Innovation and Adaptation

The shape of the wine industry is the subject of a show opening Friday at the Napa Valley Museum in Yountville.  “Innovation & Adaptation — Winery Architecture in the Napa Valley” looks at the wine culture here as it’s reflected in its buildings. Curator Doreen Schmid has put together more than 100 images that chronicle the evolution of the industry in the valley, from the early days through Prohibition, and the late 20th century production boom, to the recent trends toward integrating architecture, winemaking and the landscape.

The people whose ingenuity and innovations created the Napa wine industry are part of this story, along with the workers who built the wineries and worked the fields.  In 1880 there were 45 wineries in the Napa Valley; by the 1890s as many as 140. When the Napa Valley began to re-emerge as a wine-producing area in the late 1950s  there were fewer than 20 wineries; today there are more than 300. 

Schmid will be on hand for an opening reception Friday, 6-8 p.m. It’s free for museum members, $5 for non-members.  The museum is on the grounds of the Veterans Home of California, just across from the Lincoln Theater. Info, 944-0500 or www.napavalleymuseum.org. The show lasts through March 25.

New at di Rosa

If you’ve never visited the fascinating di Rosa Preserve in west Napa, you’ve got a treasure to discover, and now, thanks to a slight relaxing of its use permit, it’s possible to visit the Gatehouse Gallery — that’s just beyond the hillside with the faux sheep — without a reservation.

Opening Saturday at the Gatehouse Gallery is Graphic: New Bay Area Drawing, an exhibition showcasing works by some of the most provocative Bay Area artists working in two dimensions today. The exhibit represents di Rosa Preserve’s continuing commitment to Rene di Rosa’s support of local, young and emerging artists.

In a time of great technological growth and innovation, many visual artists are turning to the simplicity of making marks on a two-dimensional surface as their primary medium rather than as a development tool for other media. The featured drawings, in a variety of materials, reflect a cross-section of ideas, identity, social and political issues, as well as abstract explorations.

Ala Ebtekar explores the heritage of Persian miniatures while taking on hip-hop culture. Weston Teruya’s collage drawings elicit critical thinking about social and political issues. Libby Black reflects our consumer culture in her detailed figurative drawings. Dean Smith’s drawings are intensely detailed and mathematical. Other artists in “Graphic” include John Casey, David Huffman, Packard Jennings, Amy Rathbone, Tucker Schwarz, Taravat Talepasand, Josephine Taylor and Canan Tolon.

The opening reception is Saturday, 6-8 p.m. The show runs through March 10. Drop-in visitors are welcome at the Gallery Tuesday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A reservation is necessary to tour the entire Preserve, which houses close to 2,300 works of art from more than 900 Northern California artists. Info, 226-5991, ext. 25.

More shows opening Friday

On a sad note, “Romanticism in Pastels and Photography” opens Friday at Artissimo without one of its featured artists. Floral pastels by Carol Zaro will be on exhibit, but the artist passed away Jan. 5, according to a note from Uwe Mueuller, who owns the gallery with Ali Rafiee. “ It was her last wish to have this exhibit and we are going to go ahead with showing her art,” Mueller wrote in an e-mail to the Register. “Her husband, Bob, is hoping that it will be a wonderful and well attended event in her honor.”

The show also includes photography by Carlyle Johnson. The reception with music, sparkling wine and appetizers takes place Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Artissimo, at the Redwood Plaza, 3373 Solano Ave. The show will be on display until Feb. 22. Artissimo, both a frame shop and gallery is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Also opening Friday in Napa is a new show by local artist Fred Morse at Artefactos, the gallery/design studio at 1041 Lincoln Ave. The artist’s reception is  6-10 p.m.  Morse, who has volunteered his time  for art therapy at the Veterans Home in Yountville for the last 10 years. He works in painting sculpture, printmaking and cartooning. “That faraway kid in the back row of Sister Miriam David’s class, looking out the window and drawing cartoons, was me,” he writes on his Web site (www.fredmorse.com) “Inspiration and imagination are my two motivational tools. Everything around me inspires art; children at play, barnyard beasts, friendly dogs. What speaks to me is anyone or anything that has character.”

Another new show worth noting is the photo exhibit at City Hall in Napa. According to Gene Piscia, the city has agreed to provide this small gallery to show works by members of the Napa Valley Photographic Society beginning with “The Napa River” which will be up through April. The next shows will be  “Downtown Napa” scheduled for May through August, and “The Beauty of Napa Valley,” September through December.

Membership in the society is open to anyone interested in photography, from beginners to experts. The group meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month at Studio II, 570 Soscol Ave. More of the members’ works are also on display at Studio II. For more information or to purchase works, contact Piscia at 255-5342.