Cultural Arts

Programming and planning for the New Aquatic Center at Orange Memorial Park began in 2021. The vision included the installation of an interior public art wall mural to be synergistic with the objective of fostering community wellness and engagement.

May 2025: The City released a national Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Eligibility requirements indicated that preference would be given to artists with a demonstrated connection to South San Francisco or the greater Bay Area. Submissions were reviewed by staff and consultants for eligibility, then sent to the Artist Advisory Group (the Cultural Arts Commission’s Public Art Subcommittee), who carefully evaluated and scored the applicants. Four artists were advanced to the next stage.

August 31, 2025: The four shortlisted artists, Angelina Duckett, Elena Manferdini, Crystal and Cameron Moberg, and Rachel Rodi submitted their concept proposals.

Upcoming Dates & Community Input Opportunities

Saturday, September 20, 2025
Community Input at Concert in the Park: Community members are invited to view the proposals and share feedback at the annual Concert in the Park at Orange Memorial Park.  Artists (or their representatives) will be present from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to share their designs and hear directly from community members.

Following September 20th: Concept proposals will be available to view online for a limited time. Visit www.ssf.net/ParkProjects for more information.

October 28, 2025
Final Artist Selection: At the regular Cultural Arts Commission meeting, on October 28th, beginning promptly at 6:30 p.m., the Commission will select the final artist.  Community members are welcome to attend.

In April 2024, the City engaged the community in the design of a new park and plaza at 616 and 700 Linden Avenue, with the goal of converting the existing spaces into a new vibrant gathering and recreation area. The New Park at Linden and Pine Avenue will have three integrated mosaic art components consisting of four sculptural mosaic columns, a pavement mosaic inlay, and a mosaic clad playground sculpture.

June 2025: The City released a national Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Eligibility requirements indicated that preference would be given to artists with a demonstrated connection to South San Francisco or the greater Bay Area. Submissions were reviewed by staff and consultants for eligibility, then sent to the Artist Advisory Group (the Cultural Arts Commission’s Public Art Subcommittee), who carefully evaluated and scored the applicants. Five artists were advanced to the next stage.

Upcoming Dates & Community Input Opportunities

Saturday, October 4, 2025
Community Input at Pop Up at 700 Linden Avenue: Community members are invited to view the proposals and share feedback on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 700 Linden Avenue.  Artists (or their representatives) will be present from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to share their designs and hear directly from community members.

Following October 4th: Concept proposals will be available to view online for a limited time. Visit www.ssf.net/ParkProjects for more information.

November 25, 2025
Final Artist Selection: At the regular Cultural Arts Commission meeting, on November 25th, beginning promptly at 6:30 p.m., the Commission will select the final artist.  Community members are welcome to attend.

Upcoming dates may be subject to change.
For information, call the Parks and Recreation Department at  (650) 829-3800.

As part of the new Orange Memorial Park Aquatic Center Project, the City of South San Francisco is getting a new Veterans Memorial at Orange Memorial Park.

Information on the preservation of the Eternal Flame sculpture will be available soon. 

Cultural Arts Programs encompass several objectives that promote and encourage community interest in arts, culture and creative expression. These goals are realized through three major components: the Public Art Program, the Art Gallery Program and Youth in Arts. An invaluable aspect of accomplishing these objectives is the work done cooperatively with other agencies and the private sector to accomplish goals of mutual benefit.

The Public Art Program provides for the installation of temporary and permanent art accessible to viewing at public and private locations throughout the City. In addition, projects have included renovations of treasured icons, embellishment of City entrances and parks and beautification of the downtown area. Over the past 30 years, the City has acquired an artwork collection that includes over 40 permanently sited, interior and temporary artworks. Artworks may be viewed online at the Interactive Public Art Map.

Sample-SSF-Public-Art-Concept-Submission-Contract.pdf(PDF, 184KB)

Sample-SSF-Agreement-Public-Art-template.pdf(PDF, 233KB)

The vision for the Art Gallery Program is to present exhibitions that reflect a wide spectrum of art styles and media crossing all areas of art and interest groups. This is accomplished via a series of quarterly art gallery exhibits designed to showcase the creativity of local and Bay Area artists. From emerging to experienced, visual artists participate in shows which are occasionally supplemented by performing arts presentations. The exhibitions are open to the public, admission free, for approximately one month.

In 2023, a Solo Artist exhibition program was introduced at the new Library | Parks and Recreation Center. Established artists were selected to exhibit art from their body of work for a three-month period. The aim is to continue the solo artist exhibition program on a regular basis. 

Cultivating and showcasing the talent of the next generation of artists is the aim of the Youth in Arts programs. Current and past youth art programming include exhibitions such as art displays by Recreation Department pre-school and childcare participants, and the annual Youth Art Show presented in collaboration with the South San Francisco Unified School District.

In 1999, a scholarship program for graduating South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) high school seniors was conceived by the Cultural Arts Commission. Titled the Jack Drago Cultural Arts Commission Youth Art Scholarship, it was named to honor Jack Drago, former South San Francisco mayor and founder of the arts commission. Financed exclusively by community donations and fundraising dollars, it provided the recipients with an opportunity for continued education in the arts. The scholarship program ended in 2024. In its lifetime, forty-eight (48) SSF Unified School District graduates were awarded.

The Jack Drago Youth Art Internship was established in 2025 to advance the goal of nurturing the talent of young artists. This paid summer internship program is open to both juniors and seniors attending school with the SSF Unified School District or residing in South San Francisco. The opportunity was designed to provide financial support to a young creative while also enabling the candidate to engage in meaningful, project-based work and develop real-world skills in arts administration, public engagement, and creative programming.

Please Donate to Enable Our Community to Connect, Unite, Inspire

Support the vision to promote the arts, culture and creative expression for all people. Contributions to SSF Cultural Arts Programs, may be made by sending a check to: “City of South San Francisco.” Please be sure to write “Donation-Cultural Arts” on the memo line. Mail your donation to Cultural Arts Programs c/o SSF Parks & Recreation Department, 901 Civic Campus Way, SSF, CA 94080.

A donation may also be made with a credit or debit card. Phone the Parks and Recreation Department administrative phone line at (650) 829-3800, Monday through Friday, during business hours for assistance or email Cultural.arts@ssf.net.

Your donation is tremendously appreciated.