF SCULPTURE PURCHASE FROM 2025 DESERT X EXHIBITION Management Analyst Powell provided a staff report and responded to member inquiries. Motion by: Committee Member Flint Seconded by: Committee Member Boren Do not proceed with the purchase of an exhibit from Desert X 2025. Motion Carried (5 to 0) 6 Cultural Arts Committee Minutes June 11, 2025 3 5.d OVERVIEW OF MEETING PROCEDURES, ROLES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES City Clerk Mejia narrated a PowerPoint presentation and responded to member inquiries. No formal action was taken. 6. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS 6.a CITY STAFF Management Analyst Powell provided an update on upcoming June 12, 2025, City Council agenda items pertaining to public art. 6.b PLANNING COMMISSION LIAISON None. 6.c ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION LIAISON None. 6.d CITY COUNCIL LIAISON Councilmember Quintanilla expressed gratitude for the Committee's discussions on Desert Plein Air and Desert X exhibits. 6.e ATTENDANCE REPORT Report provided; no action taken on this item. 7. REQUESTS FOR ACTION In response to inquiries, Management Analyst Powell provided updates on the following items: Update on signage for the following art pieces: Enduring Tradition, Seeker, and Swirly Girl; and New location of Recycle in front of Burrtec recycle center. 7 Cultural Arts Committee Minutes June 11, 2025 4 8. ADJOURNMENT The Cultural Arts Committee adjourned at 10:08 a.m. Respectfully submitted, _________________________ Michelle Nance, Deputy Clerk II Recording Secretary _________________________ Erica Powell, Management Analyst Secretary _________________________ DATE APPROVED BY CULTURAL ARTS COMMITTEE 8 Page 1 of 2 CULTURAL ARTS COMMITTEE CITY OF PALM DESERT STAFF REPORT MEETING DATE: July 9, 2025 PREPARED BY: Erica Powell, Management Analyst SUBJECT: INFORMATIONAL REPORT ON THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE SAN PABLO PHASE 2 ROUNDABOUT SCULPTURE RECOMMENDATION: Receive and file informational report on the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the San Pablo Phase 2 Roundabout Sculpture. BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS: At its meeting on April 9, 2025, the Cultural Arts Committee (CAC) approved the release of a new Request for Qualifications (RFQ) instead of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the San Pablo Phase 2 Roundabout Sculpture . After researching best practices, staff is adopting the RFQ-first model in accordance with guidance from leading public art agencies. Members of Americans for the Arts have endorsed RFQs over RFPs as a more efficient and equitable method for commissioning public art. As stated on americansfor thearts.org, “RFQs have been more effective in producing high-quality public artworks and are generally seen as being more fair to artists.” Update on the RFQ Process Rather than requesting full proposals during the initial round, the City is inviting arti sts to submit qualifications only. This revised approach includes: Current artist resume (maximum 3 pages) Letter of interest describing how the artist’s past work and experience align with the project’s goals in design, fabrication, and project management . Images of 6–10 completed works, including title, location, year, budget, medium, and dimensions. Three professional references Submissions will be reviewed by staff and the Cultural Arts Committee. Up to five artists will be shortlisted and invited to submit a conceptual design proposal, maquette, and presentation. Presentations may be in person or virtual, and each finalist will receive a $1,000 honorarium. This two-step process is designed to encourage broader participation for high-caliber artists, provide a fair process, and reduce upfront demands on applicants while maintaining a rigorous and competitive process that ensures high -quality public art outcomes. Next Steps The RFQ was released on July 1, 2025, through CallForEntry.org 9 Cultural Arts Committee City of Palm Desert (Informational Report on the RFQ for the San Pablo Phase 2 Roundabout Sculpture) Page 2 of 2 Applications are due by Thursday, September 4, 2025 Shortlisted finalists will be notified in November 2025 Final presentations are scheduled for January 14, 2026 Staff will continue to update the Committee throughout the artist selection process. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with this request. ATTACHMENT: 2025 Request for Qualifications – San Pablo Phase 2 Roundabout Sculpture 10 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS PUBLIC ART PROJECT FOR SCULPTURE IN ROUNDABOUT AT SAN PABLO AVENUE AND EAST ENTRANCE OF COLLEGE OF THE DESERT Artist Eligibility The City of Palm Desert, California, and the Palm Desert Cultural Arts Committee invites experienced artists residing in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico to apply for a major public art commission. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older. About Palm Desert Located just over 100 miles east of Los Angeles, Palm Desert is a premier resort destination and thriving year-round community at the heart of California’s Coachella Valley—a region made up of nine distinct cities. To the west lies Palm Springs, celebrated for its midcentury modern architecture and storied Hollywood history. To the east is Indio, known for its agricultural roots and vibrant murals featuring contemporary Latinx art. Palm Desert sits at the center of the Valley, offering a blend of these influences with its own distinctive, upscale character. Surrounded by dramatic mountain ranges and wide-open desert, the city is a dynamic hub of nature, education, and culture. It is home to the Coachella Valley’s three institutions of higher learning, the renowned McCallum Theatre—the region’s largest indoor performing arts venue—and El Paseo, a premier shopping and dining district.” El Paseo also features a rotating outdoor exhibition of public art, showcasing 18 sculptures by artists, a tradition that has been ongoing since 1992. About the Project The Cultural Arts Committee invites artists to create a signature sculptural installation for the roundabout at the north end of San Pablo Avenue. The selected artwork will serve as a visual landmark and reinforce the corridor’s evolving identity as a vibrant, design-forward public space. Artists are encouraged to consider scale, visibility, and durability in their concepts, and may propose either a single large-scale piece or a series of coordinated elements. Works that incorporate lighting to enhance nighttime presence are strongly encouraged. Water and kinetic features will not be considered. Site Description The roundabout is located at the northern end of San Pablo Avenue, directly adjacent to the east entrance of College of the Desert. It sits within a dense civic and community campus that includes Palm Desert’s Civic Center Park—home to a public art collection, sports fields, skate park, and event lawn—as well as being adjacent to the dog park, YMCA, Palm Desert Community Center and Gymnasium, and City Hall. The site is highly trafficked by students, families, city staff, and residents accessing public services and amenities. Just south of the roundabout, San Pablo Avenue continues as a revitalized, pedestrian-friendly corridor that leads to Highway 111 and El Paseo, Palm Desert’s premier shopping and business district. This location offers high visibility from multiple directions and serves as a symbolic entry point to the City’s civic and cultural center. 