Artist Will Meet Families for Fire Memorial
The memorial for the 2017 North Bay firestorm will be discussed on September 28.
Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Safety
Artist Cliff Garten will meet with surviving family members on September 28, 2026, to discuss the planned memorial at Nagasawa Community Park in Santa Rosa. The session is part of an ongoing effort to ensure the artwork honors those affected by the 2017 firestorm.
Why it matters
The project task force seeks direct input from families to ensure the memorial reflects their experiences and honors the lives lost during the disaster. Public participation through a website survey remains a key component of the design process.
The 2017 firestorm claimed 40 lives across four counties and resulted in the destruction of more than 5,300 homes. The oversight panel reviewed 80 artists before selecting Cliff Garten for the project in January 2026.
The players
Cliff Garten
He is the artist selected in January 2026 to design the memorial commemorating the 2017 firestorm.
Creative Sonoma
This organization is facilitating the seven-person oversight panel responsible for the memorial project.
The details
Creative Sonoma is facilitating a seven-person oversight panel tasked with managing the development of the site in Santa Rosa. Garten currently conducts online focus groups with families to gather feedback as the project moves toward a formal design.
Timeline
The North Bay firestorm began on October 8, 2017.
Cliff Garten was selected as the memorial artist in January 2026.
The artist will meet with surviving family members on September 28, 2026.
Seasonal Patterns
The memorial commemorates the 2017 North Bay firestorm, which serves as the foundational disaster prompting the city's current art project. This effort follows a nearly decade-long timeline of recovery and community reflection since the fires began.
Residents and surviving family members are encouraged to participate in the design process by completing the survey available on the project website. This input helps the artist and the oversight panel better understand the community needs for the memorial site.
The takeaway
The memorial serves as a physical connection to the collective trauma experienced by the community during the 2017 fires. Providing feedback during this planning phase ensures the final installation aligns with the values and memories of the survivors.
Further reading
Learn more about local emergency and community efforts on the Safety page.
More information
To share feedback on the memorial design, visit the fire memorial project website.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
