Hollister 2040 General Plan: The Arts and Culture Element

This is the seventh in a series of articles on Hollister’s draft 2040 General Plan. The first article is here, the second here, the third here, the fourth here, the fifth here and the sixth here.

Hollister’s eight-year general plan seeks to enhance the city’s already active arts and cultural scene, stating that people in the community have a “thirst for learning about and participating in the arts—in their schools, in classes, in informal organizations, and in community activities.”

Hollister adopted a Public Art Policy in 2016, and there are several arts organizations already at work in the city, including the San Benito County Arts Council, which is funded by the state, and the Art and Cultural Advisory Commission, created by the City Council in 2021.

The plan, which is the city’s blueprint for growth, seeks ways for practicing artists in the area to further contribute to the cultural life of the city to help attract tourists and ensure that people’s “unique forms of self-expression” help make Hollister a desirable place to live and work.

The plan lists eight goals, policies and actions for the city to consider as ways of enhancing Hollister’s arts and culture communities in the future.

Establish and maintain strong and cooperative civic arts leadership in government, education, businesses and nonprofit organizations

The plan would work to support local artists and art organizations by partnering with city events, programs and projects. It recommends designating a staff member to serve as a liaison to arts organizations and enterprises to assist with funding and promotion of events and to form partnerships with established artists and arts organizations in the city.

Recognize and support the diverse creative voices and practices of people and organizations in Hollister

Under the plan, the city would support projects that reflect the diversity of the community and its traditional cultural practices and would support exhibitions, presentations and performances in Hollister’s public spaces through increased funding. The city would also organize projects for artists in media not usually considered traditional for public art, such as poetry and fabric arts, and further promote culturally diverse leadership.

Public utility box art. Photo by Grace Gillio.

Mural on Wentz Alley. Photo by Grace Gillio. — Public utility box art. Photo by Grace Gillio.

Enable all Hollister residents to have broad access to the arts and to participate in artistic activities

The plan would increase public art placements, festival production and cultural programming as well as set up mini-grants for small public presentations and performances in public, along with funding murals and exhibitions in indoor spaces open to the general public, such as libraries, parks and coffee shops.

Pursue physical planning and design strategies that support and give a visual presence to the city’s creative life

The plan aims to increase the permanent placement of art in public spaces and to incorporate art as part of the downtown revitalization. It would encourage community-driven temporary installations as well. Public art in private developments would also be incentivized, especially in downtown projects and civic buildings around the city. It calls for public funding to help create parks, recreation facilities and streetscapes, and funding to maintain newly commissioned or donated artworks.

Ensure there are adequate facilities for the creation, presentation and sale of art in the city

The plan would assist in creating shared use arrangements between the art community in need of space and businesses or agencies with space available for use. It supports the adaptive reuse of historic buildings on a case-by-case basis to promote the arts and would assess the needs and opportunities for creating living and working spaces for artists.

Develop Hollister’s identity as a regional destination for arts, culture and creative enterprises within the greater San Jose region and within the San Benito, Santa Cruz and Monterey County sub-region

The plan supports promoting local artists, creative traditions and historical resources to raise Hollister’s creative profile and frame the city as a destination for visitors through events like an annual arts festival. It recommends the creation of a district arts and cultural study to build a consensus on the needs and goals of artists in general as well as those carrying on traditional cultural practices.

Expand Hollister’s “ecosystem” of artists, creative businesses and organizations through strategic public and private actions

The plan would allow artistic murals on private property but exclude murals that serve as advertising. It recommends conducting a study to resolve any permitting and zoning issues that have an impact on where arts, cultural representation or entertainment activities take place in the downtown area including vacant spaces, public spaces, living and working spaces for artists, and pop-up shows and exhibitions.

Develop ongoing funding streams for arts and culture programming and long-term capital investments related to arts and culture

As with all of the General Plan proposals, funding is front and center as a consideration for how much can be done to support the arts. The plan proposes creating sustainable funding streams by identifying public and private sources. This could include creating impact and permit fees to fund both art projects and long-term cultural facilities. It suggests assigning staff to seek collaborations between arts and cultural organizations and regional, state and national funding organizations.

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