11 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Artwork Design, Safety, and Durability Requirements − Sculpture Height o Single Work: Sculpture installed at the center of the roundabout must be between 13 feet and 25 feet tall. o Multiple Works: If proposing multiple sculptures, each piece must be between 13 feet and 15 feet tall to remain within the roundabout’s designated breakaway zone. − Workable Area: The roundabout’s unpaved center is 40 feet in diameter, with a 32.5- foot diameter usable for artwork, as shown in Exhibit A. − Design Approach: Artwork should be designed “in the round”, meaning it looks complete and engaging from all angles. − Site Grading: The roundabout is graded flat. The top-of-curb elevation varies by less than 0.1 feet in any direction (north, south, east, or west), as shown in Exhibit A. − Foundation Restrictions: Some areas of the roundabout are unavailable for foundations due to underground utilities. Coordination with local utility agency will be required. These areas are identified in Exhibit B. − Driver Safety: Artwork must not distract drivers or create disorientation. Highly reflective materials are discouraged. − Visibility: The sculpture must maintain clear sightlines for drivers and pedestrians. It must enhance, not compromise, site safety. − Scale and Detail: Artwork should be bold enough to capture the attention of drivers but not so intricate that it requires close viewing or prolonged inspection. − Materials: Artwork must be made from durable, permanent outdoor materials that are: o Safe for public environments o Low maintenance o Proven effective in similar public art installations − Weather Resistance: The sculpture must withstand extreme desert conditions, including: o High winds o Intense sun o Summer temperatures over 110°F. Artists are encouraged to research materials and colors for proven desert durability. − Security: Artwork must be designed to discourage theft and vandalism. − Public Appropriateness: Artwork must be suitable for all ages. − Breakaway Design: Sculptures must include breakaway connections (e.g., bolts) between the sculpture and its foundation to meet traffic safety standards. − Pedestrian Activity: The roundabout is not intended for pedestrian access. Interactive features and designs that encourage people to stop or take selfies are discouraged. − Prohibited Features: Water elements and kinetic (moving) features are not allowed. Photos of the roundabout are outlined in Exhibit C. Additional construction plans are available upon request. How to Apply Interested artists or artist teams must apply through the project listing on www.CallForEntry.org. 12 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Submission Requirements All applicants must provide the following materials: 1. Artist Qualifications a. Current Artist Resume: pdf • (maximum three pages) – Include relevant public art experience. b. Letter of Interest: pdf • Express your interest in the project and how your past artworks and experience demonstrate that you can successfully meet art design goals of this project. c. Three Professional References (Name, Title, Organization, Phone, Email): • One client who can verify the successful completion of at least one public art project (including contact information). • Two additional creative references. • Please reach out to individuals who can discuss your work and artistic experience in advance and secure their permission to be contacted. 2. Work Samples a. Six to Ten digital images of completed past work. • File types: JPG, PNG, 300dpi/15MB max b. Accompanying image list. Artists are required to include basic specifications of each image: • Title • Medium • Dimensions • Year • Budget • Location • Client Shortlist Selection and Ranking 1. PASS/FAIL Review. Public Art staff will initially review each application for completeness. Incomplete applications will receive a fail rating. Complete applications will be reviewed by the Cultural Arts Committee and those that receive a pass rating from a majority of the panel will then be scored and ranked. 2. Ranking. For each application that receives a pass rating from a majority of the Committee, each criteria will be scored and when the scores awarded for all criteria are totaled, the Committee will select up to five (5) artists to create a design proposal, maquette, and give a presentation. All artists who are selected to present their concept proposals to the Cultural Arts Committee will receive an honorarium of $1,000 inclusive of all expenses. Pre-Proposal Conference Call Following the final shortlist selection, City staff will host a mandatory conference call to provide finalists with additional information and instructions. This is also an opportunity to ask questions. The conference call date and time is tentative; see timeline below. 13 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Finalist Selection 1. Presentation – Shortlisted finalists will develop and present to the Cultural Arts Committee one (1) conceptual art design proposal. Finalists will have the option to present to the Committee either in person or virtually. All proposals must address the art design goals. Each artist will have thirty (30) minutes to present the concept to the Committee followed by questions from the Committee. 2. Finalist Submission: A complete submission must include all of the following or may result in disqualification. a. Conceptual Design Drawings/Renderings – Include artwork dimensions and proposed placement within the roundabout. • Narrative: Include title, Medium, and concept c. Proposed Timeline – Include the following milestones: • Design Development • Construction Documents/Engineering • Fabrication • Transport/Logistics • Installation d. Itemized Project Budget Estimate – Include anticipated costs for all phases of the project. • Artist’s fee, design, engineering, materials, fabrication, transportation, insurance, etc.. e. Material Description – List all materials to be used and explain their durability in extreme weather. f. Fabrication Plan – Indicate whether artist will self-fabricate the artwork or contract with a third party. Regardless of fabrication method, the artist must maintain creative and quality control throughout the process and remain the primary point of contact with the City. If contracting, please: • Name the fabricator • Describe their qualifications • Explain your oversight role in the process g. Lighting Details (if applicable) – Include wattage, lumens, and color temperature of any proposed lighting. h. Foundation Design – Provide a general explanation of the foundation concept and confirm your ability to have a California-licensed Professional Engineer review, approve the design and structural calculations, and communicate with local utility agency. i. Maintenance Plan – Describe any anticipated maintenance requirements and cost. Selection Criteria The selection criteria are as follows: − Artist’s work samples provide evidence of understanding of craft and successful collaborative work on large-scale public art projects. − Proposed artwork exhibits artistic merit, quality, and innovative design. − Proposed artwork is appropriate to site size and materials. − Proposed artwork meets all requirements of this Request for Qualifications. − Safety of proposed artwork is approved by the City’s Public Works Department. 14 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS A community engagement survey will be conducted to gather local input for City Council consideration. From the five shortlisted proposals, the Cultural Arts Committee will recommend three finalists to City Council. The Council will review public feedback and the Committee’s recommendations before selecting the final artist. The selected artist must then execute the City’s Agreement (draft available upon request). Project Budget The budget for this project is $200,000. The selected artist or artist team will be responsible for all fees including artist fee, design, engineering, materials, fabrication, shipping/transportation, construction oversight, travel, hotel mileage, insurance, taxes, and other associated costs. The City will be responsible for installation costs (contractors, heavy equipment rentals, traffic control, etc), uplighting costs, and permit fees. All artists who are selected to present their concept proposals to the Cultural Arts Committee will receive an honorarium of $1,000 inclusive of all expenses. Application Deadline Applications must be received via www.callforentry.org by Thursday, September 4, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. (Mountain Zone Time). Submittal Timeline (subject to change at the City’s discretion) Timeline Date Release Request for Qualifications (RFQ) July 1, 2025 Application deadline Thursday, September 4, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. (Mountain Zone Time) Review of Applications by Cultural Arts Committee September 15 through November 12, 2025 Notification of Shortlisted Finalists Week of November 17, 2025 Shortlist Conference Call December 3, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. PST Finalist Presentations to the Cultural Arts Committee Wednesday, January 14, 2026 Community Engagement Survey January - February 2026 Cultural Arts Committee meeting and final three selection and recommendation to the ** Preferred completion and installation by April-May 2027 or Fall 2027, depending on the timeline proposed by the selected artist and approved by the City. Additional Information For additional information on this project, please contact Erica Powell at 760-776-6346, or via email at epowell@palmdesert.gov Disclaimer: The City of Palm Desert reserves the right, at any time, to modify this Request for Qualifications, to modify the City’s Agreement, to reject any or all proposals, and to re-open the competition. The final artwork becomes the property of the City, and the City receives all rights to reproduce the artwork. 