Cultural Planning

Press

Napa Valley is hoping visitors will sample local arts scene; Alongside the fine vintages are the fine arts. Now, visitors just need to take notice.

Press from the The Los Angeles Times, Jenn Garbee 6/10/08
Every time my husband, Kevin, and I visit the Napa Valley, we leave with a newfound appreciation for the local arts: the art of wine making, the art of wine country cuisine, the art of wine-and-food pairing. With so many temptations, we've never put down our wine glasses long enough to appreciate the other local achievement: the fine arts. » More

No Off-Season for the Arts

Press from the Northbay Biz, LOUISA HUFSTADER 2/08
As the grapevines sleep in valleys and on hillsides, Napa artists and their supporters are putting down what they hope will become deep roots with the help of the county's newly formed Arts and Culture Commission. » More

Arts plan gets warm reception in Napa: Now it's time to get to work

Press from the Napa Valley Register, LOUISA HUFSTADER 1/31/08
After seven public meetings and scores of surveys and in-depth interviews, some 700 people have had a hand in drafting a four-year plan for the arts in Napa County. » More

Arts Council meeting

Press from Napa Life Newsletter / Paul Franson 1/28/08
Speaking of the Arts Council, it presented its draft cultural plan to an appreciative audience at the Opera House Wednesday, and solicited comments and suggestions. Opera House More

Arts Council to present Cultural Plan

Press from Napa Life Newsletter / Paul Franson 1/21/08
Arts Council Napa Valley will present the draft Napa Valley Community Cultural Plan to the public at a workshop on Wednesday, Jan. 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Napa Valley Opera House More

Unfolding Napa's cultural road map

Press from the Napa Valley Register, LOUISA HUFSTADER 1/15/08
Four years from now, Napa County could be home to a vibrant, interconnected cultural community, with well-funded programs for artists of all ages and a reputation for quality that attracts visitors who have money to spend. » More

Arts Council Napa Valley to present plan

Press from the Napa Valley Register, Paul Franson 1/2/08
Arts Council of Napa Valley will hold a workshop to present the draft Napa Valley Community Cultural Plan Wednesday, Jan. 23, at the Napa Valley Opera House from 6 to 8 p.m. » More

Arts Council announces revolving exhibitions

Press from the Napa Valley Register, Paul Franson 1/2/08
Arts Council Napa Valley is sponsoring two new art exhibitions at governmental offices: a new Revolving Door Art exhibition at the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency at 707 Randolph St. in downtown Napa, and an exhibit through the Capitol Art Program at Senator Pat Wiggins' office at the State Capitol in Sacramento. » More

$25,000 in matching grants available for arts education

Press from the St. Helena Star, 11/8/08
Arts Council Napa Valley (ACNV) announces the availability of $25,000 of matching funds for arts classes through its Arts in Education program. These funds come from a grant from the Sato Foundation, which has supported this program for the last several years. » More

Arts Council planning project moves to next phase

Press from the Napa Valley Register, LOUISA HUFSTADER 10/10/07
A series of public meetings from end to end of the Napa Valley — including fast-growing American Canyon and the mountaintop community of Angwin — has given more than 150 people a voice in planning the county's cultural future. » More

Calistogans weigh in on cultural plan

Press from the Napa Valley Register, LOUISA HUFSTADER 10/3/07
The Calistoga Arts Center may lack a physical headquarters, but its vitality as an organization was evident last Monday when about 30 people in Napa County's northernmost city joined a "town hall" discussion aimed at drafting a county-wide cultural plan. » More

Napans turn out for cultural planning: 'Town hall' arts meetings draw crowds to Napa, Yountville

Press from the Napa Valley Register, LOUISA HUFSTADER 9/26/07
Close to 100 people, including artists, officials, teachers and parents, gathered at the Napa Valley Opera House Café Theatre last week to help plan the future of the arts in Napa County; a subsequent meeting in Yountville drew a more intimate crowd of 15. » More

Dreaming big in a small valley

Press from the Napa Valley Register, LOUISA HUFSTADER 9/19/07
It wasn't a large gathering - a dozen citizens, a handful of staff from Arts Council Napa Valley and one guitarist. » More

Canyon Briefs

Press from the American Canyon Eagle 9/11/07
Arts Council Napa Valley (ACNV) is hosting "town hall" meetings across Napa County to give residents a chance to speak out about opportunities, challenges, and dreams for the arts in their communities. » More

