Members
The Commission is designed for an 11-member capacity. The Commissioners, all volunteers, are appointed by the Mayor of Richmond with the concurrence of the Richmond City Council to serve four-year terms. New applicants who wish to become active advocates for the arts in the Richmond community are encouraged to apply for vacant seats. Commission meetings are also open to the public.
Members of the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission are also members of the Public Arts Advisory Commission.
Staff Liason: Winifred Day
Current Commissioners
| Name |
|---|
| Lynson Beaulieu, Chair |
| Phillip Mehas |
| Melody Kozma-Kennedy |
| Carole J. Porter |
| Ted Bell |
| Kaelen Van Cura |
| Arleide da Silva Santos |
Lynson Beaulieu, Chair
Lynson is a resident of the city of Richmond. Since 2019, she has served as a Commissioner for the City of Richmond’s Arts and Culture Commission (RACC). In July of 2022, she took on the chairmanship of the Commission. In her service, Lynson recognizes and promotes the power of art to improve the quality of life for the City’sresidents. Richmond’s thriving public art scene includes over 300 original works of art currently scattered across the city in myriad publicly accessible locations. Lynson practices a number of different art forms herself and is an enthusiastic collector of art.
Phillip Mehas
Phillip Mehas has been active on the Richmond Art & Culture Commission and the Richmond Public Art Advisory Committee for the past 10 years. With a MA in Education he has been a Corporate Art Consultant for the past 35 years working with corporate clients, artists, galleries, architectural/design firms, property management companies, dealers and fine art printers. He has lived in Richmond for 23 years and is working in Social Justice issues much of which focuses on Native Americans. He is interested in recruiting more diverse Commissioners as well as more public art created in diverse communities.
Melody Kozma-Kennedy
I’m an arts professional with 15 years of experience working in Bay Area arts organizations. I bring with me experience from working at various art institutions, like Headlands Center for the Arts, SFMOMA, San Jose Museum of Art, Palo Alto Art Center and served for two years on the Emeryville Public Art Committee. In addition to my many years working in arts non-profits, I'm also an artist myself with a background in sculpture, bronze casting, woodworking, ceramics, and welding- I completed my MFA in 2006 at San Jose State University.
Carole J. Porter
I’m a Bay Area native by way of Oakland, raised in Berkeley. My Mother is from Salem, MA, Navy Nurse & Father from Hattiesburg, MS, Air Force Medic, they met at Highland Hospital in Oakland and never looked back. I have three Sisters and one Brother, all still in The Bay Area. Three children, a son and two daughters, Austin & DC Metro areas. I’ve been with Kaiser Permanente for the past 18 years managing Vendors, SW/HW/Cloud & Infrastructure engineers in IT Operations. The Arts, visual, musical, dance, theater are my happy places and a big part of my joy. Having the opportunity to work with colleagues who feel the same is extremely rewarding and being able to support and spread art in Richmond is absolutely an honor!
Ted Bell
Born and Raised in the East Bay (Berkeley).
Parents - Ted Sr and Beverly Bell.
Grandparents - Rev. Edward and Lillian Bell Stovall were longtime Richmond residents
I went to Berkeley High and was an Art Major at St Mary’s College in Moraga, CA. Also achieved Graphic Art and Computer Animation Certifications through the California School of Arts and Crafts. I have worked in the customer support/success arena for the past 20yrs. Currently working for an organization called Syndio where we assist companies with pay equity and disparity issues that directly impacts women and people of color.
Kaelen Van Cura
Kaelen Van Cura (she/they) is a jewelry artist who specializes in earrings and necklaces inspired by art. A lifelong artist with a degree in fine art, Kaelen is passionate about promoting the arts and artistic development in her adopted hometown of Richmond.