15 CoSD TITLE ALL "NOTES" TITLES 95 % S U B M I T T A L - N O T F O R C O N S T R U C T I O N SCALE 1"=20' N NTS A MODIFIED PCC ROLLED CURB DETAIL NTS A SCALE : 1"=20' ROUNDABOUT DETAILS SECTION A-A WATE R TRUCK APRON WATE R WATE R NTS DETAIL 'A' RFQ - Exhibit A 16 RFQ - Exhibit B 17 San Pablo Phase II Roundabout Location: San Pablo and entrances to College of the Desert/YMCA RFQ - Exhibit C 18 19 20 Page 1 of 2 CULTURAL ARTS COMMITTEE CITY OF PALM DESERT STAFF REPORT MEETING DATE: July 9, 2025 PREPARED BY: Erica Powell, Management Analyst SUBJECT: CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH GOLDENVOICE FOR TAFFY BY STEPHANIE LIN RECOMMENDATION: Consider a ten-year lease agreement with Goldenvoice for Taffy by Stephanie Lin, including City-funded site enhancements and associated infrastructure at Civic Center Park south of the skate park. BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS: Goldenvoice’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is internationally recognized for its large - scale, interactive public art installations. These works are commissioned not only as aesthetic landmarks but also to enhance the festival environment by providing shade, seating, and a sense of place within the desert venue. Following each festival, many of these installations are carefully deinstalled and stored at the Empire Polo Club, with select works made available for extended public display. Palm Desert is one of the Coachella Valley cities that currently does not host a Coachella Festival artwork. Current hosts include Indio, Coachella, and La Quinta. In pursuit of expanding the City’s public art offerings and increasing regional visibility, staff engaged with Goldenvoice and The Public Art Company and identified Taffy by artist and designer Stephanie Lin as a strong candidate for placement in Palm Desert. Taffy is an immersive sculptural environment composed of six (6) vertical towers ranging from 25 to 50 feet in height and approximately 5 to 7 feet in diameter. Each tower is constructed of structural framing wrapped in a scalloped mesh fabric that creates a shimmering moiré effect as sunlight passes through. The towers are painted in vivid, complementary hues inspired by midcentury desert modernism. Interwoven throughout the installation are open-circular benches, originally fabricated in plywood, that echo the towers’ geometry and provide inviting sp aces for rest and reflection beneath the shaded canopy. Staff proposes installation of Taffy at the Civic Center Park, south of the Skate Park and north of City Hall, at the former Discover Palm Desert site. The site is highly visible from San Pablo Avenue and accessible from existing parking areas. A preliminary review indicates: The area is free of known underground utility conflicts Modifications to landscape and irrigation will be needed Foundation design must support tall, vertical structures and consider wind loads 21 Cultural Arts Committee City of Palm Desert (Consider Approval of a Lease Agreement with Goldenvoice ) Page 2 of 2 Under the proposed lease terms with Goldenvoice: The Public Art Company will oversee transport, installation, artist coordination, and all maintenance for the duration of the ten-year lease Stephanie Lin will receive an artist fee The City will be responsible for site preparation, including landscaping, foundations, lighting, and fabrication of replacement benches in durable materials Hosting a Coachella Festival artwork boosts Palm Desert’s cultural profile and draws regional tourism, as featured in Palm Springs Life and Visit Greater Palm Springs, which promote a valley-wide Coachella Festival public art installation tour. This collaboration brings landmark artwork to a central public space with minimal long-term maintenance needs, while also supporting community connection and cultural tourism. NEXT STEPS: Should the Cultural Arts Committee support this recommendation, staff will present the item to the City Council for consideration and begin formalizing the lease agreement with Goldenvoice. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The Goldenvoice lease—including Artist fee, Public Art Company fee, transportation, installation, maintenance, and engineering—is not expected to exceed $200,000. The City’s contribution— including landscaping, lighting, and fabrication of site furnishings—is not expected to exceed $100,000. A total of $300,000 is available through the FY 2025/2026 Public Art Capital Projects budget. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Taffy Proposal with renderings 2. Proposed Installation Site – Civic Center Park 22 TAFFY BY STEPHANIE LIN FOR PALM DESERT 23 ABOUT PAC Public Art Company (PAC) is a curatorial and production agency dedicated to creating large-scale art and design that transforms space and deepens cultural resonance. We have created work for: ●Festival environments ●Public spaces ●Branded activations ●Community gatherings At the heart of our practice is a belief that art is not just ornamental—it is a vehicle for memory, belonging, and connection. 24 OUR SERVICES ➔Curatorial Strategy ➔Art Direction & Design ➔Production Management ➔Site-Specific Installations ➔Environmental Design ➔Festival & Event Integration ➔Pop-Ups & Brand Collaborations ➔International Artist Network 25 A BIT ABOUT TAFFY AND STEPHANIE LIN Stephanie Lin is a Canadian designer and educator based in New York and Arizona, leading the innovative design studio Present Forms. Lin has exhibited work both independently and with her design collective, Office III, at prestigious venues including MoMA and the National Academy of Design. Taffy is a vibrant, large-scale installation originally composed of seven cloud-like towers ranging from 25 to 50 feet in height, each clad in a double-layered, scalloped mesh that creates dynamic moiré patterns. The towers’ colors, inspired by midcentury desert modernism, shift subtly with the movement of the sun and dramatically transform through lighting at night. Beneath this pastel canopy, plywood benches echoing the towers’ forms and hues invite visitors to gather, pause, and look up. Taffy serves as an immersive visual frame for the event, evoking the ephemeral beauty of desert light and air and fostering a connection with the landscape. 