Open House and Community Mixer for City Hall Mural Recommendations
November 7, 2023 8:12 AM
by Tati Simonian
In celebration of the months-long process of meetings, events, activities and discussion centered around the Reframe: City Hall Mural initiative, the city will host an open house on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. for participants to gather and reflect on the process, ask questions centered around the robust summary report and resulting recommendations by facilitating consultants Meztli Projects and discuss ways to continue to be involved. All are invited to this free event. Light refreshments will be served.
The summary report contains details about the process, panel discussions and community meetings that occurred, and resulting recommendations for the city.
The City Hall Mural project involved a thorough, deep dive into the history of, context around and possible future options for the Stanton Macdonald-Wright mural in the lobby of historic City Hall. This included a robust community process that centered around community voices, including local First Peoples, Marquez family descendants, students, young adults, local educators, conservationists, the Santa Monica Arts and Landmarks Commissions, city employees and others who work and live in Santa Monica.
Public events such as walking tours, listening sessions and film screenings with discussions provided opportunities for the public to engage and share feedback addressing the murals and civic representation in public art.
The next step in advancing the Reframe: City Hall Mural project will be to present the set of recommendations alongside a comprehensive report to the City Council for further discussion and direction in early 2024. Council meeting agendas and instructions for public comment are available here.
Background and resources
For project details on Reframe: City Hall Mural, click here.
Meztli Projects is a collaborative arts and culture organization that includes artists, researchers, organizers and advocates. Meztli centers Indigeneity in their staff, in the ways they approach community connection and in the perspective they bring to projects. That work includes using arts-based strategies to support Native and Indigenous artists and people impacted by systems of oppression.
The City Hall Mural project facilitation team is Joel Garcia, Robin Garcia Ph.D., Susannah Laramee Kidd Ph.D., and Rosten Woo.
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Below photos left to right:
Attendees at the May 2023 Mural Open House. Photo by Kenneth Lopez, Meztli Projects.
Students respond to prompts around representation and belonging with artist Glenna Avila, summer 2022. Photo by Kristina Sado.
Participants on a tour of the Lives that Bind exhibit in City Hall East. Photo by Kenneth Lopez, Meztli Projects.
Members of the Working Circle view background materials. Photo by Kenneth Lopez, Meztli Projects.
Authored By
Tati Simonian
Public Information Officer