You can see 4 examples here. The teachers are to be commended due to their dedication to these students. Not only did they teach the classes, but they provided the artwork mounted, labeled and ready for hanging. This is not a simple task and I hope that parents and students thank the art teachers at our high schools for putting in such a tremendous effort!

Please make time to participate in the Linda Gonzalez Memorial Youth Art Walk this Saturday from 4 – 7pm and see the sea of student artists with their families. It’s really a fun experience to be around new artists who get a chance to participate in an exhibit of this caliber and size. It will be worth it!

Saturday, March 6th 4-6pm: Roberta Ahrens at Aquas Cafe.  Roberta creates some of the most beautiful floral art in the area with her trademark cracked linen foundation.  Show will be up through the end of March.

Sunday, March 7th 1-4pm: Calabi Gallery: A Celebration of Women’s History Month!  Calabi Gallery proudly presents a new show celebrating Women’s History Month. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, 1 day prior to International Women’s Day. The gallery’s primary concern is to honor and give exposure to under-appreciated artists. Women artists have historically received less attention than male artists of equivalent talent. Thus it seems appropriate to mount this exhibition. Featured artists include Genevieve Barnhart, Gail Chase Bien, Dorr Bothwell, Minerva Chapman, Holly Downing, Pamela Glasscock, April Gornik, Ynez Johnston, Mary Fuller McChesney, Karima Muyaes, June Wayne, and Penny Wolin, among many others.

IGLTA Members listen to the Mayor's Welcome

Earlier today, Thursday, Feb 18th, members of the International Gay & Lesbian Tourism Association gathered at the first stop of their Petaluma Familiarization “Fam” tour.  The downtown merchants, in particular several gay & lesbian owned business owners, rolled out the red carpet to tout Petaluma as a fantastic cultural destination.  This was part of a multi-day tour of the County with the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau.

The guests were treated to “tastes of Petaluma” at Pelican Art Gallery, Joe Hamer Salon, Tuscan Gardens, Sonoma Valley Port Works and the Petaluma Arts Center.  The idea behind the “Fam” tour was to get these travel professionals excited about the cultural richness offered by our town & we SUCCEEDED!

Jerrie, Linda, Pam, Elly & Juliet prepare for the welcome

I had the honor of introducing the schedule for the afternoon and introducing the Mayor.  As I listened to the Mayor, Elly Lichtenstein (Cinnabar Theater), Jerrie Jerne (Riverfront & Dimensions galleries), Gretchen Singer (Singer Gallery) & Elisa Webber (Della Fattoria who provided the “Taste”), I was proud as a peacock of the of what we have to offer the tourism industry.  We were sure to mention that Petaluma was recently chosen as the “Happiest/healthiest place in California”. Resident Artist Sachal was on hand to meet & greet.

Later Tom (Joe Hamer Salon) stopped by to report the tour stop at his place went swimmingly well with Mary Stubbs (Stubbs Winery) as the guest speaker and Grazziano’s providing the “Taste”.  The report from Tuscan Gardens was that the guests were genuinely interested in learning about Petaluma’s.  Barbara Harden showed up from the Museum to talk about history & the gardens around town while Sea Thai provided the “Taste”.  From there they headed to Foundry Warf where Bill Reading talked about the Petaluma GAP and gave a “Taste” of his award winning ports.

Cowgirl Creamery provided an awesome tour of the creamery with “Tastes” of their delicious cheeses, history on dairy farmers in the area and the preservation efforts to save these agricultural treasures.

The last stop was the Visitor’s Center & Petaluma Arts Center to top off a grand day in Petaluma. “Tastes” at the final stop were provided by Dempsey’s & Cordoza’s Deli. So many people  helped make this day very special for our new friends. Thank you to everyone who helped.  Petaluma ROCKS!

The new maps from the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau list 15 galleries in the county & EIGHT, yes 8, more than 50%,  are in Petaluma.  Isn’t that just so COOL!  I’m stoked and energized to continue working hard to get the word out  that we are a top art & culture destination.  Add to the art our wonderful antique merchants, full spectrum of shopping opportunities, tantalizing restaurants and rocking  entertainment and we have something very special.

Be sure to mark your calendars for the Second Saturday Art Walk on March 13th from 4 – 7pm as it will feature hundreds of pieces of art by our local high school students celebrating Youth Art Month.  This event will be dedicated to the life & influence of Linda Gonzalez.

