“Napa is not known as an arts mecca. If the arts had the respected allure that wine and food does here, being a Napa artist would have more meaning. It’s a great place to live and work, but the art world doesn’t perceive Napa as supporting a thriving artists community.”

This quote, from Arts Council Napa Valley’s recently completed online survey of individual artists, reflects the perspective of many respondents.

ACNV surveyed artists of all disciplines as well as arts organizations, gathering information about needs, challenges and opportunities in the arts sector. The survey confirmed things we already knew, but also contained fresh ideas and perspectives and created new questions. A summary, written by planning consultant Morrie Warshawski, is available online at www.artscouncilnapavalley.org.

So what did we learn? The majority of our artists work in the visual arts (82 percent). The next largest group was writers, with about a third engaged in poetry. Most of our artists are over 45; 78 percent work from home, 62 percent are formally educated and 60 percent go to cultural events in Napa Valley at least once a month.

“Most earn only a modest amount from their work as an artist,” Warshawski wrote, “but (they) choose to live in Napa even though it exacts a financial sacrifice and even though it is not a particularly fertile place for their work, but rather because it is their ‘home’ — a beautiful environment where they can work (many have other occupations) and raise a family.”

Many Napa Valley artists do not feel that this community values their work or talents, but most indicated they did not want a “hand out” but rather a “hand up.” Asked to rate their greatest needs, the most important was venues to display, publish or present their work. Second was more training in business skills and in advanced arts skills. Rather than saying they needed more money or more patrons, our artists said simply, “Give me more places to show, and the skills I need to sell my work!” Only 12 percent are full-time artists, and the vast majority — 78 percent — earn less than 70 percent of their income from working as an artist. Fewer than 6 percent of Napa Valley artists are under 35.

The story created by the survey goes deeper than the data. The responses are starting to create a clear picture of community needs: more exhibition venues, more support for young artists, more arts business development, more theatrical and literary opportunities, and more integration of arts into the daily lives of Napa County citizens.

“The individual artists of Napa appear to be an underutilized asset,” Warshawski wrote. “There is a tremendous amount of talent waiting to be tapped to increase cultural tourism, improve the economic health of the county, help beautify the built environment and generally make a significant positive difference to the local quality of life.”