REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Presentation of the Ceramic Art Piece Futbol Echoes of the Pitch to the City of Santa Clara
Report
BACKGROUND
In 2026, Santa Clara experienced an extraordinary year as the City welcomed the world for Super Bowl LX and six FIFA World Cup matches at Levi’s Stadium.
In anticipation of the historic year, the Triton Museum commissioned an art exhibit, “Fútbol: The Art of the Game”. To celebrate the upcoming FIFA World Cup fútbol matches to Santa Clara, the Triton Museum hosted a special exhibit combining fútbol and art from May 16, 2026 through August 2, 2026.
The group exhibit and fundraiser featured one-of-a-kind artwork pieces from a talented group of thirty diverse Bay Area artists. The Triton Museum provided each artist with a soccer ball and asked them to turn them into a work of art. The soccer balls could be painted, sculpted, repurposed, or used as inspiration for their art. The artists submitted thirty-three artworks that were displayed during the exhibit.
The artists gave their time and talents to provide Triton Museum with donated works that corresponded with the soccer theme. All works were for sale through the Triton Museum, beginning with the reception on May 16, 2026, and throughout the remainder of the exhibit. All funds received from the sale of these works of art went directly back to the Triton Museum of Art to help support their mission of art, community, and education.
DISCUSSION
The Triton Museum will present to the City of Santa Clara, the art piece titled Echoes of the Pitch by artist Francisco (Pancho) Jimenez in honor of Santa Clara’s outstanding achievements in hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Francisco “Pancho” Jiménez has deep roots in Santa Clara and the Bay Area. Born in New York City and raised in Santa Clara, Jiménez discovered his passion for art at a young age and went on to earn his B.A. in Studio Art and History from Santa Clara University in 1993, followed by an M.F.A. from San Francisco State University. Since 1999, he has taught ceramics at Santa Clara University and has held other teaching appointments throughout the Bay Area. His work reflects a lifelong connection to the region while drawing on both his academic background in art and history and his fascination with Mesoamerican art, symbols, memory, and storytelling.
In Echoes of the Pitch (2006), Francisco “Pancho” Jiménez transforms the familiar soccer ball into a ceramic sculpture infused with memory and movement. The three-piece series features soccer-ball forms surrounded by sculpted suggestions of laces, cleats, and the energy of the game, with each piece finished in a distinctive glaze. The City of Santa Clara will receive one of the three works, the turquoise blue-green sculpture, presented on a matching ceramic base. Created nearly two decades before Santa Clara hosted the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the piece offers a meaningful connection between Jiménez’s Santa Clara roots, the memories that inspire his art, and the moment when fútbol brought the world to the City.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This is an information report only and no action is being taken by the City Council and no environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") is required.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the City other than staff time.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
Staff
Reviewed by: Paulina Morales, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Jovan D. Grogan, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Photo of Echoes of the Pitch art piece