Santa Rosa seeks art to adorn downtown garage

Santa Rosa wants local artists to help spruce up a downtown parking garage that’s somewhat screened from view, helping draw attention to the structure while giving it face lift.

The city’s Art in Public Places Committee last week approved a call for artists to submit ideas for up to 901 square feet on the southwest corner of the five-story garage overlooking Orchard and Fifth streets. This spot was chosen because that corner faces the heart of downtown and because the garage is partially screened along Fifth Street by several large redwoods, according to city staff.

“There’s been a lot of support for public art on our garages so far,” said Tara Thompson, at the committee meeting, adding that she and the city’s parking manager bounce ideas off each other make Santa Rosa’s garages more than just a place to leave a car.

Public art, including the mural adorning a section of the city’s First Street garage, already is a common sight in Santa Rosa.The city separately is adding a centerpiece installation on the north side of Old Courthouse Square, working with a Tucson-based artist to create a steel structure infused with community inspiration.

Santa Rosa has set aside $25,000 for this latest art contest, which aims to “draw positive attention to and increase the visibility of the Fifth Street garage, which even regular visitors to the downtown often do not know exists,” according to the city’s project description.

The project is funded by the city’s parking department and public art funds.

The contest is open to professional artists in Northern California. Sonoma County artists are encouraged to apply and can do so by going to srcity.submittable.com/submit.

The application deadline is 5 p.m. on March 15. Finalists are expected to be notified in April and to submit proposed designs by late May. The winning piece of art will be selected this summer with a goal of being installed by February 2022.

You can reach Staff Writer Will Schmitt at 707-521-5207 or will.schmitt@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @wsreports.