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 Taffy Stephanie Linʼs Taffy is a vibrant, cloud-like spectacle that captivates the senses. Rising majestically above the ground, this stunning installation comprises a collection of towering cylinders, ranging from 25 to 50 feet tall, each adorned with a playful scalloped mesh that creates a dynamic moiré pattern. The colors of the towers were inspired by midcentury desert modernism, with two hues per tower, creating a kaleidoscope of visual delight that shifts with the sunʼs movement throughout the day. Beneath this colorful canopy, open-circle plywood benches weave through the installation, echoing the towersʼ proportions and colors and inviting people to sit, lie down, or explore. Taffy not only serves as a stunning visual frame for its context but also evokes the ephemeral beauty of desert blooms and flowers, encouraging a connection with the landscape and a sense of wonder that evolves from day to night. Taffy was one of three artworks created for the Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival for 2025 in collaboration with Public Art Company and Goldenvoice. Artist: Stephanie Lin 35 Taffy Stephanie Linʼs Taffy is a vibrant, cloud-like spectacle that captivates the senses. Rising majestically above the ground, this stunning installation comprises a collection of towering cylinders, ranging from 25 to 50 feet tall, each adorned with a playful scalloped mesh that creates a dynamic moiré pattern. The colors of the towers were inspired by midcentury desert modernism, with two hues per tower, creating a kaleidoscope of visual delight that shifts with the sunʼs movement throughout the day. Beneath this colorful canopy, open-circle plywood benches weave through the installation, echoing the towersʼ proportions and colors and inviting people to sit, lie down, or explore. Taffy not only serves as a stunning visual frame for its context but also evokes the ephemeral beauty of desert blooms and flowers, encouraging a connection with the landscape and a sense of wonder that evolves from day to night. Taffy was one of three artworks created for the Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival for 2025 in collaboration with Public Art Company and Goldenvoice. Artist: Stephanie Lin 36 Taffy Stephanie Linʼs Taffy is a vibrant, cloud-like spectacle that captivates the senses. Rising majestically above the ground, this stunning installation comprises a collection of towering cylinders, ranging from 25 to 50 feet tall, each adorned with a playful scalloped mesh that creates a dynamic moiré pattern. The colors of the towers were inspired by midcentury desert modernism, with two hues per tower, creating a kaleidoscope of visual delight that shifts with the sunʼs movement throughout the day. Beneath this colorful canopy, open-circle plywood benches weave through the installation, echoing the towersʼ proportions and colors and inviting people to sit, lie down, or explore. Taffy not only serves as a stunning visual frame for its context but also evokes the ephemeral beauty of desert blooms and flowers, encouraging a connection with the landscape and a sense of wonder that evolves from day to night. Taffy was one of three artworks created for the Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival for 2025 in collaboration with Public Art Company and Goldenvoice. Artist: Stephanie Lin 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 BUDGET OVERVIEW ARTIST/ PAC FEE $68,500.00 EPOXY INSPECTION $500.00 TRUCKING $5,000.00 BOOM LIFT x2 $5,000.00 CRANE $25,000.00 TOUCH UP PAINT $3,000.00 PREP LABOR $36,000.00 HARDWARE $2,200.00 INSTALL & TOUCH UP LABOR $13,500.00 ENGINEERING $5,000.00 Total with 10% contingency = $180,070.00 46 OTHER DETAILS CONSTRUCTION TIME ●4 months INSTALL TIME ●3 weeks DE-INSTALL TIME ●3 days OPERATIONAL DATES ●April 11-20, 2025 HEIGHT ●9 feet - 60 feet FOOTPRINT ●100 feet x 100 feet MATERIAL ●Steel, Paint ORIGINAL LOCATION ●Coachella Music and Arts Festival Indio, CA 47 48 City of Palm Desert Proposed Site Location for Coachella Public Art To: Raphael Leher, Public Art Company C/O: Paul Clemente, Art Director, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Proposed Site: Civic Center Park, 33.731252, -116.382143, (nearest address: 43906-43942 San Pablo Ave, Palm Desert, CA 92260) Site Measurements: North to South: 152’ East to West: 125’ 49 View looking to the North View looking to the South 50 View looking to the East View looking to the West 51 52 Page 1 of 2 CULTURAL ARTS COMMITTEE CITY OF PALM DESERT STAFF REPORT MEETING DATE: July 9, 2025 PREPARED BY: Debbie Thompson, Administrative Assistant Erica Powell, Management Analyst SUBJECT: Approval of the 2026 Student Art and Essay Contest Theme and Vinyl Wrap Competition RECOMMENDATION: 1. Approve theme for the 2026 Student Art and Essay Contest . 2. Approve continuation of the vinyl wrap competition as part of this annual program. BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS: The City of Palm Desert’s Student Art and Essay Contest is entering its 39th year and continues to be a fun and creative way for students in grades K –12 to express themselves through visual art, murals, and writing. Students from all Palm Desert schools are invited to participate, and all entries will be proudly displayed for the community to enjoy. After a great turnout at last year’s event, we’re excited to once again partner with the University of California, Riverside – Palm Desert Campus (UCR) to host the 2026 contest. Artwork and essays will be on display in Building B from February 9 through March 27, 2026. The awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., in the auditorium. DISCUSSION: Each year, the Cultural Arts Committee selects a theme to inspire student creativity. Below are a few suggested ideas for 2026: Under the Sea In the Garden My Neighborhood A Walk in the Park Things I See on the Way to School People Who Help Us Imaginary Animals (no AI-generated images) Staff will begin outreach to schools at the start of the 2025 –2026 school year. All student submissions will be due by January 30, 2026. We also recommend continuing the vinyl wrap component of the contest. This popular element allows selected students artwork to be featured on traffic signal cabinets around the city. After 53 Cultural Arts Committee City of Palm Desert (Approval of the 2026 Student Art and Essay Contest Theme and Vinyl Wrap Competition) Page 2 of 2 judging, staff will bring the top entries to the Committee to choose one or more designs to be professionally reproduced and installed. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The cost to produce and install the vinyl wraps will not exceed $6,000 and is included in the approved Public Art budget for Fiscal Year 2025/2026. ATTACHMENT: Past Contest Themes 54 STUDENT ART & ESSAY CONTEST PAST YEARS’ TITLES # Year Theme 1 1985 Palm Desert Through Children’s Eyes 2 1986 Palm Desert Through Children’s Eyes 3 1988* The U.S. Constitution Through Your Eyes 4 1989 Art in Our City Parks 5 1990 Recycling in the 90s – How Palm Desert Makes it Easier 6 1991 Palm Desert – By The Young at Art 7 1992 The Active Life in Palm Desert – 1992 8 1993 Shake, Rattle or Ready? 9 1994 Palm Desert – The Next 20 Years 10 1995 Desert Animals and Their Habitats 11 1996 America Today and Tomorrow 12 1997 If I Could Design Public Art 13 1998 My Favorite Place In Palm Desert 14 1999 Community Services – How Can I/We Help Our Community? 15 2000 I Believe The Most Important Event, Person, or Invention of the Millennium Was…. 16 2001 If I Were on the Palm Desert City Council, I Would….. 17 2002 Palm Desert, My All American City 18 2003 Palm Desert Fun Is…. 19 2004 Flora and Fauna of the Desert 20 2005 A Day in the Park 55 21 2006 If I Could Design With Recycled Materials, It Would Be… 22 2007 If I Could Create an Artwork for El Paseo, It Would Be… 23 2008 Solar Energy 24 2009 How Would I Change the World? 25 2010 Palm Desert: Past, Present, Future 26 2011 Trees: Roots for Life 27 2012 My Hopes and Dreams for Palm Desert in 20 Years 28 2013 American Idols: Who is Your Role Model? 29 2014 What I Want To Be… 30 2015 Palm Desert Through My Eyes 31 2016 My Favorite Landmark 32 2017 When the School Bell Rings 33 2018 Surrounded by Nature 34 2019 A Special Memory 35 2020 This Makes Me Smile -- 2021 – 2022 COVID 36 2023 50 Years of Palm Desert – Where Did We Come From? 37 2024 My Favorite Desert Animal 38 2025 My Favorite Palm Desert Building *This contest was held in November 1985 and 1986; however, in November 1987, it was determined that it should be held in the spring of each year instead of the fall/winter months. No contest was held in 1987. 