Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith will be the artist who will bring to life the racial equity mural in Redwood City, after the local Arts Commission recommended to the City Council and Mayor Giselle Hale the proposal and it was unanimously accepted.
Wolfe-Goldsmith, an Oakland native, noted during the virtual presentation of her work to the Redwood City Arts Commission and residents at large that "creating an equitable world requires telling an honest account of history and sharing our hopes and dreams for the future."
In that sense he noted that his racial equity mural design illustrates historical moments along with achievements and visions. "The design I present has a non-linear timeline where stories intertwine with each other."
"Creating an equitable world requires an honest retelling of history, sharing our hopes and dreams for the future. My design is a balance of these ideas, illustrating historical shenanigans along with achievements and visions," added the also creative director of the Bay Area Mural Program (BAMP).
The Racial Equity Mural Steering Committee met twice to analyze the results of the community survey conducted after the two semi-finalists' submissions, scored each artist, compiled the results and held a final discussion to provide a recommendation to the Arts Commission.
Although the scoring for both artists was very close, the Steering Committee recommended to the Arts Commission that Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith was the best choice for the particular location and application.
Subsequently, the Arts Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the same artist be selected to paint the Racial Equity Mural to the City Council.
Voting for the selection of the artist was done with the thought of reflecting the community's responses, the artist's commitment to capturing the history of Redwood City in more detail in her vision/representation, as well as the artist's images being easier to capture while traveling by car - due to the location of the future mural.
In turn, the Committee specified that Rachel had the equipment and confirmed that she could execute the mural within one to two months.
On the other hand, he noted that Chicano artist Lucia Gonzalez Hipolito -a semi-finalist- provided a wonderful and impactful story in her work and, although she was not recommended for this job, there was a call to involve her in future mural opportunities in the city.
The mural project, which will be located in the Jefferson underpass at the entrance to Redwood City, was submitted in 2020 following the racial justice protests, and the City Council allocated $100,000 to make it happen.
The resources were allocated to the Public Art Fund through the Utility Users Tax/Capital Improvement Projects, and not from the General Fund.
You may be interested in: San Mateo County artists to participate in new art exhibit in Redwood City
