Sonoma commission supports arts, artists

A city is like a machine composed of many moving parts, each performing its own function in synch with the whole. Some are critically necessary, others less so, but together they comprise a complete municipal organism.

Water, sanitation and street maintenance, for instance, are examples of essential city services, the absence of which would fundamentally degrade a community’s lifestyle. Parks and recreational opportunities, on the other hand, while desired, are different: a town could get by without shared open spaces, if unhappily.

So where does the needle fall on art and culture in a city? Is it fundamental to municipal health?

The seven members of Sonoma’s Cultural and Fine Arts Commission (CFAC) - six women and one man, all volunteers - believe firmly that it is – and willingly brave the treacherous currents of public opinion to support it.

The Cultural and Fine Arts Commission, for instance, was responsible for the twisted iron bike rack planted outside City Hall, fashioned by sculptor Brian Tedrick to resemble a spider. And they greenlighted General Vallejo’s official resting place on the Plaza, where a facsimile of the town founder, created by sculptor Jim Callahan, sits in repose facing Spain Street. They’ve worked alongside the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art on its outdoor public art campaigns, determining proper placement for the works installed over the last two summers. And they’ve killed a few projects within city limits, too, like the sculpture of a giant wine glass proposed for the front of the Best Western on Second Street West.

“We didn’t see that as a true piece of art. If someone wants to install outdoor art - even at their own expense - they have to come through us,” said CFAC chairperson Kate Schertz.

Tasked with “promoting, enriching and advancing the cultural and fine arts community” in Sonoma, the CFAC has a $5,000 annual budget. Unlike other cities in Sonoma County that fund public art with a .01 percent surtax on capital improvements, Sonoma’s financial commitment to the arts is somewhat ad hoc.

“All these glorious things that were supposed to be done by the commission were never done because of the recession in 2008,” Schertz said.

But the CFAC does what it can.

Each year, it funds the Student Creative Art Award, a $2,000 scholarship given to a promising young person to underwrite their pursuit of visual, literary or performing arts.

“We get such incredible kids!” said Schertz, who has served on the CFAC since 2014.

“So sophisticated!” agreed Veronica Napoles, a new CFAC member appointed by Madolyn Agrimonti last year. “These young adults are very self-possessed. It’s a real testament to the quality of education they’re getting through our schools.”

The annual award is given without conditions, to fund a young artist’s unique path at their discretion. The application process, though, is exacting and hard. “They have to do a whole portfolio,” Schertz said, “and write an essay and come in for an interview. It’s not a simple process and it’s kind of a cram, wedged between applications for college and senior projects.”

The program has endowed a deserving student every year since 1988, encouraging 30 creative kids toward the spotlight.

An even longer-running program administered by CFAC is the “Treasure Artist” honor, first awarded in 1983. Using a public nomination process that begins in the fall, an individual who has made significant contributions to the art-and-culture scene is selected. Though the award is an honorific without monetary reward, it is considered a high achievement within the local arts community.

“To be recognized by the community is really humbling,” said Peter Hansen, a local filmmaker and founder of SVHS’s video arts program who was named Treasure Artist in 2017.

Local legends like MFK Fisher (food writer, 1984), Linus Maurer (cartoonist, 1991), Norton Buffalo (musician, 1992), Stanley Mouse (painter, 1994), and Barbara White Perry (artist/author, 2015) have all been named Sonoma Treasure Artists, feted in a shindig with finger foods and wine.

Service on a commission focused on the notion of art and beauty is perhaps the least fractious political sphere in which to dwell. What is artful to you may be ugly to another, but such differences of opinion don’t tend to escalate dangerously.

“I love it! Absolutely love it!” said Napoles. “I will serve as long as they want me. I’m very dedicated to the arts, and want to focus my energies on what I love. The pursuit of beauty is fundamental to me. You can create beauty putting food on a plate. The opportunity to be artful is everywhere.”

For those who might argue that such effort is frivolous, a non-essential indulgence better left to private sector management?

“Artists produce a lot of money in Sonoma. The arts are financially important to the Sonoma Valley,” Napoles said, citing a recent “Arts and Economic Prosperity” study, conducted by the group Americans for the Arts, which claims the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $80.4 million in annual economic activity in Sonoma County, supports 2,684 full-time equivalent jobs, and generates $7.4 million in local and state government revenue.

By any measure, that’s real economic power, but the CFAC’s mission is keyed more on the ineffable contributions made when a city encourages a vibrant artistic community.

The CFAC’s next big contribution to the pursuit of loveliness in Sonoma will arrive in front of City Hall in a few weeks. An enormous metal sculpture, 6 feet tall and 20 feet wide, comprised of letters spelling out L-O-V-E, will take up temporary residence inside the horseshoe. As summer yields to fall and the days cool and shorten, it will serve as a reminder of what matters most to us all.

Contact Kate @ kate.williams@sonomanews.com.