56 Page 1 of 2 CULTURAL ARTS COMMITTEE CITY OF PALM DESERT STAFF REPORT MEETING DATE: July 9, 2025 PREPARED BY: Erica Powell, Management Analyst SUBJECT: CONSIDER PURCHASE OF RISING INVERSION SCULPTURE BY CRISTOPHER CICHOCKI RECOMMENDATION: Recommend that the City Council approve expenditure in the amount of $150,000 for the purchase of Rising Inversion by artist Cristopher Cichocki (cha-house-key), to be permanently installed at Ironwood Park. BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS: Rising Inversion is a large-scale, site-specific sculpture originally commissioned by the Laguna Art Museum for its 11th annual Art & Nature program. Fabrication of the artwork was fully funded by the Museum, and the sculpture is now available for purchase at a cost that reflects the significant investment already made in its creation. The artwork, measuring 12 feet tall by 40 feet long and weighing approximately 3,000 pounds, is constructed in a spherical formation with a depth ranging from five feet at the center to one foot at the edges. The surface is coated with a phosphorescent pigment that absorbs sunlight during the day and emits a soft glow at dusk, gradually fading as night falls—creating an immersive and interactive public art experience. Ironwood Park, located at 47800 Chia Drive, is a tranquil desert setting with no existing public art. The proposed placement of Rising Inversion will offer residents, visitors, and park users an opportunity to engage with large-scale contemporary art in a serene and contemplative outdoor space. In addition to its artistic merit and interactive quality, Rising Inversion holds special significance as the work of Cristopher Cichocki, a Palm Desert native whose internationally recognized career in contemporary art reflects the City’s ongoing commitment to nurturing and celebrating local talent. Grant Funding Background: In 2024, staff submitted Rising Inversion for consideration under the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Our Town grant. The project was deemed ineligible due to administrative criteria unrelated to the artistic quality or community impact of the proposal. In 2025, the project was again submitted under the ARTS in California Parks grant program, but it did not advance to the application stage. No specific reason for this decision was provided. 57 Cultural Arts Committee City of Palm Desert (Consider Purchase of Rising Inversion Sculpture by Cristopher Cichocki) Page 2 of 2 Despite these grant outcomes, the value of the sculpture and the opportunity it prese nts for community engagement and cultural enrichment remain clear. Staff therefore recommends direct acquisition of the artwork using approved Public Art funds. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The total cost for the acquisition and installation of Rising Inversion is $150,000. Funds have been approved and are available in the Capital Projects Public Art Projects account. The artist will be responsible for all site preparation, transportation, logistics, and installation of the sculpture, ensuring minimal impact on City resources. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Presentation for Rising Inversion by Cristopher Cichocki 2. Cristopher Cichocki Bio 3. LA Times article 4. Palm Springs Life article 5. Proposed Location at Ironwood Park 58 Cristopher Cichocki (pronoun ced CHA -HOUSE-K EY) Artist bio Cichocki studied at CalArts and Yale Norfolk School of the Art. His work is in permanent collections that include the J. Paul Getty Museum, Palm Springs Art Museum, Lancaster Museum of Art. Hailing from the Coachella Valley, Cichocki has explored the depths of the California desert over the past three decades, while generating exhibitions throughout North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. In 2014 Cichocki founded the curatorial platform Epicenter Projects that has recently partnered with Fondation LAccolade - Institute de France to create THE ELEMENTAL - a contemporary center for the arts located in Palm Springs focused on art, science, and environment. SELECTED EXHIBITIONS & PERFORMANCES 2024 Inversion (solo), Saenger Galeria, Mexico City (forthcoming), NUCLEUS (solo), de Sarthe Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona La Vision Revela lo Que El Tacto Ya Conoce, Land Rover Patria, Xappopan, Jalisco - 2023 - Fractal Traces (solo), Projecto Arte, Guadalajara, Mexico - Rising Inversion (solo), Laguna Art Museum / Art & Nature, Laguna Beach, California (solo) (forthcoming) - Primordial Water (solo), Laguna College of Art & Design Gallery, Laguna Beach, California (solo) (forthcoming) - Without Walls Festival presented by The La Jolla Playhouse & San Diego Symphony, The Rady Shell, San Diego, California - Evaporation Pools (solo), Desert Island, Rancho Mirage, California - 2022 - Desert Daze, Lake Perris, California - Coachella Music & Arts Festival, Empire Polo Field, Indio, California - The Gaia Hypothesis Chapter One: Earth, Fire, Water, Air curated by Christopher Yggdre, THE ELEMENTAL, Palm Springs, CA - When The Rubber Meets The Road, ALLEYESONME, San Bernardino, California - 2021- Nothing True Everything Is Alive curated by Christopher Yggdre presented by Fondation LAccolade, Espace Coeur Marias, Paris, France - Historic Ground, Galerie De Vijf Ramen, Arnhem, Netherlands - 2019 - Water Memory (solo) curated by Biennale Urbana, Castello 925, Venice, Italy - 30 Days In Paris (residency), Fondation LAccolade, Paris, France - Desert Sea (solo) Cathedral City, California - Phantom Horizons , Stuttgart International Film Festival, Stuttgart, Germany - The Wrong Digital Art Biennale , Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània, Valencia, Spain - Rotation, The Ace, Palm Springs, California - Landworks, The Long Beach Island Foundation, Loveladies, New Jersey - Joshua Treenial, Joshua Tree, California - 2018 - Divisions of Land and Sea (solo) Museum of Art and History, Lancaster, California - BioPerversity , Nicodim Gallery, Los Angeles, California - The Paseo Project , Taos, New Mexico - Cinema Perpetuum curated by Lera Green, Minsk, Belarus - Perpetual Drone , Human Resources, Los Angeles, California - Desert Daze , Lake Perris, California - 2017 - Faultline , Mecca, California - Wake, A Ship in the Woods, Escondido, Focal Planes, Chungking Studio, Los Angeles, California - Desert Daze , The Institute of Mentalphysics, Joshua Tree, California - Desert Island , Coachella Valley Art Center, Indio, California - Dusk to Dust curated by John Knuth, Mt. San Jacinto College 59 Gallery, San Jacinto, California - 2016 - Biennale Urbana, Teatro Marinoni, Lido, Italy - Root Cycle (solo) Villa Angarano, Bassano del Grappa, Italy - Circular Dimensions (solo) Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, California - Open Desert , Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, California - 2015 - At The Surface (solo) Artere-A, Guadalajara, Mexico - Phantom Horizons curated by Robert Seidel, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany - Sssound Object , Mexicali Rose, Mexicali, Mexico - Experimental Video Showcase, The Drake, Toronto, Canada - Reflections On Water , Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, California - Temporary Radiation, 996 Laboratorio de Arte, Guadalajara, Mexico - Festival of Experimental Video, Museum of Moving Image, New York, New York - 2014 - Circulation (solo) Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, California - Škver Art Project , Klubvizija SC + MM Center Cinema, Zagreb, Croatia - Inversion (solo) Imperial Valley Art Gallery, Imperial, California - Los Angeles Film Festival, Los Angeles, California - Being Here and There curated by Sant Khalsa, Lancaster Museum of Art and History, Lancaster, California - META The Wrong New Digital Art Biennale, Galeria Municipal de Arte, Abrantes, Portugal - Summit Artist- in -Residence, Summit, Eden, Utah - Shame curated by White Zinfandel Magazine, São Paulo International Art Fair, São Paulo, Brazil - Dry Heat : Four Artists In The California Desert curated by Steven Biller, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, Palm Springs, California - 2013 - Desert Abyss: Cycle in Cycle (solo) Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, California - Desert Abyss: Dry Capsule (solo) Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert, Palm Desert, California - Epicenter (solo) See Line Gallery, Los Angeles, California - Summit Outside , Summit, Eden, Utah - 2012 - Remains In The End Times, The Popular Workshop Gallery, San Francisco, California - 2011 - Rojo Nova, Casa França-Brasil, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil - Time Based Art Festival, Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, Portland, Oregon - Multiplicity Festival, Hi Future Theatre, Rio de Janerio, Brazil - Catalysts - 8 Artists on the San Andreas