It’s tough to loose a loved one this time of year.  Just 2 days ago, on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009, the Petaluma arts community lost our matriarch, Linda Gonzalez, to cancer.  She demonstrated great courage and poise through her battle.

I remember the first Petaluma Downtown Association marketing meeting that I went to over 6 years ago, Linda was in charge.    She had a fun loving way about her leadership style & was always “in the know” about things happening downtown.

As I’ve watched the growth of the arts community downtown, Linda has consistently been a stabilizing force.  She was someone the gallery owners and artists relied on for guidance and opportunity.

I’ve always been an early riser on Christmas morning. I eagerly anticipate the time to enjoy family, exchange gifts and reflect on the love and joy in my life.  Today, I found myself awake thinking about how grateful I am to have had Linda as a friend and how much I’ll miss her.

As we celebrate, bringing 2009 to a close, I ask that you include a toast to the wonderful life and influence of Linda Gonzalez. Though she will physically not be with us moving forward, you can be sure that her spirit and love for art will live on through the Petaluma arts community.

I’m sure that, given the scenario, most people would be surprised to find downtown  Petaluma as the fastest growing fine art destination in the San Francisco Bay Area.  I believe it will continue to grow due to the cooperative passion of the downtown gallery & studio owners.

I’m thankful for the passion for arts throughout  Petaluma.  Petaluma has a deep roster of key players in the arts. Elly Lichenstein  has been sharing her zeal and leadership for the theatrical arts at Cinnabar Theater for 30 years.  Elly & her staff have truly helped the downtown arts wave by seeing the rich assortment of venues to expand their reach through summer concerts, private receptions and Taste of Petaluma.  Vicky Kumpfer, who impressively took the reigns at the Petaluma Arts Center a few months ago and has done an excellent job of harnessing the passion of the members of the Petaluma Arts Council to create a true cornerstone of art for the downtown. As the development of the Haystack project unfolds, we have a tremendous opportunity to tie the core downtown to the Arts Center and Vicky is right up front helping to ensure we work together with the City and the project.

The newest addition to the downtown art scene is the Calabi Gallery.  Dennis Calabi has been working in the visual arts for over 40 years and brings such immense knowledge and insight to the new Petaluma Galleries cooperative.  I am very grateful for his willingness to jump in and participate with the other galleries.  Our tag line for the Petaluma Galleries is “Fulfill your Passion for Fine Art in Downtown Petaluma”!

I’m also thankful for community members like Trisha Almond and Jennifer March, who have partnered with the downtown galleries/merchants to launch their artistic dreams.  Earlier this year, Trisha managed to produce the Vagina Monologues at the community center while introducing the production through vignettes downtown.  Jennifer March is currently fulfilling her dream of bringing Readers Theatre to Petaluma with her production of Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory”.  The first of 3 presentations of this wonderful story was last Friday and was a huge success.  The other performances will be on December 4th and December 11th at Pelican Art Gallery.

It is such an exciting time in Petaluma!  Thank you for your passion for the arts & have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

This weekend also presents a couple other happenings to mark on your calendar. On Saturday, 11/14, the artist reception for the new show up at the Riverfront Art Gallery will be held from 5-9pm.

Also this weekend is the reception for the Annual Members Show at the Petaluma Arts Center from 2-4pm on Sunday, 11/15. Due to the number of members, each artist was allowed to submit 1 piece of art that could not be larger than 20″ in any dimension. It is always an interesting show to see what our local artists are up to. The reception is always a buzz with a festive atmosphere. Hope to see you out & about with art this weekend!

1. Aurora Colors Gallery, 145 Kentucky St, 707-762-0131 – Art Glass discussion and hands on demo on fused kiln-formed glass.

2. Calabi Gallery, 144 Petaluma Blvd North, 707-781-7070 – NEW!

3. Dimensions Galleria, 115 Petaluma Blvd North, 707-763-3515 – Learn to color clay and transfer prints onto a felt-like material for framing with Diana Crain. 

4. Haus Fortuna, 111 Second St, 707-283-0166 – Special Holiday refreshments will be served.

5. Gallery One, 209 Western Ave, 707-778-8277 – Jewelry Truck show from 2-7 featuring Katya, fused glass artist.

6. Pelican Art Gallery, 143 Petaluma Blvd North, 707-773-3393 – Discussion of using paper and other materials in Collage.

7. Petaluma Arts Center, 230 Lakeville St @ D St., 707-762-5600 – Opening day of the Annual “Members Only” Exhibition. 8. Purple Leaf, 23 Kentucky Street, 707-765-3950 - Featuring Artist Jan Lee and her award winning Grapes, and Artist Karen West and her teatime water colors. Enjoy tastings of Mighty Leaf Teas. NEW!

