The city of Santa Rosa is on the hunt for local North Bay artists to submit their ideas to fill the space on the downtown facing Fifth Street parking garage. The makeover of this space adds to the many murals and art installations seen across Sonoma County and hopes to draw more people to the area.

The Art in Public Places Committee (APPC) helps advise the City Council on public art matters, as well the APPC oversees matters relating to the Public Arts Program. They are the ones responsible for many of the public artwork that can be seen while driving around Santa Rosa such as the Fish Mosaic sculpture in Prince Gateway Park, and the Maple Avenue mural that spans over 600 feet in the Luther Burbank neighborhood. 

The project proposal for the Fifth Street parking garage was, “Actually approved a few years ago but was delayed due to fires and the pandemic,” stated APPC Arts Coordinator Tara Thompson.  The artwork for the Garage was put on hold for some time but the city of Santa Rosa is ready to get it started by approving the search for artists earlier this month. 

The Fifth Street Parking Garage or “Garage 3” as it is often referred to was built in 1982 and contains five floors with a total of 708 vehicle spaces. The ‘canvas’ for this project is the downtown facing exterior wall which has an approximate dimension of 901 square feet.

The artwork for consideration is not limited to just painted murals, the city is encouraging all artists through different mediums to submit ideas. According to the city’s project plan, “2D materials, such as painted murals or other flat applications are encouraged, however, 3D materials including light-based installations will be considered with proper engineering and mounting/installation.”

The City of Santa Rosa has secured funding through the city’s parking department and public art fund giving the project a total budget of $25,000. According to the city’s project description this project will help attract more people to the garage, “The goal of this completed project is to draw positive attention to and increase the visibility of the Fifth Street Garage.” and that, “The art will distinguish the garage from nearby structures and serve as a wayfinding element through identification and draw people to the site.”

Sonoma County residents enjoy the beauty that these public art works bring to the area. Katelyn Bowman a Sonoma State Junior and Santa Rosa resident said, “Looking at the murals around Sonoma County never gets old. It is amazing to see not only the creativity in others, but the passion they put into their work,” adding, “it is beyond impressive to see what people can do and I can’t wait to see more in the future.”

Artists who submit an application will hear from the selection panel in April and the finalists chosen by the panel will be given to the APPC in July. Santa Rosa is projecting the installation and completion of this project by Feb. 2022. 

Artists can apply individually or as a team, the deadline for artists to submit their applications is March 15 at 5p.m. The City of Santa Rosa encourages all eligible artists to apply at https://srcity.submittable.com/submit.