“The arts stimulate, educate, and inspire.”

“A community without a vibrant arts sector is half dead.”

“More PR should be done to promote the Napa Valley as an art destination, not just food and wine.”

“We must get the most diverse group of people possible to strengthen our arts community.”

“Risk galore.”

“We need everyone’s wisdom.”

“People are talking about Napa Valley arts.”

The above quotes were taken from interviews of artists and patrons as part of the Arts Council Napa Valley’s initiative to create a cultural plan for Napa County.

 A cultural plan is a road map for the arts, created by and for the community through a transparent and engaging process that also serves to educate and “animate” the community about the arts. Cultural planning looks at how we can deliver quality arts experiences to residents and visitors, and makes sure we avoid duplication and that we are investing in a way that is strategic and meets the needs of the community, now and in the future.

During September, Arts Council Napa Valley invites the community to come out to support local arts, through two very different but equally exciting events: public town hall meetings for our cultural planning initiative, and the 20th annual Napa Valley Artists Open Studios Tour.

 Through these two opportunities, the Napa Valley community will have the chance to help create a cultural plan, and to directly support and celebrate our local artists.

Town meetings

As part of the planning process, Arts Council Napa Valley will be hosting town hall meetings in every city and town in the valley, from American Canyon to Calistoga. These meetings are the most critical component of the process, as they are an opportunity for the whole community — artists, patrons, teachers, parents, business owners, young adults — to talk to us about their local arts.

“We want to hear what they have to say about arts and culture in their communities,” said planning consultant Morrie Warshawski. “What arts do they have now? What is working, and what isn’t? What are their dreams for the future?”

The ideas, thoughts, and hopes we gather will directly inform the creation of our cultural plan. These meetings run from Sept. 17-27 (see sidebar) and many will feature live, local entertainment. Everyone is welcome!

The Arts Council Napa Valley cultural planning process was launched in January and will finish this winter. The first phase included discovery interviews of community leaders, artist and arts organization surveys and the creation of a database of venues, arts groups, and artists, all of which helped us uncover the Napa Valley arts scene — one that proved to be even richer and more diverse than we thought.

We discovered that more than 800 artists, of all disciplines, live and work in the Napa Valley. We learned that an estimated 500,000 people annually are serviced by our arts organizations.

We also learned that Napa Valley is a difficult place for young artists to survive, and that the needs — studio space for artists and greater visibility for arts organizations — are significant, if the arts sector is to become robust.

But to create a plan that is by and for this community, we need to dig deeper and learn more.

These town hall meetings are a terrific opportunity for everyone who cares about the arts to get their voices heard and to help shape the future of Napa Valley arts.

Detailed information on the planning process, and on the meetings, can be found on the Arts Council Napa Valley Web site at www.artscouncilnapavalley.org.

Open Studios

Another terrific opportunity to get involved in local arts this September is the 20th annual Napa Valley Artists Open Studios Tour. Open Studios is a free, self-guided art discovery tour that includes 90 participating artists and 60 studio locations.

This program, which has grown and changed as the artist’s community has developed, is entering a new phase of visibility, quality and excitement. The preview reception fundraiser and exhibition, juried for the first time, will be held at Robert Mondavi Winery and features participating artists. The reception Sept. 14 features local artisan foods, Mondavi wines, the jazz piano of Brian Shaw, and “doodles” from participating artists, so no patron will go home empty-handed.

This reception is more than just a preview of the tour; it is an opportunity to see the excellence of Napa Valley art, and to support the participants and this tour by purchasing work by local, regional, and nationally known artists. The reception is a wonderful chance to talk with these talented Napa Valley artists, to commune with creativity, to enjoy music and art in a stunning setting, and to support Open Studios for years to come.

 Tickets are $40 and can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/17317, or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

The Open Studios Tour, Sept. 22, 23, 29 and 30, is an opportunity to step “inside the painting” and see where the creativity happens. During these two weekends each year, artists open their studios and their creative processes to patrons who wish to peek inside the world of an artist, to see the creative space, to connect with the stories behind the work, and to purchase incredible paintings, photographs, fiber arts, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, and more, right from the source.

This year, Open Studios is interactive. “The artists have gone all out, planning more demonstrations and activities to show how they create their work,” said Ed Breed, Open Studios lead coordinator.

Teri Williams will teach patrons to throw on a potting wheel. Barbara Stafford invites the public to try their hands at weaving a shawl. Josanna Borelli-Zavala will teach patrons about “cold fusion” in her metal sculpture. Davina Rubin invites patrons to contribute their skills to a collective canvas. Vi Bottaro will show patrons how to improve their digital pictures in Photoshop; and Michele Mitcavish invites patrons to help create a group mosaic. This is just a sampling of the offerings in different disciplines; for more demonstrations and times, visit the Open Studios Web site, www.nvopenstudios.com.

Three Open Studios Hospitality Centers will be open during the tour, with volunteers handing out catalogs and helping patrons plan their tours. Two centers will be in Napa, one at the Napa Mill, 500 Main St., at the Riverbend Performance Plaza, and one at Napa Title, 951 California Blvd. at First Street. The third will be at the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce, 1506 Lincoln Ave. in Calistoga.

At www.nvopenstudios.com, patrons can search for artists of specific disciplines, learn about Open Studios sponsors, and plan and print custom tours. The Web site features an interactive map. Clicking on tour numbers pops up information about the artist and links to images of their work.

Open Studios information is also available on the Open Studios hotline, 1-888-850-6665.

Open Studios and the town hall cultural planning meetings are two excellent opportunities to support local arts this September. Arts Council Napa Valley invites the whole community to get involved in our arts scene by attending these exciting, important arts events. And we invite all of you to keep the conversation going about Napa Valley arts.

Editor’s note: Three years ago the Arts Council of Napa Valley, an umbrella organization to support artists working in the valley, was on the verge of folding. State funding was drying up, and the future of the group was looking bleak. This is the situation Executive Director Michelle Williams inherited when she took the helm of the group, and after three years of intensive community outreach, networking across the U.S. with other arts groups, and fundraising, they’ve secured new grants, revitalized programs and launched an extensive survey to create a cultural plan for the evolving arts scene in Napa Valley. We asked Williams to provide the following update on Arts Council projects and projections.