9. Riverfront Art Gallery, 132 Petaluma Blvd North, 707-775-4278 – Discussion of images of Lance Kuehene’s 2010 Calendar.

10. StarStruck Boutique, 123 Kentucky St, 707-766-6199 – Meet and greet the Artist, Chor Boogie.

11. Viva Cocolat, 110 Petaluma Blvd North, 707-778-9888

Click here to download the Art Walk Map for November 2009!

Hope to see you out & about on Friday!

I had been exposed to VTS a couple weeks before at my Rotary club.  I was fascinated at how easily the facilitator, Oren Slozberg, was able to get the audience to participate.  There was a safe environment of expression as each person raised their hand to give their interpretation.  The process of engaging the audience promotes evidential reasoning by asking each person what made them think what they thought.  Seems simple, but that process of asking is what prompts the person to think critically.

The school district is looking for support of this program.  I anticipate that each of you, our community members will get a chance to experience VTS next year on the Art Walks.  Stay Tuned…

If you’d like more information about VTS, you can go to http://www.vtshome.org.  If you’d like to find out how you can help the schools with this program, contact me!

Some changes are great for the Petaluma fine art scene and others very sad.

On the up side of change is the very exciting news: the Calabi Gallery opened its doors today at 144 Petaluma Blvd North.  Though my cold kept me at home,  I talked to owner/curator Dennis Calabi on the phone during the opening and it was clear there was fantastic energy in his gallery from the big crowd that was there.  Congratulations to Dennis for taking the next step in making Petaluma a great cultural destination.

I have to say how sad I was to read in the Petaluma Post that Aurora Colors Gallery will be moving from Petaluma Downtown.  This is truly a loss for the downtown and the Petaluma Art Community.  Vangie & Lyndon Pullins successfully  brought a spectrum of fine art to our downtown, starting with their own glass art.  Vangie served in several capacities for the Petaluma Arts Association, she has been key in the efforts to coordinate the downtown galleries and was instrumental with the Petaluma 150th celebration.  I would personally like to thank Vangie & Lyndon for their efforts in support of the arts in Petaluma and ask that everyone visit their beautiful gallery before the end of the year, particularly on the November Art Walk on Friday, November 13th to get a glimpse of what they have so tirelessly brought to Petaluma.  Best of luck to Aurora Colors Gallery!

Kudos to Margie Helm, Abraham Solar and Vicky Kumpfer for the increased participation in another fantastic El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration in its 9th year.  This year was amazing, with reportedly 1500 people at the parade last Friday night.  The exhibit at the Petaluma Arts Center is still available for another week.  If you haven’t stopped by to check out the alters and amazing art, I highly recommend it.  This event is incredibly positive change in our cross cultural efforts in Petaluma.  It’s one of the largest celebrations of its type in Northern California and we can be very proud of the committee that puts on this event!

So, fabulous things are happening in the arts. It’s time for all of us to harness the positive momentum in the arts.  It’s time for us, the gallery owners, the home furnishing merchants, the antique dealers, the musicians, the restaurant owners, educators, service providers and our customers… YES, you, our customers and our community, to join in the effort!

You ask “What Effort”?  I ask your help in getting the word out about Petaluma as an incredible cultural destination with top-notch restaurants, a full spectrum of shopping and what I believe to be the fastest growing art community in the Bay Area.  I ask that you help us simply by writing a note on your facebook page or a mention of the arts to visiting guests.  I ask that you tell your family, your colleagues, your friends and people on the street about the positive changes in Petaluma.  Studies indicate that visitors to a town who are there for a cultural event or attraction tend to spend a lot more dollars in that town.  So, please help us.

I also ask for your feedback. If you have ideas about how we can harness this energy to ensure people find us on purpose and not simply because they were stopping on their way to the Coast, please join in the discussion.  We need your ideas and help to make this happen.

If you didn’t know that we have a booming art community, we need to find out why you don’t know about it.   I invite each person reading this blog to put Friday, November 13th on your calendar to take part in the Downtown Art Walk from 5 – 8pm.  Galleries & other merchants participating will have special educational presentations along with holiday cheer.  I’ll bet that you’ll find some awesome holiday gifts during the walk.  Watch this blog for the Art Walk Map for November.  Hope you join us in celebrating the visual arts, a growing slice of the full spectrum of arts in our wonderful town.