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CFAC tabs Chavez-Mata for creative arts award

The City of Sonoma’s Cultural and Fine Arts Commission (CFAC) has awarded its 2012 Student Creative Arts Award to 18-year-old Sonoma resident Esmeralda Chavez-Mata.

Chavez-Mata, a senior at Sonoma Valley High School, is a promising and talented artist. In her application essay, she wrote, “You can express yourself without limits. Spending most of my free time on artwork is my passion; I enjoy being able to create anything I want with the simplest of tools, just a pencil and paper.”

She wants to continue her education and explore many areas of the art industry – and is interested in graphic design, illustration, fine art and fashion design.

In addition to the $2,000 cash award to Chavez-Mata, the Commission was able to give a $500 Award of Merit, which was made possible by a contribution made by the 2011 Creative Arts Award winner, Sarah Summers. The Award of Merit will go to Barret Wilber who is a graduate of Sonoma Valley High School and in his second year at the Bob Cole Conservatory at CSU Long Beach, studying piano performance. Wilber, in his application said, “Although a concert career would be amazing, my interests for my artistic future are to teach and share what I know with students trying to find their own musical voice.”

“The talent we saw in reviewing the applications was truly impressive and inspiring,” said CFAC Chair Lorna Sheridan. “Some students had received very little formal training, some have been developing their talents for many years. It is a very poignant for the commission to review the talent of young Sonoma artists through this program and then to imagine being thrilled by their portfolios again decades later in the our Treasure Artist Award program.”

The Sonoma Community Center has extended an invitation to Chavez-Mata to display her artwork in a future exhibition and has invited Wilber to perform, at his convenience. Details will be announced shortly.

The CFAC Creative Arts Award program is open to Sonoma Valley students, ages 16 to 22, working and demonstrating unusual promise in the visual, literary or performing arts. The commission received 20 entries this year. Current CFAC Commissioners include Gerry Simmel, Kathy Swett, Linda Ransom, Kari Ontko, Pam Personette, Lisa Carlsson and alternate Nellie Cravens.