Public meetings for arts scheduled

Press from the St. Helena Star 9/6/07
The Arts Council of Napa Valley has scheduled six cultural "town hall" meetings to gather thoughts and ideas from artists and those who are passionate about the arts. » More

Napa Valley's diverse art scene surveyed

Press from the St. Helena Star, David Stoneberg 9/6/07
Eighteen months ago, Michelle Williams was just about ready to throw in the towel. Williams executive director of the Arts Council of Napa Valley, said it was a struggle just to keep the doors open, much less to serve the needs of artists, performers, arts patrons and all the others who are part of the rich and diverse arts scene in the valley. » More

Art competition announced for Napa's future garage

Press from the Napa Valley Register 8/31/07
Napa's new downtown garage will not only be the biggest in town, but will have something that the other three don't have: art. » More

Public Art in Napa

Press from the Register, By Michelle Williams 8/29/07
Imagine a Napa where a morning stroll for a cup of coffee, a quick drive to a meeting downtown or a shopping trip to a local store also means a deep, rich, engaging arts experience. » More

State of the Arts: A revitalized Arts Council Napa Valley prepares for town meetings, Open Studios

Press from the Register, By Michelle Williams 8/8/07
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. » More

Turn Around: Could Napa finally sculpt a bona fide arts scene?

Press from www.metroactive.com, By Brett Ascarelli 5/33-29/07
As the executive director of a rather typical nonprofit, Michelle Williams is a pretty atypical person. Just 33, not only is she a lot younger than most of her counterparts, but she could likely sing or act them under the conference table. Now, three years after taking over the then-beleaguered Arts Council of Napa Valley, Williams' efforts finally seem to be paying off. In fact, a panel of her peers just rated Napa's turnaround to be so dramatic that the California Arts Council has rewarded her organization with some very coveted funding for administration costs. » More

Valley artists want a hand up, not a handout

Press from the Register, By Michelle Williams 5/22/07
"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." » More

Arts Council survey

Press from the Register, By Michelle Williams 5/3/07
Are you a singer, painter, sculptor, actor, photographer, musician or other creative type? More

New arts commission takes shape - finally

Press from The Napa Valley Register 4/25/07
A new organization, the Napa County Arts and Culture Commission, will take life this spring after a three-year gestation. The nine-member commission, composed of people who work in the visual and performing arts, will be charged with elevating the role of the arts in community life. » More

Arts Council cultural database nearing completion

Press from The Napa Valley Register 4/4/07
"If you think of the Napa Valley as a paint-by-number set, then the statistics Arts Council Napa Valley has uncovered make for a rich palette by which we can deepen our view of the local arts assets and how they fit into the broader landscape," said cultural planning consultant Morrie Warshawski. These statistics, generated from Arts Council Napa Valley's new cultural resources database, are critical to understanding Napa Valley arts. » More

What's up at the Arts Council

Press from The Napa Valley Register 3/21/07
For this latest cultural planning update, I'm writing from Washington, D.C., where for the second year in a row I am attending the Arts Advocacy conference, sponsored by Americans for the Arts. A record 475 constituents showed up this year, all of us workers in and advocates for the arts. » More

Cultural Planning Project

Napa Valley Marketplace 3/07
The Napa Valley is rich when it comes to the arts. We've got active art groups, galleries, painters and sulptors, many of them world renown. More

What's up at the Arts Council: Cultural plan moves forward

Press from The Napa Valley Register 2/28/07
As the project coordinator of Arts Council Napa Valley's initiative to create a cultural plan for Napa County, I've been asked to write ongoing updates regarding the process. » More

Public input sought in effort to create a road map for the arts in Napa County

Press from The Napa Valley Register 2/14/07
In the last five years, donors and funders in Napa County have invested close to $150 million dollars in the arts - without an overarching plan. The result? » More

Eagle Eye on AmCan: State of the Art

Press from The American Canyon Eagle 2/13/07
Michelle Williams has a plan. Williams, a former actress in the Big Apple, is now the head of the Napa Valley Arts Council. Williams' plan is to get a plan, a cultural plan. In a recent email to The Eagle Williams explained the need... » More

Arts Council Launches Cultural Planning

Press from Napa Life Newsletter / Paul Franson 2/12/07
In the last five years, donors and funders in Napa County have invested close to $150 million dollars in the arts - without an overarching plan. The result? More