Art in Albany

The Albany Arts Committee advises the City Council on cultural and artistic matters within the City including the acquisition and placement of public art. The Committee adheres to the Public Arts Master Plan, the Art in Public Places Ordinance and the Public Arts Project Plan in order to support, develop and promote art in Albany and increase the economic vitality of the City.

The Committee meets on the first Monday of the month at 7pm at City Hall. Find out more about the Arts Committee.

On December 18th , 2023 the Council adopted Resolution No. 2023-81, affirming the Arts Committee's selection, Path to Belonging by Susan Moffat, for the implementation of the Albany Creative Justice Art Project in an amount not to exceed $30,000.

Path to Belonging by Susan Moffatt, scheduled to begin Fall of 2024, will actively engage residents of Albany in creatively addressing past, present and future issues of social justice in a month-long participatory multi-media art project centered on the Ohlone Greenway. The project will consist of research, and interviews, storytelling and conversations, the creation of books by community members, posters involving painting, drawing, original prints, and collage on Albany history, temporary installations of resin sculptures, performance and video projections on BART pillars. The project will be documented through the creation of a web archive and printed catalog.

The Albany Murals Project aims to enhance the visual landscape of Albany, to preserve and enrich Albany's cultural environment, and to promote community engagement through the creation of vibrant and exciting public murals.

The current Call for Artists is for the inaugural installation: murals on four columns supporting the BART tracks on the Ohlone Greenway. Submissions closed on June 20, 2024 at 4pm, but stay tuned there will be additional mural projects in Albany starting in 2025. Read more about the Albany Murals Project.

The Albany Community Center Art Gallery is supported by the City of Albany and managed by the Albany Arts Committee. The Albany Arts Committee sponsors 4 art shows per year and the exhibits run for approximately 3 months. The Gallery has played host to wonderful & talented artists from Albany and neighboring cities. Learn more about the Foyer Art Gallery and find out how to submit your artwork for consideration.

The Art in Public Places Ordinance establishes a mechanism for funding public art in Albany. The ordinance requires that certain public and private construction projects either include a Public Art element or provide an in-lieu fee for public art elsewhere. Any public or private development with a Construction Cost greater than $300,000 (as calculated by the City of Albany) must include a Public Art component equal to 1.75% of the total construction costs. If there is not a possible public space for Public Art at the project site, the development must then make a contribution equal to 1.75% of project costs to the Public Art Fund. Learn more about the Public Art in Albany.