Hello, Pomona Arts Community!

Welcome to the first edition of the Art in Public Places monthly newsletter. We heard your call for a centralized source of local happenings and resources, so we'll be publishing a newsletter on the first Thursday of every month starting…now!

️Art in Public Places Updates

1. Happy Arts Month!

We are excited to celebrate the 8^th Annual Arts, Culture and Creativity Month for the State of California! The theme this year is #JoyActionPower. Celebrate with us all month long with artist spotlights, a city proclamation, and more.

• City Council Arts Month Proclamation: 4/6 at 7 PM in Council Chambers
• Watercolor Exhibition: 4/10 at 6 PM at dA Center for the Arts
• Artist Interviews with Carly Lake & Dave Kim: all month long on our social media!

2. New Murals

We are happy to welcome two new completed murals into our public art collection by Dave Young Kim at 436 W 4^th Street and Carly Lake at 1500 Gilette Road. Interviews with both artists will be going up on the city social media soon, so keep an eye out!

3. Natural Dyes & Watercolor Illustration with Carly Lake

Artist Carly Lake will be hosting FREE workshops on watercolor illustration on 4/11 and natural dyes on 4/4 at the JFK Teen Center. Participants must be 13-18 years old and can sign up at bit.ly/pomonacreation or call (909) 802-7730. Space is limited so sign up ASAP!

4. Watercolor Reception on Friday, April 10 at 6 PM

Join us to celebrate the 15^th Annual Watercolor Contest! All submissions will be on display and awards announced on opening night. Located at the dA Center for the Arts (252 D South Main St.)

5. SIEMENS Proposal Review @ Washington Park Community Center + City Hall

Join us at Washington Park Community Center (865 E Grand Ave) on Monday April 13, 2026 from 5:30 - 6:30 PM to learn directly from artists about their proposals for artwork at the SIEMENS site and give your feedback!

If you can't make it to the event, you can also come by City Hall Monday - Thursday from 7:30 AM - 6 PM to see the proposals and submit your comments before April 23, 2026.

6. Artwork Preservation: Pomona Go + Interest Form

The City's art collection requires ongoing preservation efforts, and we are continuously working to implement the most sustainable, effective, and efficient care strategies. We sincerely appreciate the staff and residents who have reported instances of vandalism or deterioration in our public artworks-your efforts help us ensure the longevity and integrity of the collection.

If you notice issues with public art, please don't hesitate to use the Pomona Go app! This all-in-one app allows you to easily report a variety of City-related concerns, including those about public art. You can access the app here.

If you are a local artist interested in providing direct support with preservation, fill out this contact form and we will be in touch about opportunities for collaboration.

7. Cultural Arts Commission Meetings

Cultural Arts Commission meetings are held every fourth Monday at Council Chambers (505 S Garey Ave.) and always open to the public. The commission meeting calendar can be found here.

Artist Resources

1. PAiD Professional Development Workshop Series for Artists

Free online workshop series designed to build skills and advance artist careers in public art offered by LA County Arts & Culture's Public Artists in Development Program!

This series of workshops is designed to demystify the barriers of entry to public art and provide artists with the tools and confidence needed to advance their careers in public art. Each workshop will feature a unique topic balancing practical knowledge of public art commissioning to field-wide discourse around the role and purpose of public art.

You can watch previous sessions on preparing portfolios, understanding contracts, managing a project budget, and more at their website here.

Opportunities

1. San Bernardino County Transit Authority Utility Box RFQ

SBCTA (San Bernardino County Transit Authority) is issuing this RFQ (Request for Qualifications) for the design of wraps to be placed on utility boxes that are located at stations along the West Valley Connector project alignment. This new dedicated bus line connects Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Operated by Omnitrans the route will travel through the cities of Pomona, Montclair, Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga. This artist call is meant specifically for artists who reside within the service area of Omnitrans which includes Riverside county as well as Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. The call is issued for visual artists as well as poets, photographers and other creatives who can develop an artwork is spread across a series of utility boxes located near platforms. This is a design project and the final design fee is $5,000 for a final design which may be used more than once along the alignment.

The call is open now, was live on March 13th and the deadline is May 13th 2026 at Noon

Artists may apply at the following link, free of charge though the CAFÉ website.

Direct URL to call information:

https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=17112

2. LA County Fair Vendor Booths for Artists, Creatives & Makers!

The Alley Gallery is offering discounted vendor booths with 10 ft x 10 ft spaces in Expo Hall 6 during the LA County Fair, happening May 7-31. Reach out to them at [email protected] for more information.

3. Become a Vendor at Art Walk!

Are you a creative interested in sharing your work with the world? Learn more about becoming a vendor at the monthly art walks in Downtown Pomona here.

️ Events & Exhibitions in Pomona

4/3 First Friday AMOCA Pay-What-You-Can | AMOCA

4/3-25 Look at Me | Sasse Museum of Art

4/3-25 Observations in B&W | Sasse Museum of Art

4/3-25 Ozzy Espinoza | Sasse Museum of Art

4/10 Annual Watercolor Contest Reception | dA Center for the Arts x Art in Public Places

4/11 Second Saturday Art Walk | 197 W 2nd St.

4/11 CathARTic Artist Reception | dA Center for the Arts

4/18 CLAY PLAY All Ages Workshop | AMOCA

4/19 Artist Reception | Sasse Museum of Art

4/28 Artist Talk with Kristy Moreno | AMOCA

5/8 Rooted in Resilience: Art, Plants & Community Healing | Community Innovation Hub

_{^{The links above are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the City of Pomona. We bear no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of the external site or that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers regarding its content.}}