Fault, University of California Riverside, Palm Desert, California - Ende Tymes Festival , Silent Barn, Ridgewood, New York - Valley of The Ancient Lake, Salton Sea History Museum, North Shore, California - 2010 - Full Pull, Inter Arts Center, Malmö, Sweden - Rojo Nova Artscapes, Scion Building, Culver City, California - Rojo Nova, Museum of Image and Sound, São Paulo, Brazil - Desert Abyss: Origin (solo) Marks Art Center, Palm Desert, California - Plankton Robots, Fluxco, Los Angeles, California - 2008 - Elemental Shifting, Salvage Vanguard Theatre, Austin, Texas - SXSW Arts and Music Festival , Austin, Texas - 2007 - Monumento 872, Los Angeles, California - Everything Is Shifting, Pehrspace, Los Angeles, California - Druid Film Festival, Il Corral, Hollywood, California - Optical Projections, Machine Project, Los Angeles, California - 2006 - Wooster On Spring, The Candle Building, New York, New York - Turn The Screws Festival, Il Coral, Hollywood, California - 2005 - Ceremony , Bigoudi, Osaka, Japan 60 NEWS Cristopher Cichocki’s ‘Rising Inversion’ grips viewers with phosphorescent glow Artist Cristopher Cichocki draws lines with a flashlight on his luminescent sculpture, “Rising Inversion,” the signature piece of the 11th annual Art & Nature program at north Main Beach Park in Laguna Beach on Thursday. (Don Leach / Staff Photographer) By Andrew Turner Staff Writer | Contact Nov. 4, 2023 12:58 PM PT Beachgoers who came upon it simply couldn’t pass it and keep going. A massive semicircular structure had been placed at Main Beach, due north of the boardwalk, and even in the daylight, its visitors stared perplexed. Laguna Art Museum representatives filled them in, sharing that the scene before them was the featured exhibit for the institution’s 11th annual Art & Nature program. 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Cristopher Cichocki’s 'Rising Inversion' grips viewers with phosphorescent glow - Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2023-11-04/cristopher-cichockis-rising-inversion-grips-viewers-with-phosphorescent-glow 1/7 61 A crowd of guests waits to watch artist Cristopher Cichocki (in orange jacket) unveil “Rising Inversion” on Thursday. (Don Leach / Staff Photographer) Those who could were advised to stick around for sunset, when Coachella Valley artist Cristopher Cichocki’s headlining work would be officially introduced to the community. Following a discussion by the artist to kick off the event, museum guests joined more members of the public patiently waiting to catch Cichocki’s sculpture, “Rising Inversion,” in full effect. A look at the first reveal of Coachella Valley artist Cristopher Cichocki's "Rising Inversion," the featured exhibit of Laguna Art Museum's 11th annual Art & Nature program. @TheDailyPilot @CarolCormaci pic.twitter.com/L4pBL19s90 — Andrew Turner (@AndrewTurnerTCN) November 3, 2023 When the sun went down, Cichocki flashed a light over the sand and phosphorescent surface of the artwork, each wave of the mysterious wand-like device giving way to a new piece of what he called a “biomorphic light painting.” Gathered in the dark, a captive audience stood at rapt attention as the image came into being, its turquoise-tinted glow an homage to bioluminescence, an occurrence that happens every so often off the shore of Southern California. 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Cristopher Cichocki’s 'Rising Inversion' grips viewers with phosphorescent glow - Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2023-11-04/cristopher-cichockis-rising-inversion-grips-viewers-with-phosphorescent-glow 2/7 62 Artist Cristopher Cichocki’s “Rising Inversion” is set against a hillside at Main Beach Park in Laguna Beach. (Don Leach / Staff Photographer) The 3,000-pound structure, 12 feet tall and 40 feet long, dominated its location in front of a hillside above the surf line. Its depth ranged from 5 feet in the center to 1 foot at its edges, giving it a spherical appearance. A high-density foam made the structure transportable. It was then sealed with concrete, a phosphorescent topcoat and sand from the shoreline of Laguna Beach. While the artwork is located at Main Beach, placing it in front of the hillside and away from the downtown area was by design, Cichocki said. 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Cristopher Cichocki’s 'Rising Inversion' grips viewers with phosphorescent glow - Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2023-11-04/cristopher-cichockis-rising-inversion-grips-viewers-with-phosphorescent-glow 3/7 63 Artist Cristopher Cichocki begins the process of lighting his luminescent artwork “Rising Inversion” on Thursday. (Don Leach / Staff Photographer) “The phosphorescence is a pigment that I’ve been using in my work for almost two decades,” Cichocki said. “It’s a kind of custom varnish that I’ve created in relationship to this phosphorescent pigment. With just a matter of 30 minutes of sunlight, it will glow all night long. If you were to have zero light pollution, this thing would be looking as bright as this particular activation of the light painting.” Cichocki considers his work to be at the intersection of the natural world and industry. In 2022, he had the opportunity to exhibit and perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. “Circular Dimensions x Microscape,” his installation featuring 25,000 feet of PVC pipe, created a pavilion that served as his performance stage. During its brief stay on Main Beach, “Rising Inversion” was the planned backdrop for an audiovisual performance by Cichocki on Saturday night. 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Cristopher Cichocki’s 'Rising Inversion' grips viewers with phosphorescent glow - Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2023-11-04/cristopher-cichockis-rising-inversion-grips-viewers-with-phosphorescent-glow 4/7 64 Artist Cristopher Cichocki walks to his featured exhibit “Rising Inversion” on Thursday in Laguna Beach. (Don Leach / Staff Photographer) “Circular Dimensions is my musical moniker,” Cichocki said. “It’s an audiovisual, ever-evolving series of performances that responds to the immediate site. I’ve been doing it for 10 years now, and there’s always some element of sound, some element of light, of video, kind of a multi-sensory environment.” Cichocki said the sounds planned for Saturday night’s show included a combination of ambient sound, Gregorian chants and sounds heard in Laguna such as ocean waves and street traffic passing by in the dead of night. “If there’s nothing around and that car’s going down the vastness of Coast Highway, it actually sounds like a wave,” Cichocki added. “There’s this synthesis that occurs.” 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Cristopher Cichocki’s 'Rising Inversion' grips viewers with phosphorescent glow - Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2023-11-04/cristopher-cichockis-rising-inversion-grips-viewers-with-phosphorescent-glow 5/7 65 The sun sets on artist Cristopher Cichocki’s “Rising Inversion” in Laguna Beach on Thursday. (Don Leach / Staff Photographer) The final sunset for the work will fall on Sunday, which concludes this year’s Art & Nature festivities. A graduate of Palm Desert High who went on to study at California Institute of the Arts, Cichocki said it was an honor to have his work featured in the Art & Nature program. He named off several headlining artists of the past, including Laddie John Dill, Lita Albuquerque and Phillip K. Smith III. Julie Perlin Lee, executive director of Laguna Art Museum, said she consulted with former Art & Nature artists before landing on Cichocki as this year’s featured creative. She said that Cichocki had appeal as a multidisciplinary artist who had a history of being able to collaborate with multiple agencies on projects. 