The Arts Commission approved a mural for Pixies General Store after a mural jury recommended approval with conditions.
Vice Chair Steiner summarized the jury a seven-member panel including arts commission representation, planning, arts professionals and a community member and read the jury findings. Commissioner Bridgette read the five conditions into the record: do not add business names to the mural (citing Ojai Municipal Code 4-16.303), keep the background the existing beige rather than the white shown in earlier images, use the approved paint type and coat the work with a city-approved anti-graffiti application pursuant to Ojai Municipal Code 4-16.305(d), consider the downspout the right-side boundary to separate the mural from existing business signage, and permit the artist to sign and date the work in the bottom right at their discretion.
The applicant team (Whitney and Elizabeth) described their intent and confirmed that the design shown to the jury is the proposed work. Vice Chair Steiner noted the jury had discussed concerns about proximity to existing commercial signage in the window and established a clear boundary and numeric setback to avoid commercial identifiers appearing on the mural itself.
Chair West acknowledged community questions about the artist's residency and cost and noted that the jury considered the artist's ties to Ojai and the discounted price the artist offered; "She gave a huge discount from 10,000 down to 2,500," Chair West said when summarizing the jury's considerations.
The commission called for a roll-call-style voice vote; members voted in favor and the motion passed. The approval is conditioned as read and requires the applicant to comply with the listed conditions and city code provisions.
What happens next: Staff will confirm numeric setback measurements (feet and inches) for the mural boundary, ensure specified paint and anti-graffiti coatings are used, and record the approval and conditions in the permit file.