With Thanksgiving a month away, I know it’s a little early to start talking turkey. But I have something to be grateful for here and now. I want to give thanks for our brave artist community. Two recent events have given me new hope in our endeavors to stimulate and support Napa’s burgeoning art scene.

First was a private gathering, a Canadian Thanksgiving hosted by my terrific friends at RVS Design. Attending were an impressive group of old and new residents of Napa, all gifted as visual artists, writers and entrepreneurs. In a town with supposedly “nothing going on,” this collective group has managed to find several ways to “make art happen” independent of formal institutions i.e. by organizing book clubs, blogging, using alternative venues for exhibitions or fundraising, and by just gathering. I know there are other creative groups like ours operating under the radar, secretly and thanklessly working to nourish what can be called a tenacious underground culture.

On Oct. 27, at a monthly public forum of the Wandering Rose organization, there was proof in the pudding. More than 30 artists, musicians, writers and activists came together to talk about a commonly shared vision: a space for the arts in downtown Napa.

The mood was eager, with everyone excited to share their opinions on how to turn such a vision into reality. Kristina Young, interim director of the Arts Council of Napa Valley, spoke of an eight-year history of unsuccessful efforts by the council to create an art center at various sites. Dana Smith, assistant city manager, came to hear the group’s needs and talk about the city’s future plans for art ordinances and public spaces. The message was mixed; the city understands the need for community venues but can do little in this economic climate to allocate funds to renovating or purchasing new buildings.

But artists are survivors. In times of crisis it is our ingenuity and passion that not only get us through, but really make us shine. So many heads lifted when John Hannaford of Napa Valley College commented that it is time for this arts community to look inward, to find our mutual strengths and resources and create change at a grassroots level. We may never have a place as grand as Copia to ourselves, but we can follow examples of other self-made organizations that started out with nothing more that an empty warehouse and a capable group of determined artists. I thank John for that observation, a simple reminder to stop whining.

This conversation will continue at the next Wandering Rose open forum on Nov. 17. To learn more about this feisty group of young activists, go to www.wanderingrose.org or find them on Facebook. You’ll be thankful you got involved.

(Trinca lives in Napa.)