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Cristopher Cichocki’s 'Rising Inversion' grips viewers with phosphorescent glow - Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2023-11-04/cristopher-cichockis-rising-inversion-grips-viewers-with-phosphorescent-glow 6/7 66 Copyright © 2025, Los Angeles Times | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | CA Notice of Collection | Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information Artist Cristopher Cichocki draws lines with a flashlight on “Rising Inversion” at north Main Beach Park in Laguna Beach on Thursday. (Don Leach / Staff Photographer) “What was really fascinating to me is that Cristopher is an artist who is thinking on a huge timescale,” Perlin Lee said. “He thinks on geologic time, and that’s something that I think is really important for me, and I hope others are picking up on that when they see his project here, that we are very concerned with our environment today and our planet today. “So many of us are focused on the now, but I love that the undercurrent of Cristopher’s work is to think about the much bigger and broader picture, and not even just in terms of water and its scarcity here on Earth, but he also talks about in his work, he thinks about how water even got onto our planet in the first place when it was being formed.” Andrew Turner Andrew Turner is a sports reporter for the Daily Pilot. Before joining the Pilot in October 2016, he covered prep sports as a freelancer for the Orange County Register for four years. His work also has been used by the Associated Press and California Rubber Hockey Magazine. While attending Long Beach State, he wrote for the college newspaper, the Daily 49er. He graduated with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and history. (714) 966-4611 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Cristopher Cichocki’s 'Rising Inversion' grips viewers with phosphorescent glow - Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2023-11-04/cristopher-cichockis-rising-inversion-grips-viewers-with-phosphorescent-glow 7/7 67 68 Cristopher Cichocki evolves the elements of ecology through light, sound, and post-industrial debris. ARTS + CULTURE Local Artist Cristopher Cichocki Provides a Glimpse Inside The Elemental ❮❯ New Luxury Homes Palm Springs & Palm Desert Schedule a Tour$1,336,000 3-BR at Luxury Golf Community in Palm Springs $709,000 Luxury 3-BR, 2-BA, Resort Amenities in Palm Desert $699,000 Modern 3-BR, 2-BA, Resort Amenities in Palm Desert aa 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Local Artist Cristopher Cichocki Provides a Glimpse Inside The Elemental - Palm Springs Life https://www.palmspringslife.com/arts-culture/local-artist-cristopher-cichocki-provides-a-glimpse-inside-the-elemental/1/17 69 May 28, 2025 Story by Shana Dambrot An immersive array of light, painting, sculpture, and sound captured during Cristopher Cichocki's latest solo exhibition, Primordial Waters at The Elemental in Palm Springs. PHOTOGRAPHY BY LANCE GERBER Listen to this story: 00:00 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Local Artist Cristopher Cichocki Provides a Glimpse Inside The Elemental - Palm Springs Life https://www.palmspringslife.com/arts-culture/local-artist-cristopher-cichocki-provides-a-glimpse-inside-the-elemental/2/17 70 For the better part of two decades, artist Cristopher Cichocki (pronounced cha-house-key) has been mining the dried-out seabeds and decaying infrastructures of the California desert — specifically the Coachella Valley and Salton Sea regions — gathering barnacles, emergency water canisters, misshapen fish skeletons, spiny succulents, and a variety of post-industrial debris to create a unique language of ecological elegy. His latest exhibition, Primordial Waters at The Elemental in Palm Springs, was an interdisciplinary spectacle featuring paintings, sculpture, photography, projection, sound, and immersive environments, charting a conceptual narrative from prehistoric Paleozoic to futuristic fallout. (Primordial Waters closed in May, but Cichocki plans to mount a follow-up in October.) 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Local Artist Cristopher Cichocki Provides a Glimpse Inside The Elemental - Palm Springs Life https://www.palmspringslife.com/arts-culture/local-artist-cristopher-cichocki-provides-a-glimpse-inside-the-elemental/3/17 71 Cristopher Cichocki stands in front of his painting “Salt/Earth #2,” illuminated by UV light and glowing with phosphorescence, in his exhibition Primordial Waters at The Elemental. 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Local Artist Cristopher Cichocki Provides a Glimpse Inside The Elemental - Palm Springs Life https://www.palmspringslife.com/arts-culture/local-artist-cristopher-cichocki-provides-a-glimpse-inside-the-elemental/4/17 72 PORTRAIT BY VICTOR GONZALEZ The Elemental itself is a fascinating node in Cichocki’s creative continuum. Founded in 2020 as a joint initiative between Cichocki and Catherine Dobler of Paris-based Fondation L Accolade, where he was an artist in residence, the expansive space functions as a contemporary art center, residency hub, and conceptual think tank with a growing educational program for high schoolers called New Generation Arts. “I was that kid,” Cichocki often says, referring to the desert youth who now benefit from mentorship opportunities with international artists and thinkers. Cichocki’s long-form, multiyear approach to artmaking often unfolds in chapters. He revisits sites of ecological, cultural, and geological significance — the Salton Sea, the mud pots, the San Andreas Fault (where he also ran an outdoor residency called Epicenter Projects) — relentlessly investigating the intersection of art, ecology, and material science. Cristopher Cichocki - Primordial Waters | PALM SPRINGS LIFECristopher Cichocki - Primordial Waters | PALM SPRINGS LIFE 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Local Artist Cristopher Cichocki Provides a Glimpse Inside The Elemental - Palm Springs Life https://www.palmspringslife.com/arts-culture/local-artist-cristopher-cichocki-provides-a-glimpse-inside-the-elemental/5/17 73 A CalArts graduate who relocated from Wisconsin to Palm Desert with his family at age 10, he speaks of the Coachella Valley not as muse but as collaborator. He culls organic materials, intervenes with studio artifice and technology, and presents his findings in exhibitions and performances at venues such as the Palm Springs Art Museum and Lancaster Museum of Art & History (MOAH). His resume reads like a circuit map of experimental festivals and alternative biennales, from Coachella festival’s large-scale art program to Venice’s Biennale Urbana, São Paulo’s Museum of Image & Sound, Mexico City’s Zona Maco, and locations closer to his Palm Springs home. The Elemental’s inaugural exhibition, The Gaia Hypothesis – Chapter One: Earth, Fire, Water, Air (2022), curated by Christopher Yggdre, celebrated lineages of influences and contemporaries, including Laura Grisi and Ana Mendieta, in dialogue with Cichocki’s work. It explored the classical elements through James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis’ 1970s theory that Earth behaves as a self-regulating organism. Then, the group exhibition The Gaia Hypothesis – Chapter Two: Palm Trees Also Die (2023) examined sacred land stewardship through the lens of environmental collapse, with works addressing vanishing palm oases and the ancestral home of the Cahuilla people. 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Local Artist Cristopher Cichocki Provides a Glimpse Inside The Elemental - Palm Springs Life https://www.palmspringslife.com/arts-culture/local-artist-cristopher-cichocki-provides-a-glimpse-inside-the-elemental/6/17 74 View of the entrance of the exhibition The Gaia Hypothesis – Chapter One: Earth, Fire, Water, Air. Installation view of the exhibition The Gaia Hypothesis – Chapter Two: Palm Trees Also Die. 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Local Artist Cristopher Cichocki Provides a Glimpse Inside The Elemental - Palm Springs Life https://www.palmspringslife.com/arts-culture/local-artist-cristopher-cichocki-provides-a-glimpse-inside-the-elemental/7/17 75 Series of photographs by Lance Gerber on view during the 2025 exhibition Modern/Desert at The Elemental. 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Local Artist Cristopher Cichocki Provides a Glimpse Inside The Elemental - Palm Springs Life https://www.palmspringslife.com/arts-culture/local-artist-cristopher-cichocki-provides-a-glimpse-inside-the-elemental/8/17 76 Photography by Glen Wexler on view during the 2025 exhibition Modern/Desert at The Elemental. Immersive video by artist Mona Kuhn during the 2025 exhibition Modern/Desert at The Elemental. 