Huntington Beach City Council contracts for public art piece in Central Park

Huntington Beach Mayor Lyn Semeta, a watercolor and mixed-media artist, was pleased that the last administrative item on the agenda of Monday night’s City Council meeting had to do with art.

The outgoing mayor was presiding over her last council meeting before handing the reins to Kim Carr.

During the meeting council members unanimously voted to contract with RDG Planning & Art Design Studio to create an art piece in Huntington Central Park.

The contract will not exceed $300,000, to be paid for by the city’s public art fund, which sits at about $360,000. The art will be installed within the grass areas adjacent to the library fountain and secret garden, according to a city staff report.

“It will be original, community and artist generated and will have to harmonize with and respect the integrity of the unique architecture of the Central Library and natural aesthetic of Huntington Central Park,” the report read.

In September, the City Council authorized Semeta to appoint an ad-hoc Huntington Central Park Public Art Committee, composed of two council members, two staff and three community members. The committee received 11 applications and conducted interviews with five artists.

RDG has commissioned more than 80 large-scale art projects across the country and in Canada. There is a target date of December 2021 to install the art in Central Park.

“It will be iconic,” Semeta said. “I think everyone will be very, very excited. It will make our city proud.”

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