A conversation with Kristine Mays, James Moore, Malik Seneferu, Denise Pate, and Flo Wiley
Saturday, February 21, 12pm-1:30pm
Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA
FREE
Join us for a conversation on the power and process of public art. Artists Kristine Mays, James Moore and Malik Seneferu will be joined by municipal art administrator Denise Pate. The panelists will discuss how public art enriches our communities and how artists can get involved, walking through the process from funding and artist selection to fabrication and installation. The conversation will be moderated by Flo Wiley.
This event is free, open to all, and no rsvp is required.
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS
Kristine Mays captures physical and spiritual movement using thousands of interconnected strands of wire. Over more than two decades, she has developed a unique method of bending and hooking rebar tie wire into monumental figures without molds. A San Francisco native, Mays has exhibited nationally and internationally, with work in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian and the Crocker Art Museum. Her past public art works include a 400 pound Heart of San Francisco, benefiting the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. An installation of her work is permanently installed at the East Lake Station of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) in Georgia. Mays is represented by Modernism Gallery. kristinemays.com
James Moore is a sculptor and painter born and raised in California. His work explores abstract and stylized human forms that examine balance, movement, and shared emotional experiences. His contemporary metal sculptures in stainless steel and aluminum use simplified geometry to suggest motion and emotion without literal detail. His color field paintings, built through layered glazes on wood panels, create atmospheric spaces for reflection and inner connection. James has public art installations across the United States, including recent large-scale commissions for Shields-Reid Park in Richmond, California. He believes public spaces gain meaning when artwork speaks to community values, enhancing belonging for those who encounter it. In the studio, he creates sculptures, paintings, and prints drawing from geometry, gesture, and emotional resonance. His practice creates enduring works that bring a sense of balance and presence into the spaces people move through, from civic settings to private environments.
Denise Pate is an arts administration leader with over 30 years of experience supporting artists, cultural organizations, and public-sector arts funding. She is currently the Director of Community Investments at the San Francisco Arts Commission where she is responsible for stewarding $11-13 million in municipal funding annually to invest in San Francisco’s individual artists and arts nonprofits, with a focus on racial and cultural equity. Pate has worked with organizations including California College of the Arts, Youth in Arts, Young Audiences of Northern CA, and Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Division. Her extensive board service includes Dance/USA, Luna Dance Institute, and Dancers’ Group. She currently co-chairs the Darryl Chappell Foundation, which supports visual artists worldwide. Pate holds a B.A. in Movement Education and an M.B.A. denisepate.com
Malik Seneferu is a self-taught Bay Area artist, painter, draughtsman, muralist, sculptor, illustrator, and instructor, known for vibrant works that center African-American life, cultural memory, and spiritual empowerment. Over decades, his style has evolved from realistic depictions of community and unity to bold, symbolic compositions with dramatic color and abstract form. His work has been shown internationally in London, Durban, Italy, Haiti, and Kenya, and he has completed more than 50 solo exhibitions in the Bay Area. A prolific muralist, Malik’s public artworks include murals at Balmy Alley, the Bayview Hunters Point Shipyard, and the Fillmore Jazz Corridor. instagram.com/maliksart
Florene “Flo” Wiley is CEO of Spirit & Image Entertainment and Lead Producer of the August 2026 production of Cowboy, a Black western play. A 55-year industry professional, she is an award-winning actress, veteran arts administrator, radio host, marketing strategist, and producer with deep ties across theater, music, dance, film, television, and podcasting in major U.S. cities and Lagos, Nigeria. Wiley has moderated the AOTAD Speaker Series three times. She is the former Chair of the Richmond Arts & Culture Commission and a founding member of Richmond Renaissance, which helped initiate the Richmond Arts Corridor. Her hobbies include collecting art and books. spiritandimage.org
Top Image: James Moore, Helium, Foothill College – Physical Science and Engineering Complex, Los Altos, Hills CA