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Local Artist Cristopher Cichocki Provides a Glimpse Inside The Elemental - Palm Springs Life https://www.palmspringslife.com/arts-culture/local-artist-cristopher-cichocki-provides-a-glimpse-inside-the-elemental/9/17 77 Primordial Waters is an evolving solo exhibition — overtly aquatic and lunar, in both material and poetic dimensions. He embraced not only the rippling blue Salton Seascape but also its hyper-salinated, post-human shimmer, encasing barnacles and debris from the shoreline in strangely alluring skins of chrome — sculptural works that read like relics of a lost civilization. References to ancient and speculative technologies permeate the exhibition. Rusted Cold War emergency water canisters stamped “Property of the U.S. Government, 1953” rest alongside cinder blocks that evoke both brutalist fallout shelters and sacred desert architecture. Synthetic sand mingles with organic soil. Water, meant to save, instead seeps, rusts, and destroys. In his series Evaporation Lines, Cichocki renders old data-card topographies and patchwork grids in metallic watercolors, their surfaces catching light like liquid mercury. A cavernous black-light chamber cycles between daylight neutrals and hallucinogenic nocturnes, making the works appear to shape-shift under UV spectra. At their core, they remain abstract, cosmic, molecular — fractal inversions of neurons, root systems, and galactic clusters. There’s a robust art historical lineage here, one that includes light and space artists like Mary Corse and Lita Albuquerque, land art figures Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt, Vivian Suter’s canvas jungles, and Walter De Maria’s boxes of soil, bringing the vast terrain into human space and scale. Cichocki, too, brings the land inside — not only as material but as living, unpredictable systems. “We live not, in reality, on the summit of a solid earth, but at the bottom of an ocean of air,” he reminds us, citing Thales of Miletus’ prescient 600 B.C. observation on the intersection of natural science and human perception. Cichocki’s art translates that invisible connection into strikingly visible form. 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Local Artist Cristopher Cichocki Provides a Glimpse Inside The Elemental - Palm Springs Life https://www.palmspringslife.com/arts-culture/local-artist-cristopher-cichocki-provides-a-glimpse-inside-the-elemental/10/17 78 Cichocki’s Fractal Traces series of works on paper alongside his painting series Evaporation Lines, as seen in Primordial Waters. His paintings and sculptural works embedded with sea salt, sand, and barnacles, as seen in Primordial Waters. 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Local Artist Cristopher Cichocki Provides a Glimpse Inside The Elemental - Palm Springs Life https://www.palmspringslife.com/arts-culture/local-artist-cristopher-cichocki-provides-a-glimpse-inside-the-elemental/11/17 79 Black-light causes a resin-cast aloe vera installation to glow in Primordial Waters. Beyond the objects in the show, Primordial Waters comes alive through time-based elements. Video projections mimic lunar surfaces and phosphorescent marine life. A live microscope laboratory captures barnacles growing and mutating in real time. Audiovisual performances activate the space with soundscapes and ritual interventions. A resin-cast, Day-Glo aloe vera installation nods to both psychedelic bioluminescence and the practical vernacular of desert survival — and recalls the gorgeous and alarming impact of Cichocki’s earlier works. Through The Elemental, Cichocki and Dobler have institutionalized their ethos. To date, more than 50 international artists have exhibited there, while high school mentees thread their own narratives into the desert’s cultural tapestry. An annual residency program has brought practitioners like Sara Favriau, Marie-Luce Nadal, and Mona Kuhn into direct engagement with the region’s ecology. An upcoming expansion promises additional exhibition and performance space. There’s a larger cosmology at work here — one where the desert is both graveyard and laboratory, where water is older than the sun, and where art might still function as witness and warning. SHARE THIS STORY 6/30/25, 10:09 AM Local Artist Cristopher Cichocki Provides a Glimpse Inside The Elemental - Palm Springs Life https://www.palmspringslife.com/arts-culture/local-artist-cristopher-cichocki-provides-a-glimpse-inside-the-elemental/12/17 80 Proposed location for installation of Rising Inversion – Ironwood Park, 47800 Chia Drive 81 82 View from concrete path in park. 83 84 Consider Purchase of Rising Inversion CULTURAL ARTS COMMITTEE PRESENTATION CITY OF PALM DESERT 85 Recommendation Approve expenditure of $150,000 from the Capital Projects Public Art Projects account for the purchase of Rising Inversion by Cristopher Cichocki (Cha-house-key), to be permanently installed at Ironwood Park. 86 Background •Rising Inversion was originally commissioned by Laguna Art Museum. •Fabrication is complete and fully funded by the Museum. •The 3,000-pound sculpture measures 12 ft x 40 ft, coated with phosphorescent pigment that glows at dusk. 87 Artistic and Community Significance •Interactive, large-scale public art installation •Proposed for Ironwood Park, a serene desert location with no current public art •Created by Palm Desert native Cristopher Cichocki •Promotes local talent and expands cultural landscape 88 89 90 Fiscal Analysis Total cost for acquisition and installation: $150,000 The artist will be responsible for: •Site preparation •Transportation and logistics •Installation Funds approved and available in Public Art Capital Projects account. 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 Page 1 of 1 CULTURAL ARTS COMMITTEE CITY OF PALM DESERT STAFF REPORT MEETING DATE: July 9, 2025 PREPARED BY: Erica Powell, Management Analyst SUBJECT: APPOINT A SUBCOMMITTEE TO STRATEGIZE PUBLIC ART PROGRAMMING RECOMMENDATION: Appoint a subcommittee of up to three Committee members to develop a strategic plan for public art programming. BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS: At its meeting on April 9, 2025, the Cultural Arts Committee (CAC) began developing a focused Fiscal Year 2025–2026 Work Plan to guide the City’s public art projects. The plan was refined and formally adopted by the CAC on May 14, 2025, and included a prop osal to establish a subcommittee to explore opportunities for community engagement and expanded geographic equity—particularly in north Palm Desert and at the city’s entry points. The Work Plan was approved by the Palm Desert City Council on June 12, 2025 . Among its top priorities is the development of a strategic public art approach for areas historically underrepresented in the City’s permanent collection. The subcommittee will assist staff in identifying key sites, themes that reflect the area’s character, and opportunities to enhance Palm Desert’s identity at the city’s entry points. Recommendations developed by the subcommittee will be presented to the full Committee for review. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with this request. Any future project proposals arising from the subcommittee’s recommendations will be brought forward with associated cost estimates for CAC and the City Council’s consideration. 103 104 Cultural Arts Committee Year 2025 2025 2025 2025 2025 2025 2024 2024 2024 2024 2024 Month Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Day 11 14 9 12 12 8 11 13 9 11 Boren, Maureen P P P A - - P P P P - 1 0 Flint, Lori P P E P - - P P P P - 0 1 Grant, Aaron E P P P - - P P P P - 0 0 Hauer, Liz P P P P - - P P P P - 0 0 Mitze, Tom P A P P - - P P P P - 1 0 Rose, Pia E P P P - - P P P P - 0 1 Simley, Ann P P P P - - P P P P - 0 0 P Present P Remote A Absent E Excused -No Meeting Resigned/Not Yet Appointed Palm Desert Municipal Code 2.34.010 Three unexcused absences from regular meeting in any twelve-month period shall constitute an automatic resignation of members holding office on boards that meet bimonthly. Please contact the Recording Secretary to discuss any attendance concerns. Total Absences Unexcused Excused 105